Last Day on Holiday!

On Thursday morning when we woke up it was snowing quite hard but it wasn't settling. Until we went out we didn't realise how cold it really was so when we got outside we got a taxi to West 37th St to where we were storing our luggage. 

Then we walked to a cafe in Manhattan where I had a bacon sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes on the side. Then we got on the subway to Penn Station near Macys and when we got off I thought how cold it was and it was really cold. So we decided to go to Macys because we wanted to get some jeans but I ended up getting a denim jacket as well as my jeans. 

After we had bought things we wanted, we had to go to have lunch with Annabel at about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. We went to a French restaurant where I had a chicken salad and ice-cream which were both quite nice but out of them I liked the chicken salad better.
Then after that we got the subway to Tiffanys near Central Park and that is where I threw my last snowball. 

We went to visit the place in Tiffanys where Dad got Mum an engagement ring for her and asked her to marry him. Then we got a cab to the Empire State Building where people kept saying "are you sure you still want to go up" because they thought you wouldn't be able to see anything from the top. Mum would reply "we are leaving in 2 hours so yes we will go up!".
There are more than 100 storeys but you are only allowed up to the 86th floor - all the others except 80 and 2 are used for offices. We got the free audio tour which I thought that it would tell you more about the things but the said "press the screen if you want to know more" but we didn't have much time so we just did the things that were simple and interesting including that the environmental changes made recently would be saving about the same amount of fuel as taking about 20,000 cars off the road. 
The ESB was completed in 1930 after 11 months of building from March 1929 to January 1930. When it was completed it was taller than the Chrysler Building which had tried to be the tallest by building an aerial on top of it to make it taller than the tallest building in NYC  which was 40 Wall Street. The ESB would now become the tallest building in NYC. 
We got to the highest part you could get to where we figured out that the people who were saying that we shouldn't go up because we couldn't see anything were right. Mum really wanted a picture of the Chrysler Building but we could only see it very faintly because it was very snowy.

Then we went to pick up our luggage and we had forgotten it was difficult to drag our luggage through the snow so we tried to get taxis but it was very hard because most of them were not taking anyone because of the snow. When we eventually got a taxi we asked if they could take us to Penn Station and they said yes because they had quite a big trunk to fit our bags in. It was very nice of them to do that because we did not want to have to walk all the way to the station because of how long it had taken us to get to the taxi.
Then we got a normal train instead of the subway to where you get the air train and eventually we got on one which took quite a long time. We got an air train to Terminal B because that is where our flight would be going from.  After that we checked in and because we had checked in on line all we had to do was go to bag drop. 
Next we had a drink at a bar because mum had been wanting her last drink of the holiday which was sauvignon blanc. We ordered something to eat which were just like crisps but a tiny bit like chips. 
We had to wait quite a long time to get on our plane because it was getting delayed by the other flight that hadn't arrived because it was quite difficult to land when it was snowing.  Then when we were on the plane because it had loads of snow all over it they sprayed it with something that looked a bit like sick when it went on the windows and some people were even taking pictures because they thought it was so disgusting and gruesome. 
They even gave you kits with things to put over your face so when you wanted to sleep all you had to do was put it over your eyes. We were flying with Virgin Atlantic  which was very nice because they had loads of films to watch including Paddington and The Theory Of Everything. For dinner I had pasta with tomato sauce and olives.

I would just like to say thank you so much too:
The Winters 
The Fitch Rabbits 
Kate and Steve Broadhurst 
John and Christine Courcier 
The Shaws 
The Taylors 
The Griffins
The Hiraldo Shorts 
for letting us stay with you we have loved it!!!!!!!
I would also like to say thank you to everyone who's read this blog whilst I have been away

on this holiday  I have learnt:
That I have become more confident around new people.
That I have got worse at concentrating. 

Tuesday and Wednesday in New York

On Tuesday morning we got the subway to Bloomingdales which is a massive apartment store with seven floors that sells clothes, luggage, shoes, jewellery, perfume, sunglasses etc. We were looking for a new playsuit because we had lost the other one in Malaysia. We bought a royal blue one that has long sleeves. Someone at the Clarins counter gave me some hair clips and some lip balm.

After that, we walked to the Magnolia Bakery which sells the best cupcakes in the whole world. I bought a chocolate one with green vanilla buttercream icing and Mum got a pistachio one. We didn't eat them then because we bought some more so that we could eat them with Annabel, Carlos and the kids.

Then we got the subway back to Astoria to have lunch and just as we had got in to the diner it started snowing which was very nice because I have been wanting it to snow for ages and it did not stop until we got home to the house. Before we went back to the house we both had a manicure. I had a greeny type of colour and Mum had a dark blue with sparkles on them. I even had nail art on my thumbs which I did kind of like then, but the silver has started to come off the nails which is annoying because I really liked having silver on my nails for a day.

When we got back me and Mum decided to Skype Dad and we did but quickly because I had to do some homework that I had to catch up on.

Next we had salmon bake and then cupcakes for dinner then off to bed.

On Wednesday we got up at the same time as the boys did (7.40) because we had to get the subway to Lexington Avenue where we had breakfast at a place where there were Russians running it. This was strange because we never see Russians in other places except Russia and I bet you're wondering how I knew. I knew because of their accents and they did not really understand anything we were asking for. I had a bacon sandwich and fresh orange juice. It was about $20.

Next we got on a hop-on hop-off bus tour. We nearly went to the Empire State Building but thought it would be better to do it on Thursday because it was raining so much that you couldn't see anything from the top. 

Our first stop was the Fireman's Museum which has 2 whole rooms of information about 9/11 which is a terrorist attack that happened on the 11th of September 2001 which loads of people died in so Mum took loads of photos to show how much she cared about what happened that day. 

Then we walked to the Childrens' Museum of the Arts. It was amazing and beautiful. I made an animal portrait of plastercine and some cut up necklace which is gold and shiny. I made a dolphin with seagrass and a necklace with blue pearl on it.

I also made a self portrait, a weaving flower that you have to weave to finish it. I will tell you how to do it but on one condition. Please do not tell anyone how to do it. First you cut out the template then weave your first piece of wool around in-between the points of the flower and then you just start weaving in the middle with different colours and then voila, there you have it - a weaved flower.

After that we got back on a hop-on hop-off bus to Battery Park where you get the boat tickets and tickets for Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty. Then when we were on the boat we took some selfies of our selves with Lady Liberty which was very fun but when we got off and asked when the next ferry to Ellis Island was they said "this is the last one" and Mum asked me which one and I wanted to got to. We both chose Ellis Island. So when we got to Ellis Island (which by the way is a place where foreign people went before entering NYC) we got our free audio tours which only lasted until 4:30pm and it was already 3:30 so we decided to get the 4:30 boat back to NYC but before we went back we looked at as much as we could including the immigration office and loads of other things.

After we had got the boat back we got on the subway to Canal Street so I could buy a top that said "I Love NY" but we ended up getting two pairs of pyjama bottoms for Mum and Granny. One pair was purple and one pair was pink. Then we walked to Little Italy where we went to Ferrara's again where mum had asked the waiter if it was cream in the eclairs and they said "yes". But when it came out it had confectioner cream instead of whipped so Mum said I could have a lemon meringue pie which, if I didn't finish she said I would have to pay for it which I didn't really mind because I still had some money and we were leaving the next day so I wouldn't be able to spend any. I didn't eat it all because I thought it was a bit too lemony and mum nearly made me pay for the eclair AND the lemon meringue pie  but she said it wasn't my fault that I didn't like the confectioner's cream.

Next we got on a subway back to Astoria where I slept on the subway. Before going back we bought some tulips and wine for Carlos and Annabel then when we got back we had macaroni cheese which had bacon in which I really liked. Then because we had left one cupcake we split it up into three and me, Mum and Annabel had a third each.

Then I fell asleep.

quick update for everyone

more blog on one of the last days of the holiday!!!!!! :-)

NYC

Monday Mayhem in Manhattan

Yesterday we did the blog and got the subway to 5^th Avenue (Central Park)  where we did some ice-skating because I really wanted to do it. I fell over but I actually got the hang of it quite slowly. At about 1.30 because there were loads of school kids, they had to leave to go back to their school and there were about 20 people on the ice.

After we had finished that we went for a walk around Central Park which was beautiful and the rivers and lakes were all white because they had frozen and then when it snowed it made it even whiter. The path led to a place called The Guggenheim Art Gallery which looks amazing when you see the building. It is a building that goes up in ramps in a circle shape.

I found a picture by Henri Rousseau and Pablo Picasso and they were ones that I had never seen before. They were beautiful and were in the Thannhauser Exhibition and we also saw a date thing for every day a man had painted that went on for 92 days. There was one that was exactly 2 days before I was born. He also had some postcards that said when he had got up in the morning that went of for quite a long time. He was called On Kawara.

Then we got on the Subway to Times Square which is a part of Manhattan that has loads of theatres and cinemas. The streets are very bright and colourful because of the lights that shine. We were going to meet Mum’s friend Mel so we could have dinner in Chinatown wither her husband Peter. When we met Mel we were at a place called Urbo which is a restaurant and a bar and a coffee place.

We got on a subway to Chinatown (Canal Street) where we tried to find a place called Joe’s Shanghai. We eventually found it and we all had soup dumplings which is basically wonton soup but inside the dumpling that you have to suck the juice out of and eat the pastry so you can get the meat. I really liked them.

For pudding we went to Little Italy to a place called Ferrara where I had a hot chocolate with whipped cream with ice cream on the side. I tried the rainbow cookies which I didn’t really like because they tasted like cherry and I don’t really like the taste of cherry.

 

After that we got on a Subway by accident which was going in the wrong direction so when we got to the station we had to get onto the other platform to get the right subway to 30^th Avenue. We got home about quarter past midnight and I went to bed after doing some reading. I am reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

First day in New York

When we arrived on Saturday we had something to eat and my tooth fell out. The tooth fairy left me a 1 dollar note.

On Sunday morning we met Conrad and Jack who are Annabel and Carlos’ children at 11 because at 7.40 they had had to go to their swimming group called swim gym. When they came home we walked to Antika in Astoria to have some pizza for brunch. It was very yummy. While we were walking to bookshop to find a guidebook it started snowing.

Then we went to the Museum of Moving Image that wasn’t that far away but we got a taxi because it was snowing quite a lot now. We went because we had heard that there were loads of very fun things to do there and Annabel and Jack wanted to show us. We played on the arcade games (Frogger, Defender, Pacman and Space Invaders etc) and that was so fun because I hadn’t ever played any of them before.

Also we did some things on the computer where there are sound effects missing from scenes in different films (I did Home Alone). Next we recorded our voices to the lines of some films and mum had to do a very funny one which was “the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plane” and I had to do Babe (“I want my mom”). I didn’t have a favourite part because it was very fun to be there because there were loads of interactive things that me and mum did.

After that we walked to Gap Kids and I tried on some jeans, leggings, shorts and a jumper that I am wearing whilst I am writing this blog. We had to buy winter clothes because I didn’t have any jeans and only one jumper. We knew it was winter but we did not expect it to be so snowy.

For dinner we had stir fry that Annabel had made and it was delicious. Annabel and Carlos did not eat with us because they were going out for dinner whilst we babysat for Jack and Conrad which was not that hard because they were asleep and all we needed to do to them was give Conrad some more milk and that was it. 

Whilst they were asleep and we were waiting for A&C to get back we watched the Big Bang Theory and The Good Wife which are both quite good shows. And then I read a few books an went to sleep.

last day SF and travel to NYC

Friday was a lazy day for us until about 11 in the morning because I went to the hot tub and swam around whilst telling mum what I was going to write in my blog. 

Then we had lunch and went to pick up Annie and drove to Half Moon Bay to have dinner at Sam’s Chowder House. We went to the beach on the way and did some rock pooling. We saw hermit crabs and sea snails and we could see seals in the background. It was so exciting as we hadn’t seen seals all the time we’ve been away.

At the restaurant there is a shop right outside the door and mum got me and Annie a fluffy seal with a top that says Sam’s Chowder House on. At the restaurant I had fish and chips with 2 pieces of fish and I loved it and then vanilla ice-cream with chocolate sauce for pudding. Mum had oysters and I asked if I could try it and I quite liked it and would try one again but I wouldn’t have it every day. It tasted like the sea and I like the taste of the sea.

We drove back and got there about 7 o’clock so that Tom and Annie could go to sleep. We packed and went to bed.

In the morning we woke up and said goodbye to Louise so she could go to the church and give some people some breakfast. Then Dan took us to the Airport which took a long time to check in because the check in machines weren’t working. We had to stand in 3 lines to see who got there first. Mum put on her nicest smile and English accent so a lady would help her but the lady said that we weren’t booked on that flight so she moved us onto it but we weren’t put together. So when we got to the gate we said “please can we both sit together and have an aisle seat” and she said yes but when we got on the plane it was not an aisle seat and I was in the middle so I could go to the toilet whenever I needed to.

The flight was quite annoying because there was a very annoying boy behind us. He was annoying and his mum had been ahead of us in the queue to ask to change the seats. He was quite nasty to his mum and his mum said “don’t talk to me like that” but he still didn’t stop.

When we got to New York we found it very cold because as soon as we got off the plane it was very cold so we rushed to try and get a taxi and we found one very quickly. But it took ages to get where we were going because there was loads of traffic. But we did in the end and it is very lovely because their garden is covered in snow.