As we spotted the famous skyline I became mega excited and was pointing out the buildings I could remember to Simon. This was my second visit to New York and Simons first.Two of my best friends, Elly and Hayley, from back home had also planned their first trip to the Big Apple whilst we were in the States so we decided to meet up with them. Our hostel was two blocks south, two blocks west of Times Square - a perfect location. We had planned to meet Hayley and Elly that evening so we had time to quickly do some washing. Simon was in his element pushing around the laundry trolleys - just like the ones in Friends! We grabbed lunch next door and had a brief wander around. After cleaning ourselves up we walked through Times Square peaking in a few stores. The lights from advertising still shone bright and dominated the area. Although parts looked the same, new shops and their electronic billboards made Times Square look different. Parts have now been pedestrianised which is really strange. Weaving in and out of people sat at tables felt so different from my previous visit dodging the yellow cabs. Theres also large red steps where people meet, sit or take photos. As we walked up Broadway I noticed a few nice bars had disappeared but we found one to have a quick drink in. We were at the girls hotel way to early so we meandered up a few blocks to Central Park. There was a lot of comotion outside the Ritz and after closer inspection realised they were waiting for a celeb. Rumours and whispers said that it was either Bradd Pitt or Zac Effron - it was most likely Zac as he'd been doing a photoshoot in the city. Si was really not bothered and it was nearly time to be reunited with my girls so we left the tourists, pap and their cameras and headed to the Wellington. I was warned beforehand that Si would disown me if I cried or screamed! As we went into their hotel they were already in the lobby an our reunion didn't draw too much attention. It was so strange to see them again after nearly a whole 365 days of missing their faces! We made our way to a bar and had a good catch up on everything back home. I was so glad that it felt normal and like we had never been apart. We grabbed tea at a buffet restaurant before grabbing some beers to take back to the girls room. Elly offered to bring us some english goods so I requested Cadburys and Simon wanted hair wax. The taste of english chocolate melting on my mouth was amazing! It was hard to not scoff it all and savour the goodness!! Thank you again Elaine :) Early the next morning we met the girls and loaded them with things to take home. Mainly clothes, tickets and other nic-nacs that we had acquired. We were both so grateful to know it arrived home safely and equally greatful that our bags were much lighter! After grabbing breakfast we walked to Central Park and hired bikes for a few hours. After Si emptied his bladder and Hayley changed bikes and was chatted up, we made our way to the park. We were given a rough map and decided to head towards Strawberry fields, the memorial for John Lennon. Stupidly we were never told the 'biking rules' and were told off a few times for riding in the wrong direction and on wrong paths! One runner just put his hand out and said stop which made us giggle. It wasn't until we'd reached 94th street we realise we'd gone too far and turned round. We finally found the memorial which is a large black and white circular mosiac with Imagine written in the middle. Flowers are often left and Yoko still visits often. We posed near the fountains and lakes and watched as the saxophone player gathered people round to kick their legs as he played 'New York New York'. After a short rest we said goodbye the girls who were off to the zoo. We took our bikes back, had lunch and tried to use the girls out of date tickets on the tour bus. Sadly they were being checked so we gave up on that idea and ventured down 5th Avenue. We had a look in the clothes shops and saw the Rockerfella and UN buildings. A short walk further brought us to Grand Central Station where we tried some oysters in the oyster bar downstairs. Eating oysters was a first for both of us an we were surprised at how different the three varieties we tried tasted. They aren't as slimy as they look. At dusk we walked through a city park which had a library of books available to read and also the city cinema. Si purchased some Penguin tops as they were cheaper than the UK and on offer. We then made our way to Macys and Maddison Square Gardens before returning to Times Square to see it lit up at night through non-tired eyes. Our third day in New York we headed downtown to catch the free ferry to Staten Island. From the ferry we had a good view of the Statue of Liberty. It cost less than the actual tour and we didnt have to waste time queing up in Battery Park. Staten Island seemed pretty plain so we caught the returning ferry. We walked up through Battery Park and up to the Bull on Wall Street. Apparently rubbing the Bulls balls is meant to bring good fortune. Simon and me then detoured to the World Trade Centre site. At first glance it didn't look like they had made much progress on it from my last visit, but I then realised that they've built numerous stories underground. We went into Trinity Church and looked at the memorial items. Reading the notes and missing posters is so sad. On the collage of Police badges Simon spotted a Shropshire Fire and Rescue service badge. Across the road we then went into the World Trade Centre museum which gave a timeline of events and stated how many lives were lost and how long after they were still discovering bodies. There was also a model sculpture of how the new Freedom Tower and 9/11 memorial gardens will look. Late afternoon we met up with Hayley and Elly again for tea at Hooters before we made our way to the Rockerfella. Sadly the tickets for sunset had sold out so we went up at night. We had to wait a short while so Hayley spotted a Lego shop and dragged us all inside. It was pretty awesome as there were numerous boxes set up with New York lego scenes set up. We sat outside laughing at my fat feet that had swollen from being on too many buses for too long. Finally it was time to go up. Despite Simons great fear of heights he was fine at the top. Viewing the city all lit up from such a height away from the hustle and bustel is awesome. Elly was our photographer for the evening and we looked round and posed for pictures, By the end of our first three days in New York Simon had grown to love the place as much as I do. Elly plans to move to New York to become a window cleaner, so we might move in with her!