Well now I’m sitting watching Springwatch (I know!!) whilst finishing typing up the Blog. It’s Thursday night and tomorrow I’ve ordered a hire car to drive to Ipswich to pick up the Mr. We’re watching the match at Nat and Jon’s tomorrow night and I get my hug off my wee man Noah! Yippee!! Can’t wait to catch up, they’ve even been to Disney since we saw them last, so much to catch up on!
Then our friends Ali and Ben are getting married on Saturday ..... whoopee!! So exciting!! Ben’s playing in the band for the evening doo, which he’s been practising for. Then Sunday we fill up the car with stuff and head back here to the North.
We’ve got a busy week next week, taking a couple of days to go flat/house hunting in Newcastle. We’re going to make Newcastle our home, see how it goes. Can’t wait to start getting homely again, missed having our own place and watching DVD’s !! Ha ha, so sad!
Well this is it for now, until our next plans or travels ........ who knows where we’ll be next time??!!
Thanks for listening everyone, hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as we’ve enjoyed our travels!! Hope you’ve been with us all the way. Take care xxxxxx
17 June 2010
Goodbyes, manky teeth and models !!
We were delayed for 40 minutes on leaving but had a good tailwind so made it back. We slept most of the way but made sure we were awake for any food going. We were only 10 minutes late when we arrived in. We had to catch a bus from the strip to the Airport and then seemed to have miles to walk until we arrived to collect our baggage. We got through customs with no bother and then walked out into Arrivals to Mum and Dad H!! They’d come to pick up Ben which was lovely of them, so strange to think we’d just saw them in New Zealand and then back in the UK.
That’s it then both home safe and sound, what a way to finish our 10 months travelling ..... a New York Wedding!!
We had a quick check that we’d got everything and then we parted!! I had booked the train to go up North and Ben was staying in Ipswich with Mum and Dad Hines. They walked me to the lift and I jumped in to catch the tube from Gatwick to London Euston.
It took an hour to get from Gatwick to London Euston and I had to change once at Leicester Square. I was hoping I could just jump onto the first train that was heading to Glasgow and did wait in the queue. I bottled out of it though and just decided to hang around at the Train Station and people watch for the 4 hours until my train. I was sitting writing my diary when a girl asked how long I was planning on sitting there and could she leave her bags whilst she had a look in the shop. She was then my train station buddy and sat with me for the 4 hours. I found out she was a model and she was waiting for some friends to meet her at the station. Here I was looking my worst after travelling for nearly 2 days, wearing the same clothes and not even cleaned my teeth that morning and here she was looking really pretty !! Great!! She was lovely though and made the hanging around go really quickly.
At last my train had arrived and was ready for boarding and off I went, saying my goodbyes to the model and wishing her well. Hopefully see her on the front of Vogue one day!
I boarded and sat down and that was it I was on my way home. I slept for a little bit but just took in the scenery whilst listening to the IPod. It was 4 hours to Carlisle and then I had to change to go to Whitehaven. Then 40 minutes and I was pulling into Whitehaven Station.
My brother Scott and Sister-In-Law Tracey had agreed to pick me up and had brought Kia and Tyla (Nieces) , not telling them who they were picking up. What a surprise !! It was so good to see them again, it was Disney where we saw them all last!
That’s it then both home safe and sound, what a way to finish our 10 months travelling ..... a New York Wedding!!
We had a quick check that we’d got everything and then we parted!! I had booked the train to go up North and Ben was staying in Ipswich with Mum and Dad Hines. They walked me to the lift and I jumped in to catch the tube from Gatwick to London Euston.
It took an hour to get from Gatwick to London Euston and I had to change once at Leicester Square. I was hoping I could just jump onto the first train that was heading to Glasgow and did wait in the queue. I bottled out of it though and just decided to hang around at the Train Station and people watch for the 4 hours until my train. I was sitting writing my diary when a girl asked how long I was planning on sitting there and could she leave her bags whilst she had a look in the shop. She was then my train station buddy and sat with me for the 4 hours. I found out she was a model and she was waiting for some friends to meet her at the station. Here I was looking my worst after travelling for nearly 2 days, wearing the same clothes and not even cleaned my teeth that morning and here she was looking really pretty !! Great!! She was lovely though and made the hanging around go really quickly.
At last my train had arrived and was ready for boarding and off I went, saying my goodbyes to the model and wishing her well. Hopefully see her on the front of Vogue one day!
I boarded and sat down and that was it I was on my way home. I slept for a little bit but just took in the scenery whilst listening to the IPod. It was 4 hours to Carlisle and then I had to change to go to Whitehaven. Then 40 minutes and I was pulling into Whitehaven Station.
My brother Scott and Sister-In-Law Tracey had agreed to pick me up and had brought Kia and Tyla (Nieces) , not telling them who they were picking up. What a surprise !! It was so good to see them again, it was Disney where we saw them all last!
King Tut and garn yam !!
We were so tired when the alarm went off the next morning. We made sure we’d all packed and left the bags in the hotel office for the day. We checked out and made it to Blooms in time for breakfast ... just as they were putting the dinner menus out!
We walked to Grand Central Station and ordered our Shuttle bus tickets for that day. We then decided to hail a cab to take us to the NYC Museum. The museum had a King Tut Exhibition which we were all interested to see. It was amazing! We got to see some many items and relics which were found in Tut’s tomb along with many others. The design on the wooden boxes and tombs were awesome and still in great condition. There was so much information on when he was alive and his family connections, to when he died. There was footage of when Howard Carter found his tomb and when they were taking the things out of there.
An interesting fact for you now. A wooden box was found covered in gold and was surrounded by loads of symbols and relics. Inside the box was the first shrine and in that were three more, all decorated gold like the box. Inside the four shrines was the famous stone sarcophagus, which inside that contained three coffins. The last of the three coffins was made of solid gold and inside that was Tut’s mummy and his famous gold mask ..... amazing !!
Really awesome seeing everything just as it would have been in the 1300’s!
When we got out of there it was time for Mam and Dad to hail a cab and make their way to the airport. We literally caught one outside and said our very quick goodbyes, we watched them drive off. Me and Ben weren’t flying until later so we had a few hours left in NYC.
We made our way round to The Olive Garden Restaurant for some lunch. A very nice and cheap meal for it being in Times Square.
After stuffing ourselves we had a little walk around the shops making sure we had everything. Having our last walk around Times Square and seeing the Naked Cowboy, couldn’t believe it. We wanted Mam to see him and where was he when we needed him for Lisa and Stuarts Wedding Photos!!
We quickly called into the Toys R Us Store, its amazing !! It’s the biggest shop in the world (that’s not a fact, it just feels like that!) It even has a fair in it, a transformer and a dinosaur!! We even got to see Spiderman and Iron Man. Iron Man was the best ever but they wouldn’t let us take any photos of him ..... BOOOOO!!
We walked our last walk back to the Hotel and collected our bags. Carrying our heavy bags we struggled round the corner to Grand Centre Station and waited for the shuttle bus. We only had 20 minutes to wait for a bus to turn up.
An hour later and we arrived a JFK Airport. We got through security really quickly but were really disappointed with the number of shops there. It took us about 10 minutes to walk round all of them!! Although we did get to spritz while we were there and then went and chilled in the lounge.
3 Hours later and we were boarding the flight home, the end of our travel !! Our seats were called first and they were alright, although I had to have a weirdo sitting next to me......nowt fresh there, I always get em!
We walked to Grand Central Station and ordered our Shuttle bus tickets for that day. We then decided to hail a cab to take us to the NYC Museum. The museum had a King Tut Exhibition which we were all interested to see. It was amazing! We got to see some many items and relics which were found in Tut’s tomb along with many others. The design on the wooden boxes and tombs were awesome and still in great condition. There was so much information on when he was alive and his family connections, to when he died. There was footage of when Howard Carter found his tomb and when they were taking the things out of there.
An interesting fact for you now. A wooden box was found covered in gold and was surrounded by loads of symbols and relics. Inside the box was the first shrine and in that were three more, all decorated gold like the box. Inside the four shrines was the famous stone sarcophagus, which inside that contained three coffins. The last of the three coffins was made of solid gold and inside that was Tut’s mummy and his famous gold mask ..... amazing !!
Really awesome seeing everything just as it would have been in the 1300’s!
When we got out of there it was time for Mam and Dad to hail a cab and make their way to the airport. We literally caught one outside and said our very quick goodbyes, we watched them drive off. Me and Ben weren’t flying until later so we had a few hours left in NYC.
We made our way round to The Olive Garden Restaurant for some lunch. A very nice and cheap meal for it being in Times Square.
After stuffing ourselves we had a little walk around the shops making sure we had everything. Having our last walk around Times Square and seeing the Naked Cowboy, couldn’t believe it. We wanted Mam to see him and where was he when we needed him for Lisa and Stuarts Wedding Photos!!
We quickly called into the Toys R Us Store, its amazing !! It’s the biggest shop in the world (that’s not a fact, it just feels like that!) It even has a fair in it, a transformer and a dinosaur!! We even got to see Spiderman and Iron Man. Iron Man was the best ever but they wouldn’t let us take any photos of him ..... BOOOOO!!
We walked our last walk back to the Hotel and collected our bags. Carrying our heavy bags we struggled round the corner to Grand Centre Station and waited for the shuttle bus. We only had 20 minutes to wait for a bus to turn up.
An hour later and we arrived a JFK Airport. We got through security really quickly but were really disappointed with the number of shops there. It took us about 10 minutes to walk round all of them!! Although we did get to spritz while we were there and then went and chilled in the lounge.
3 Hours later and we were boarding the flight home, the end of our travel !! Our seats were called first and they were alright, although I had to have a weirdo sitting next to me......nowt fresh there, I always get em!
Last drinky poos at Jacks
We woke with the alarm this morning, so we could get down for an early ferry across to Liberty Island. We had a quick breakfast at Blooms and then walked down to the Empire State Building to catch the Tour Bus.
We didn’t have long to wait and we all sat down upstairs ready for the journey. As we sat down we noticed Jill and Anne (Lisa’s Mam and Friend), talking to the Bus Ticket Touts........ such a big place like New York and we see them both !!
We got off the bus and had a little walk through Battery Park. There were loads of little grey squirrels just running around all over the place, so cute ! We eventually found the end of the queue and stood there .... and stood there ....... and stood there for 2 hours!! It wasn’t that boring though, we were entertained by a couple of buskers. One of them a contortionist, who was awesome. He climbed into a tiny perpex box. What a show!!
After ages we arrived at the Security Checkpoint. I got in trouble for keeping my belt on, they even asked me if I had a belt and I said no .... whoops!! Mam even got frisked due to the buttons on her trousers, can’t take us anywhere!
Eventually we boarded the ferry and stood on the top deck at the back. We sat there for another 15 minutes until everyone got on and them we set sail to the Island. Suck a lovely view sailing out of the pier, the skyline is amazing. After 20 minutes sailing we arrived at Liberty Island and headed for the loo. We then had a walk right around the island and right underneath Liberty, she’s HUGE! We opted out of going inside the statue, the view is just as good outside.
We were hungry at this point so called into the Island Food place, we all tried a hotdog and fries .... very nice. Our first NYC Hotdog!!
We didn’t hang around long as there’s not much else to do on the Island, so we headed back to queue to get back over again. We eventually got back on land again at 2.30pm .... a whole day pretty much queuing!!
We stopped to watch some buskers in Battery Park. They were an awesome trio of acrobats, they were really talented. And really funny too. We were walking back to catch the bus again when we bumped into Lisa and Stuart !! Couldn’t believe it, it’s a small world! They had been to collect their marriage certificate and then they were heading over for a hotdog on Liberty Island.
We caught the bus back down to Times Square and then had a walk down to Central Park. It wasn’t that far and there were loads to look at. Our first stop was FAO Schwartz to see the toys and the ‘BIG Piano’. The store is so big, it’s got anything and everything a kid would want. The cuddly teddies are massive, nearly full size elephants and giraffes (well not quite that big but big!). Me and Ben treated ourselves to some chocolate .... expensive and not that impressive for those that were interested! Although Ben did get one with Obama on it !
We called into the Apple Shop next door and came out empty handed. We then just walked across the road to Central Park and had a lovely walk through. We passed the shrine to John Lennon, which was covered with flowers and candles. We even past the Ghostbusters towers again, before finding me and Bens Pavilion. (The place where Ben proposed to me!) It was definitely a bit warmer than the last time we were here. In the background was The Ladies Pavilion, where we’d been for The Bowes Wedding! We had a few photos and then walked back to the street and hailed a cab back to Times Square.
We had some tea in the Hard Rock Cafe. We had to have a drink in the bar until our table was ready but we didn’t mind. It was cool to have a look round cos it was full of rock memorabilia. Even a guitar from The Edge, Dad’s favourite item! We had a lovely tea and some drinks, our last tea in New York!
We did the usual end to the night of Jacks, our last drinks there ..... boooooo!! We got to sit at the bar and talk to our favourite barman. For being regulars we got a round of drinks bought for us by the barman. He even gave us a taste of a new spirit he had in which tasted gingery and gave us a mixed shot each as a thank you ! What a place!! Just a shame we wouldn’t be back there (for a while at least!).We made it back to the hotel and me and Ben managed to get a bit of packing in, no folding necessary now!! Just needed everything to fit in the bags!
We didn’t have long to wait and we all sat down upstairs ready for the journey. As we sat down we noticed Jill and Anne (Lisa’s Mam and Friend), talking to the Bus Ticket Touts........ such a big place like New York and we see them both !!
We got off the bus and had a little walk through Battery Park. There were loads of little grey squirrels just running around all over the place, so cute ! We eventually found the end of the queue and stood there .... and stood there ....... and stood there for 2 hours!! It wasn’t that boring though, we were entertained by a couple of buskers. One of them a contortionist, who was awesome. He climbed into a tiny perpex box. What a show!!
After ages we arrived at the Security Checkpoint. I got in trouble for keeping my belt on, they even asked me if I had a belt and I said no .... whoops!! Mam even got frisked due to the buttons on her trousers, can’t take us anywhere!
Eventually we boarded the ferry and stood on the top deck at the back. We sat there for another 15 minutes until everyone got on and them we set sail to the Island. Suck a lovely view sailing out of the pier, the skyline is amazing. After 20 minutes sailing we arrived at Liberty Island and headed for the loo. We then had a walk right around the island and right underneath Liberty, she’s HUGE! We opted out of going inside the statue, the view is just as good outside.
We were hungry at this point so called into the Island Food place, we all tried a hotdog and fries .... very nice. Our first NYC Hotdog!!
We didn’t hang around long as there’s not much else to do on the Island, so we headed back to queue to get back over again. We eventually got back on land again at 2.30pm .... a whole day pretty much queuing!!
We stopped to watch some buskers in Battery Park. They were an awesome trio of acrobats, they were really talented. And really funny too. We were walking back to catch the bus again when we bumped into Lisa and Stuart !! Couldn’t believe it, it’s a small world! They had been to collect their marriage certificate and then they were heading over for a hotdog on Liberty Island.
We caught the bus back down to Times Square and then had a walk down to Central Park. It wasn’t that far and there were loads to look at. Our first stop was FAO Schwartz to see the toys and the ‘BIG Piano’. The store is so big, it’s got anything and everything a kid would want. The cuddly teddies are massive, nearly full size elephants and giraffes (well not quite that big but big!). Me and Ben treated ourselves to some chocolate .... expensive and not that impressive for those that were interested! Although Ben did get one with Obama on it !
We called into the Apple Shop next door and came out empty handed. We then just walked across the road to Central Park and had a lovely walk through. We passed the shrine to John Lennon, which was covered with flowers and candles. We even past the Ghostbusters towers again, before finding me and Bens Pavilion. (The place where Ben proposed to me!) It was definitely a bit warmer than the last time we were here. In the background was The Ladies Pavilion, where we’d been for The Bowes Wedding! We had a few photos and then walked back to the street and hailed a cab back to Times Square.
We had some tea in the Hard Rock Cafe. We had to have a drink in the bar until our table was ready but we didn’t mind. It was cool to have a look round cos it was full of rock memorabilia. Even a guitar from The Edge, Dad’s favourite item! We had a lovely tea and some drinks, our last tea in New York!
We did the usual end to the night of Jacks, our last drinks there ..... boooooo!! We got to sit at the bar and talk to our favourite barman. For being regulars we got a round of drinks bought for us by the barman. He even gave us a taste of a new spirit he had in which tasted gingery and gave us a mixed shot each as a thank you ! What a place!! Just a shame we wouldn’t be back there (for a while at least!).We made it back to the hotel and me and Ben managed to get a bit of packing in, no folding necessary now!! Just needed everything to fit in the bags!
Dah Dah Da Dahhhh .... Wedding Day !!!
WEDDING DAY!!!! WOO HOOOOOOOO!!
The reason we were all here......Lisa and Stuarts Wedding!! It was a scorcher!! We all met at Blooms for breakfast, making sure we all had a good feed. We then walked back to the hotel to get showered and ready for the wedding. We had to put the air con on, it was that stuffy and hot in the bedrooms.
We were all suited and booted and decided to catch a cab down to Central Park instead of walking as usual, it was just too hot to be out there. Mam ‘hailed’ a cab quite quickly and we were soon heading to the Park. We decided to get dropped off at the Natural History Museum, which ended up being a good move for the air con!! We should have stayed longer in there but we decided to head down to see if we could see where the wedding was.
We had loads of time to kill so took our time in the heat. Central Park is so pretty and such a hive of business. We walked down and found a Pavilion overlooking the lake. It was beautiful !! It was just like the photos Lisa had shown me .... we’d found the place “Ladies Pavilion!”.
We found a little Pavilion and sat down in the shade, watching the terrapins in the water bobbing around. There were loads of them, really big too. Everyone else were in their shorts and t-shirts and here’s us in full wedding outfits .... not funny! Poor Mam had to take her shoes off cos her feet were hurting.
I was getting so nervous because it was past the time they should have been here. I was so scared that we were missing it all or that they were waiting for us. I had a walk down to the Pavilion and saw a minster lady standing waiting. She asked me if I was here for Lisa’s wedding ...... yey, we were in the right place!! Straight away she got on her mobile and at the same time I heard shouting, Lisa was walking down the hill.
Everyone was walking down ...... WOW, she looked beautiful. Her dress was gorgeous, her makeup and hair were stunning, and the flowers were really pretty..... she looked wicked!! She does scrub up well !! Stuart was all smart in his 3 piece suit, he looked a little bit nervous. I won’t tell a lie, I did shed a tear on seeing them both. This was it !! Leah was dressed in her princess dress and carrying a wand. Everyone just looked really lovely and happy, so exciting!! Stuart’s family had come over, his Mam, Aunt and Cousin which was nice and Lisa’s Mam Jill and Anne had come too, looking gorg!
I had started filming everyone walking down the hill towards the pavilion but I had really shaky hands and didn’t get anything. I did try again but the same thing happened, I was so nervous and teary ... couldn’t see a thing!!
Lisa was so emotional as the ceremony started, she set everyone off. The minsters words were so lovely throughout the ceremony. Couldn’t believe we were all standing there for Lisa and Stuarts Wedding, overlooked by the Manhattan Skyline, with everyone there ..... Awesome!!
They managed the vows and before we knew it they were “Husband and Wife!!!!!!!” Yey, there wasn’t a dry eye in the pavilion!!
Poor Mr and Mrs Boyes had to stand out in the sun for the photos, just no break from it. Everyone was just clicking away trying to get as many photo’s as possible for them both. They had them walking off road and dodging trees for photos. It was just the perfect wedding setting and perfect wedding. They even managed a photo in front of the Ghostbusters towers .... ha ha !!
Then the Minister asked for the Witnesses ........ ME AND BEN !!!! WOW !!! They had wanted to ask us but never found the right time, such a lovely surprise. My hands were shaking but I managed to sign, as did Ben ..... great stuff!!
After what seemed like ages and just before Lisa and Stuart melted we walked back up the road to where the cars were waiting. Everyone was saying congratulations to them both, so sweet ! A couple more photos and they headed off in the cars. We hailed a cab and made back to the Crowne Plaza Hotel to meet them.
Us four got there before them and eventually all found somewhere where we could all sit round together. Lisa and Stuart went to freshen up but were soon down to catch up with everyone. It was so nice sitting there with everyone around but yet really strange. We had a good laugh, catching up with everything and hearing about their busy morning. Everything went really well and Leah was a star ! Lisa and Stuart had given her a Bridesmaid Pack and it included a disposable camera. Well Leah was taking photos of everything and anything, so cute!
At 6pm we caught the cars down to Pier 81 on the Hudson River. We all met up outside and got our boarding cards from Lisa and Stuart. We walked down the boardwalk to arrive at our boat ‘Princess’. It was a massive boat but eventually we got to the back of the boat and had to walk the plank to get onto it. Poor Lisa in her dress!!
We all made it on board and had to go downstairs to the restaurant. We had great seats and Leah got a seat by the window. We were split onto 2 tables but were sitting behind each other. The staff was so friendly and helpful and we were given the menus. Wow A La’Carte Menu, it was lovely. So much to choose from, hard deciding what we were going to choose!
We all ordered what we wanted and toasted a drink to the Newly Weds!! Lisa tucked into her drink a Cosmopolitan Cocktail ...... ‘When in Rome!’ ......
Before long we got our starter, it just wasn’t big enough ... it was delicious!! Then at 8pm we set sail on our cruise around the Hudson. We set off just at the right time as the sunset was starting and it was just getting dark. The sunset lit the while sky up and it was just reflecting off all the buildings. It’s such a great way to see the city and so nice to be able to see it at night. We passed by and passed under all the 3 bridges ... the Manhattan, Brooklyn and the George Washington Bridge. We even got to sail by The Statue of Liberty, even stopping right by her for 10 minutes for some photos and to take in the awesome views.
Everyone had such a great time, the perfect end to the perfect day!! Lisa and Stuart even got their first dance on the dance floor there, with the DJ reading out that they’d been married. They got meet all the staff even the Chef came to say hello and congratulations!!
We were all docked and at 10pm and caught a cab back to Times Square for some more photos. It was packed as usual and everyone was looking and commenting on how beautiful Lisa was. We walked to the strip and Ben took some photos amongst everyone. With it being Fleet Week we even managed to get a photo from some passing sailors, we didn’t stop there ...... OH NO !! We even got a pic of Lisa with some NYC Cops ...... Awesome !! And again we didn’t stop there, we all walked into the M&M’s shop and Lisa and Stuart got their photos with “Yellow” the yellow M&M!!
After that we said our goodbyes to the Bride and Groom and thanked them for a great day. We called into Jacks for some more celebratory drinks. Calling into the English Pub for a swift pint too.
What a day!!
The reason we were all here......Lisa and Stuarts Wedding!! It was a scorcher!! We all met at Blooms for breakfast, making sure we all had a good feed. We then walked back to the hotel to get showered and ready for the wedding. We had to put the air con on, it was that stuffy and hot in the bedrooms.
We were all suited and booted and decided to catch a cab down to Central Park instead of walking as usual, it was just too hot to be out there. Mam ‘hailed’ a cab quite quickly and we were soon heading to the Park. We decided to get dropped off at the Natural History Museum, which ended up being a good move for the air con!! We should have stayed longer in there but we decided to head down to see if we could see where the wedding was.
We had loads of time to kill so took our time in the heat. Central Park is so pretty and such a hive of business. We walked down and found a Pavilion overlooking the lake. It was beautiful !! It was just like the photos Lisa had shown me .... we’d found the place “Ladies Pavilion!”.
We found a little Pavilion and sat down in the shade, watching the terrapins in the water bobbing around. There were loads of them, really big too. Everyone else were in their shorts and t-shirts and here’s us in full wedding outfits .... not funny! Poor Mam had to take her shoes off cos her feet were hurting.
I was getting so nervous because it was past the time they should have been here. I was so scared that we were missing it all or that they were waiting for us. I had a walk down to the Pavilion and saw a minster lady standing waiting. She asked me if I was here for Lisa’s wedding ...... yey, we were in the right place!! Straight away she got on her mobile and at the same time I heard shouting, Lisa was walking down the hill.
Everyone was walking down ...... WOW, she looked beautiful. Her dress was gorgeous, her makeup and hair were stunning, and the flowers were really pretty..... she looked wicked!! She does scrub up well !! Stuart was all smart in his 3 piece suit, he looked a little bit nervous. I won’t tell a lie, I did shed a tear on seeing them both. This was it !! Leah was dressed in her princess dress and carrying a wand. Everyone just looked really lovely and happy, so exciting!! Stuart’s family had come over, his Mam, Aunt and Cousin which was nice and Lisa’s Mam Jill and Anne had come too, looking gorg!
I had started filming everyone walking down the hill towards the pavilion but I had really shaky hands and didn’t get anything. I did try again but the same thing happened, I was so nervous and teary ... couldn’t see a thing!!
Lisa was so emotional as the ceremony started, she set everyone off. The minsters words were so lovely throughout the ceremony. Couldn’t believe we were all standing there for Lisa and Stuarts Wedding, overlooked by the Manhattan Skyline, with everyone there ..... Awesome!!
They managed the vows and before we knew it they were “Husband and Wife!!!!!!!” Yey, there wasn’t a dry eye in the pavilion!!
Poor Mr and Mrs Boyes had to stand out in the sun for the photos, just no break from it. Everyone was just clicking away trying to get as many photo’s as possible for them both. They had them walking off road and dodging trees for photos. It was just the perfect wedding setting and perfect wedding. They even managed a photo in front of the Ghostbusters towers .... ha ha !!
Then the Minister asked for the Witnesses ........ ME AND BEN !!!! WOW !!! They had wanted to ask us but never found the right time, such a lovely surprise. My hands were shaking but I managed to sign, as did Ben ..... great stuff!!
After what seemed like ages and just before Lisa and Stuart melted we walked back up the road to where the cars were waiting. Everyone was saying congratulations to them both, so sweet ! A couple more photos and they headed off in the cars. We hailed a cab and made back to the Crowne Plaza Hotel to meet them.
Us four got there before them and eventually all found somewhere where we could all sit round together. Lisa and Stuart went to freshen up but were soon down to catch up with everyone. It was so nice sitting there with everyone around but yet really strange. We had a good laugh, catching up with everything and hearing about their busy morning. Everything went really well and Leah was a star ! Lisa and Stuart had given her a Bridesmaid Pack and it included a disposable camera. Well Leah was taking photos of everything and anything, so cute!
At 6pm we caught the cars down to Pier 81 on the Hudson River. We all met up outside and got our boarding cards from Lisa and Stuart. We walked down the boardwalk to arrive at our boat ‘Princess’. It was a massive boat but eventually we got to the back of the boat and had to walk the plank to get onto it. Poor Lisa in her dress!!
We all made it on board and had to go downstairs to the restaurant. We had great seats and Leah got a seat by the window. We were split onto 2 tables but were sitting behind each other. The staff was so friendly and helpful and we were given the menus. Wow A La’Carte Menu, it was lovely. So much to choose from, hard deciding what we were going to choose!
We all ordered what we wanted and toasted a drink to the Newly Weds!! Lisa tucked into her drink a Cosmopolitan Cocktail ...... ‘When in Rome!’ ......
Before long we got our starter, it just wasn’t big enough ... it was delicious!! Then at 8pm we set sail on our cruise around the Hudson. We set off just at the right time as the sunset was starting and it was just getting dark. The sunset lit the while sky up and it was just reflecting off all the buildings. It’s such a great way to see the city and so nice to be able to see it at night. We passed by and passed under all the 3 bridges ... the Manhattan, Brooklyn and the George Washington Bridge. We even got to sail by The Statue of Liberty, even stopping right by her for 10 minutes for some photos and to take in the awesome views.
Everyone had such a great time, the perfect end to the perfect day!! Lisa and Stuart even got their first dance on the dance floor there, with the DJ reading out that they’d been married. They got meet all the staff even the Chef came to say hello and congratulations!!
We were all docked and at 10pm and caught a cab back to Times Square for some more photos. It was packed as usual and everyone was looking and commenting on how beautiful Lisa was. We walked to the strip and Ben took some photos amongst everyone. With it being Fleet Week we even managed to get a photo from some passing sailors, we didn’t stop there ...... OH NO !! We even got a pic of Lisa with some NYC Cops ...... Awesome !! And again we didn’t stop there, we all walked into the M&M’s shop and Lisa and Stuart got their photos with “Yellow” the yellow M&M!!
After that we said our goodbyes to the Bride and Groom and thanked them for a great day. We called into Jacks for some more celebratory drinks. Calling into the English Pub for a swift pint too.
What a day!!
Watchout King King, we're on our way!!
We were up and ready at 9.30am and made our way to Blooms. We had another great and filling breakfast before having a walk to the Empire State Building. It was really hot today, not a good day to be stuck at the top of a building 86 Floors up. We used our Tour Bus tickets cos we got to use the Express Lane .... no queuing !!
We had to get in a lift to the 80th Floor. Its weird being in a lift that goes up that far, it’s quite fast too! We had to get out on the 80th and then either wait for lift for the next 6 floors or just walk up the stairs. The queue was massive for the lift so we took the stairs. It was red hot in there and we all just made it up. It was worth it though, the view is amazing. It was heaving outside and red hot. After a lap round the outside we tried to find the shade and took in the view. You can see for miles, even seeing the Statue of Liberty and the bridges. Mam was fine up there which was good, even getting close to the barrier. We got some good photos looking down over the city.
We had to wait for the lift for the 6 floors as they’d closed the stairs due to the heat. We didn’t wait long though. We had a little walk through the gift shop before taking the lift down to the ground floor.
We walked out to the street and waited for the bus outside. We weren’t on it for long though cos we got off at Little Italy. We decided we wanted to taste the lovely food that we’d heard so much about. We ended up at a pizza place and had a really nice and very cheap lunch. Leaving there stuffed we decided to catch the bus back to Battery Park to see if we could see the Statue of Liberty.
We got off at Wall Street, passing by the famous Wall street Bull. With our bus tickets we got a free ferry ride to Liberty Island but we’d just missed the last one for the day. Didn’t matter cos we just caught the FREE Statten Island Ferry across the Hudson. It goes quite close to Liberty, luckily we’d got on the right side for the crossing and got some great photos of her and the New York Skyline. It really was a hot day. Once the ferry got to Statten Island we all had to get off and reboard to get back on. Again we got the right side and got to see Liberty again. Such a good view for free too.
We had to wait ages for another bus but got on eventually and headed back to Times Square. We popped into Walgreens for some bits and bumped into Louise, Simon and Leah (Lisa’s Sister, Brother-In-Law and Niece). They had just landed after a long flight and were so tired. Ben had spotted Louise first saying that he’d just seen a girl that looked like Lisa ....... yeah she should it’s her Sister!!) So bizarre just bumping into them all like that.
We had a little walk around Times Square before calling into Jacks. We were proper regulars in there now and the staff really looked after you (if you tipped them!). We even got to meet the boss man tonight who proved well ....... we left our camera behind and came after us to tell us ..... whoops indeed!!
We even called off into the English Pub on the way .... well it was only 3 doors down from the hotel. Ben and Dad even got to enjoy a Fosters !!!
Another awesome day !!!
We had to get in a lift to the 80th Floor. Its weird being in a lift that goes up that far, it’s quite fast too! We had to get out on the 80th and then either wait for lift for the next 6 floors or just walk up the stairs. The queue was massive for the lift so we took the stairs. It was red hot in there and we all just made it up. It was worth it though, the view is amazing. It was heaving outside and red hot. After a lap round the outside we tried to find the shade and took in the view. You can see for miles, even seeing the Statue of Liberty and the bridges. Mam was fine up there which was good, even getting close to the barrier. We got some good photos looking down over the city.
We had to wait for the lift for the 6 floors as they’d closed the stairs due to the heat. We didn’t wait long though. We had a little walk through the gift shop before taking the lift down to the ground floor.
We walked out to the street and waited for the bus outside. We weren’t on it for long though cos we got off at Little Italy. We decided we wanted to taste the lovely food that we’d heard so much about. We ended up at a pizza place and had a really nice and very cheap lunch. Leaving there stuffed we decided to catch the bus back to Battery Park to see if we could see the Statue of Liberty.
We got off at Wall Street, passing by the famous Wall street Bull. With our bus tickets we got a free ferry ride to Liberty Island but we’d just missed the last one for the day. Didn’t matter cos we just caught the FREE Statten Island Ferry across the Hudson. It goes quite close to Liberty, luckily we’d got on the right side for the crossing and got some great photos of her and the New York Skyline. It really was a hot day. Once the ferry got to Statten Island we all had to get off and reboard to get back on. Again we got the right side and got to see Liberty again. Such a good view for free too.
We had to wait ages for another bus but got on eventually and headed back to Times Square. We popped into Walgreens for some bits and bumped into Louise, Simon and Leah (Lisa’s Sister, Brother-In-Law and Niece). They had just landed after a long flight and were so tired. Ben had spotted Louise first saying that he’d just seen a girl that looked like Lisa ....... yeah she should it’s her Sister!!) So bizarre just bumping into them all like that.
We had a little walk around Times Square before calling into Jacks. We were proper regulars in there now and the staff really looked after you (if you tipped them!). We even got to meet the boss man tonight who proved well ....... we left our camera behind and came after us to tell us ..... whoops indeed!!
We even called off into the English Pub on the way .... well it was only 3 doors down from the hotel. Ben and Dad even got to enjoy a Fosters !!!
Another awesome day !!!
Showering and watching telly at the same time ?????
We were so tired the next morning, we were still on New Zealand time and we didn’t get to sleep until early morning. We had to hand in our room keys cos we were moving room. The staff said they would move our bags and we’d get new keys on our arrival.
We walked up to the corner of Lex and East 40th and stopped off at Blooms Cafe for some breakfast (this becoming our local too!). We all had awesome breakfasts with Ben having his first NY Bagel with Cream Cheese.
We then walked down some blocks to the Empire State Building ..... it’s massive! We eventually got into the lobby after dodging all the bus ticket touts trying their hardest to get us to buy tickets!! We walked up to the ticket office for the building and were luckily told by a woman the visibility was very poor today and to come back later in the week. Saved us a few dollars there!!
We walked back out onto the street and were just deciding what to do next when we were jumped on by Kojo ...... a City Sights NY Bus Ticket Tout. He was lovely and sold us some good tickets, we got a bargain cos he agreed to give us the 3 day tickets for 5 days. He even got us on the next tour bus that turned up, there was even room on the top. Great views!!
We drove down through the New York streets, its so hustle and bustle. We passed the Flat Iron Building and the memorial fence for the Twin Towers with all the tiles on it. There was an arts festival on and there were statues of people everywhere on the tops of the buildings. Even one on the Flat Iron Building. We carried on and all decided to get off the tour bus at Soho. It’s the place to go for shopping in New York apparently. We called into Macy’s and Bloomingdales before walking round the corner to The World Trade Centre.
There was so much work going on behind big wooden boards. They had pictures up on what they were building there. Two massive towers (not as big as the others) with a memorial park in the middle. A big water feature for people to go and visit. We had a walk right round the outside where the two towers stood and stopped off at a WTC Memorial. We paid our $10 to go in, unfortunately we had just missed out on an audio guided tour but there were still loads to do once inside. It was full of information about September 11th, from the relatives to people who had never been found, to the emergency services that attended that day. It was really emotional but very interesting. They had a wall of faces and missing people posters, so sad. They had video footage about the buildings themselves and how it was like a city inside a city just being in the towers. They had letters and charms from around the world, it really was emotional.
After we had a good look around we continued to walk around the outside of the Trade Centre. There wasn’t much more to be seen so we headed back. Stopping off at Trinity Church for a picture.
We decided to head back down to Times Square for some tea so hopped back on the bus. We drove down by the Hudson River and under the Manhattan Bridge and passing the Brooklyn Bridge. We carried on up through China town and passed the Rockefeller Centre. We eventually arrived at Planet Hollywood.
There was memorabilia all over the place from the different films. They had Slimer from Ghostbusters and had all the outfits from the Die Hard films too..... awesome!!
After tea we called into Jacks for some swift pints before walking back to the hotel. On our way back we had to pass Grand Centre Station, so decided to drop in to have a look around. It’s such a beautiful building outside and inside. We walked in through the big doors and walked to the centre. Ben and Dad went to get some photos of the station whilst me and Mam stood and appeared in all of them ..... not deliberately !! After some great shots we walked back to the motel for a freshen up and to see what new rooms we would get.
Ermmmmmmmm, well the rooms were clean. Even oldier worldier than the last and we had showers in the bedroom .... very strange!! Mam and Dad were lucky cos they had a toilet and sink room, where as mine and Ben’s toilet was on it’s own on one side of the room. Our sink was just in the bedroom next to the shower. You could actually have a shower and watch telly at the same time!
Lisa texted us to say her and Stuart had arrived in NYC, so we arranged to walk to their hotel to see them. They didn’t know Mam and Dad were here for the wedding, we’d kept it as a surprise!! We all walked back down to Times Square to The Crowne Plaza Hotel. We waited in the hotel bar, me and Ben sitting one side of the room and Mam and Dad on the other. Poor Lisa and Stuart were so tired but they managed to come down. We said our hellos and got a drink before going to look for tables, but walking towards Mam and Dad. Ben suggested a table right beside Mam and Dad, and Lisa sat down first. Mam piped up “What is our table not good enough for you’s??!!”, Lisa’s face was a picture .... ha ha so funny. She couldn’t believe that they were both here. Cool !! After the shock we all sat down and caught up on some of the gossip about the wedding, can’t believe we were all just sitting there chatting away like it’s the norm, with Times Square flashing away behind us.
We left them after an hour and arranged to meet them at Central Park at the wedding ..... woo hoo !!We had to walk past Jack’s on the way home, so called in for some pints. You just lose all sense of time in New York, you could stay up all night because nothing closes.
We walked up to the corner of Lex and East 40th and stopped off at Blooms Cafe for some breakfast (this becoming our local too!). We all had awesome breakfasts with Ben having his first NY Bagel with Cream Cheese.
We then walked down some blocks to the Empire State Building ..... it’s massive! We eventually got into the lobby after dodging all the bus ticket touts trying their hardest to get us to buy tickets!! We walked up to the ticket office for the building and were luckily told by a woman the visibility was very poor today and to come back later in the week. Saved us a few dollars there!!
We walked back out onto the street and were just deciding what to do next when we were jumped on by Kojo ...... a City Sights NY Bus Ticket Tout. He was lovely and sold us some good tickets, we got a bargain cos he agreed to give us the 3 day tickets for 5 days. He even got us on the next tour bus that turned up, there was even room on the top. Great views!!
We drove down through the New York streets, its so hustle and bustle. We passed the Flat Iron Building and the memorial fence for the Twin Towers with all the tiles on it. There was an arts festival on and there were statues of people everywhere on the tops of the buildings. Even one on the Flat Iron Building. We carried on and all decided to get off the tour bus at Soho. It’s the place to go for shopping in New York apparently. We called into Macy’s and Bloomingdales before walking round the corner to The World Trade Centre.
There was so much work going on behind big wooden boards. They had pictures up on what they were building there. Two massive towers (not as big as the others) with a memorial park in the middle. A big water feature for people to go and visit. We had a walk right round the outside where the two towers stood and stopped off at a WTC Memorial. We paid our $10 to go in, unfortunately we had just missed out on an audio guided tour but there were still loads to do once inside. It was full of information about September 11th, from the relatives to people who had never been found, to the emergency services that attended that day. It was really emotional but very interesting. They had a wall of faces and missing people posters, so sad. They had video footage about the buildings themselves and how it was like a city inside a city just being in the towers. They had letters and charms from around the world, it really was emotional.
After we had a good look around we continued to walk around the outside of the Trade Centre. There wasn’t much more to be seen so we headed back. Stopping off at Trinity Church for a picture.
We decided to head back down to Times Square for some tea so hopped back on the bus. We drove down by the Hudson River and under the Manhattan Bridge and passing the Brooklyn Bridge. We carried on up through China town and passed the Rockefeller Centre. We eventually arrived at Planet Hollywood.
There was memorabilia all over the place from the different films. They had Slimer from Ghostbusters and had all the outfits from the Die Hard films too..... awesome!!
After tea we called into Jacks for some swift pints before walking back to the hotel. On our way back we had to pass Grand Centre Station, so decided to drop in to have a look around. It’s such a beautiful building outside and inside. We walked in through the big doors and walked to the centre. Ben and Dad went to get some photos of the station whilst me and Mam stood and appeared in all of them ..... not deliberately !! After some great shots we walked back to the motel for a freshen up and to see what new rooms we would get.
Ermmmmmmmm, well the rooms were clean. Even oldier worldier than the last and we had showers in the bedroom .... very strange!! Mam and Dad were lucky cos they had a toilet and sink room, where as mine and Ben’s toilet was on it’s own on one side of the room. Our sink was just in the bedroom next to the shower. You could actually have a shower and watch telly at the same time!
Lisa texted us to say her and Stuart had arrived in NYC, so we arranged to walk to their hotel to see them. They didn’t know Mam and Dad were here for the wedding, we’d kept it as a surprise!! We all walked back down to Times Square to The Crowne Plaza Hotel. We waited in the hotel bar, me and Ben sitting one side of the room and Mam and Dad on the other. Poor Lisa and Stuart were so tired but they managed to come down. We said our hellos and got a drink before going to look for tables, but walking towards Mam and Dad. Ben suggested a table right beside Mam and Dad, and Lisa sat down first. Mam piped up “What is our table not good enough for you’s??!!”, Lisa’s face was a picture .... ha ha so funny. She couldn’t believe that they were both here. Cool !! After the shock we all sat down and caught up on some of the gossip about the wedding, can’t believe we were all just sitting there chatting away like it’s the norm, with Times Square flashing away behind us.
We left them after an hour and arranged to meet them at Central Park at the wedding ..... woo hoo !!We had to walk past Jack’s on the way home, so called in for some pints. You just lose all sense of time in New York, you could stay up all night because nothing closes.
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