New York - World Trade Centre and Statue of Liberty

This morning greeted us with another wet NY miserable weather pattern. Wet, cold, windy and generally miserable. We took our lives into our own hands once again and found our way underground onto the Subway, heading down to the World Trade Center and the memorial for the Twin Towers. 

After lining up outside in the rain for 30 minutes, we eventually got our tickets and passed through security equivalent to passing through LAX Airport. 

The memorial and exhibits were fascinating and horrifying. The damage and coordinated attacks and how they were all pieced together was one of the more sombre things I have seen this holiday, yet was so intriguing in the same breath. 

No photos allowed inside, and being actually right next to the foundations of the original Twin Towers was kind of eerie, yet incredibly interesting 

We got out mid afternoon and headed a little bit further downtown to the ferry to Staten Island and Ellis Island. 

The rain was still coming down, the wind had picked up a bit and the overall weather was still pretty miserable. 

It didn’t deter us however and we still got on the boat and headed out to see the Statue of Liberty followed by the fascinating buildings on Ellis Island. Due to both the lateness and the weather, we chose to not get off the ferry , which was a handy decision considering it was the second to last one that we could catch to get back onto mainland. 

One more bravery award was redeemed when we got on the Subway for the last time to get home. 

Tonight was pizza night. We ordered enough to feed the whole of Cambodia, yet somehow, there was none left 30 minutes later. 

We leave tomorrow for a much more relaxed Rhode Island visit with our good American friend Jen and her partner Jay, along with Jen’s 2 adult children. 

We are all secretly looking forward to a much more relaxed few days in the build up to Christmas. 

New York - Bryant Park & Madame Tussaud’s

Dylan has been hanging out to go ice skating in NY, so this morning is his day. 

But first, breakfast in New York style. 

There was a little restaurant around the corner that had been recommended to us for their unique hosting style, so we were up early and at the Stardust Cafe at 7:15am. Only to join the queue of 20 other people waiting to get into the already full establishment. 

We waited for about a further 15 minutes and finally got our turn. 

At US$18-$22 per breakfast plus another US$6-$8 for a drink, it turned out to be the most expensive breakfast we have ever had!  

The big difference with this place is that the waiters / waitresses are all broadway wannabe’s and are continuously singing and dancing with a microphone as they walk around the tables serving meals. Was a very entertaining morning for everyone except my wallet. 

Our experience seeing Rockefeller rink yesterday and some suggestions from others saw us heading to Bryant Park instead for the ice skating today. This rink is actually 2-3 times bigger and seemingly populated by half the number of people. And free - except for the skate hire. 

The beaming smiles from all 3 kids told us that we had made the right decision in doing this, and it gave Tracy and I some time out in the sub zero temperatures to “chill” for a short time. 

They lasted about an hour and a half, and then we went for a long walk to visit the lower end of Manhattan in search of some Australian champagne to take to Rhode Island with us in a few days. 

Whilst on the walk across town, it actually started snowing a few times , albeit very lightly. Dylan’s inner 6 year old surfaced and it was amusing for us seeing him jumping around trying to catch the fluff in his open mouth. It was just as amusing watching New Yorkers walk around him without a second look as if he was not even there. 

Next stop was Madame Tussaud’s. Tracy and I had been there 16 years ago and felt it was such a unique experience that we just had to do it again with the kids. 

We finally escaped and could hardly stand on our aching feet anymore. We headed back to the sauna for some dinner and rest, before collapsing in readiness for another big day tomorrow.