OMG!

That expression was invented for days like today! Oh, My Gawd (We're picking up the accent, now....)

Freezing = Yes. -11c. Short run = Yes.

We farewelled our Aussie buddies first thing, then hit the streets. The plan was to walk through Times Square on the way to Rockefeller Centre to go skating, but we had to make it past the half price ticket booths. The girls were keen to see Mary Poppins, and they had seats, so I joined the icy queue for 40 minutes, and the girls sheltered out of the cold. Shops were closed, so it was window shopping and coffee drinking only. We got our 2PM seats, so decided to race via Subway to the Statue to fill the void.

The brief ferry ride (After we passed, yet again, through airport level security (Shoes off, pockets out etc - Not a complaint - just a comment) was very pleasant as the wind had dropped and the sun came out..... but by the time the 10 minute ride was finished, that had all changed.... The Statue was great - much smaller than we expected (And its closed for maintenance, so we couldn't go inside) so we took our tourist shots and dashed. She's very photogenic. After a brief stop at nearby Ellis Island, we headed back to Manhattan and a dash for the Subway. Made it to the theatre in plenty of time.

The theatre (New Amsterdam) was warm, ornate and quite impressive. We knew nothing of the Mary Poppins performance, but absorbed the history while waiting. A bit like the film, but sufficiently different to suit both the staging, and the producers wish to extend the storyline to include more of the written elements. We were simply blown away! At this stage the girls rate it as the Trip Highlight overall. It was stunning, frankly. Of course the singing, acting and dancing was flawless, and the storyline great - but the staging was mind blowing. Rooms went up and down, roofs appeared, the chimney guy walked all four edges of the stage - up the sides and across the top. Very impressive. Mary Poppins even flew over the crowd at the end! What more could we want! I must admit I didn't have high expectations, but I wish I did because I reckon they still would have been blown away.

After that high we grabbed our first McDonalds meal for the whole trip right next door. Flashing lights, 4 stories, and a nightclub theme that would blow away most of the pubs and clubs I've seen in Perth. The food was excellent, too!

Yet another dash down to Rockefeller Centre to go Ice Skating. The girls had their tickets paid for by their Aunty Nat for Xmas (Thanks Natalie!) and we all had a whale of a time. Three of us ended up with zero prangs, and the others didn't suffer too much! We were oblivious to the watching crowd as soon as the skates were on and joined the hordes of newbie skaters trying to stay upright. Sarah and Danielle had done it before, and Yvonne once when she was a kid. It was first time for Brooke and I, but we did OK. I struggled with the triple axle, but nailed the spinny thing....

As we still had daylight left...no, scratch that, daylight was gone hours ago...as we still had credit left, we went up the Rockefeller building to catch the panoramic view. At $125 it is an expensive elevator ride - but you don't feel cheated when the elevator has a glass roof, the lift shaft is lit with various colours AND it plays Disco Music. Awesome! The views were spectacular, so it was a perfect way to end the day and end our New York experience. There are good views of Chrysler Building (Partly obscured), Empire State and Central Park. All fantastic under night lights.

We retired after a stroll back to the apartment through Times Square (One last look!) and via our favourite 24 hour cake and pizza shop (The Pizzas have to be seen/tasted to be believed!). Cake it was, then back to the apartment to start the dreaded pack. Tomorrow is a rravel day - not too early, but it does involve suitcases and subways, so it should be fun! 3 hour flight to sunny Florida, then we can stop having to layer up every time we set foot outside the door. Spare a thought for the ticket booth assistane who spends the day outside - she has a company supplied 'all weather' lined jacket - and she wears 5 other layers (mostly jackets) underneath. Minus 11 C when we first set out. Icy!