New York: The Holiday of No Sleep

My long absence from the blog was caused by a 4 day jaunt to New York followed by 4 days trying to get over the jetlag. The brain-child of Scoland's answer to Carrie Bradshaw, we flew out of Stanstead and into JFK and out of dreary olf England into 72 degree NYC. The limo drive (yes, darlings, we ARE that middle class) from the airport to the hotel gave us some spectacular views and what was to come; it also gave Mrs Paton a spectacular view of her own ... a certain Torquay hotel owner. The hotel was wonderfully modern and, some might say, heavenly.

The thing about New York was its size; you constantly look upwards and you soon realise how many areas of New York you think you know. Everything is just huge; the shops, the meals, the service charges ... and I was very impressed, with one notable exception, ow polite everybody was.

The moment of the holiday for me was a certain young lady finding out that Spamalot was a musical; but still, she had her own way of dealing with it.

The event of the holiday was the view from the "Top of the Rock"; an amazing 360 degree view of the City - thank god for digital cameras because I still dozens of shots.

Obvious moment of the holiday was the carriage ride through Central Park - and I would have seen some vaguely famous building but somebody stuck their head in the way.

Sad moment, for me, was Ground Zero. I have to say that this was one the reasons I wanted to visit, before anything is built. But I was disappointed to find it a building site with no memorial in site. But worse (I mean, what else did I expect?) was the commercialisation of the site. People seling postcards and books of the attacks; the cry of $1 bottles of water - I couldn't help thinking that this was what happens when capitalism meets disaster. There were so many people around, it must have been on obvious place to set up stall.

Queue of the holiday was the 2-3 hour wait for the boat to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island; we didn't even both so instead some of our party took to molesting another State of Liberty (photo evidence to come) - or was it the other way around???

Gasp of the holiday was the exhibition in the Guggenheim Museum. We were disappointed to find the actual building covered in scaffolding, but the main exhibition that went up through the central hall was astonishing; 8 white cars in different poses of a flip, with a neon explosion coming from each; you have to see it to believe it.

Arguement of the holiday; in the case of Paton versus the United States, I find in favour of Paton.

It was an amazing holiday (actually our first without the kids - thanks Mum!) and I am very much in love with the City; not just the shopping and the architecture but the buzz it gives you. From the mass of yellow cabs to the hotdogs on street corners. From my lovely new iPod to our breakfast bagels; a fantastic time.

We've now gone from Centre Parcs to Central Park; where next year I wonder?