Re: Into the Madding Crowds!
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 12:43 pm
And so we had come to our last day in New York, which was spent seeing some last sights and shopping on Fifth Avenue! 
One thing the Brat knows how to do is spend money!! 
In between the shopping we found time to pop in to St Patrick's for a closer look. Although, as I said before, there are major renovations underway, so a lot of the interior was covered in scaffolding.
The Brat sat himself down in the last pew and promptly found that there was free WiFi available!!
A very impressive organ!
FAO Schwarz is the oldest toy store in the US, and is famous for its big floor piano which featured in the Tom Hanks' film "Big". Of course the Brat had to have a go.
We walked from one end of 5th Avenue to the other and were exhausted! We went into just about every store that was "affordable" including Banana Republic, Guess, Bose, Top Shop, Hollister, Lucky Brand etc., and the Brat lightened his wallet (and mine) considerably!! He was really looking forward to Calvin Klein, but when he saw that a very simple jersey cost $500 we made a very quick exit!! Just for fun we went into Bergdof Goodman, where a men's scarf was $200! We gave shops like Versace, Chanel, Gucci and Prada a wide berth!
For our last meal in NY we went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square.
The Brat had Pulled Pork and I had Buffalo Wings, but the food was nothing special.
What we did find in most restaurants is that people don't linger like we do in SA. Here, we make it more of an outing and a chance to relax and chat, but there you place your order, your food arrives within minutes, you eat and you leave. 
So it's Fast Food wherever you go!
One last look at Times Square. This is the famous ball that drops at midnight on New Year's Eve.
A protest rally in solidarity with the Balitmore riots where we heard lots of calls of "Y'all better repent!" and "The end of the world is nigh"!
For all my negative comments, there were many, many more positive moments and the Brat and I absolutely loved The Big Apple.
When we got back, I said I was glad I had been but would probably not return....but who knows? Never say never!
Farewell New York...thanks for an amazing time!!
One thing the Brat knows how to do is spend money!! In between the shopping we found time to pop in to St Patrick's for a closer look. Although, as I said before, there are major renovations underway, so a lot of the interior was covered in scaffolding.
The Brat sat himself down in the last pew and promptly found that there was free WiFi available!!
A very impressive organ!
FAO Schwarz is the oldest toy store in the US, and is famous for its big floor piano which featured in the Tom Hanks' film "Big". Of course the Brat had to have a go.
We walked from one end of 5th Avenue to the other and were exhausted! We went into just about every store that was "affordable" including Banana Republic, Guess, Bose, Top Shop, Hollister, Lucky Brand etc., and the Brat lightened his wallet (and mine) considerably!!
He was really looking forward to Calvin Klein, but when he saw that a very simple jersey cost $500 we made a very quick exit!! Just for fun we went into Bergdof Goodman, where a men's scarf was $200! We gave shops like Versace, Chanel, Gucci and Prada a wide berth! For our last meal in NY we went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square.
The Brat had Pulled Pork and I had Buffalo Wings, but the food was nothing special.
What we did find in most restaurants is that people don't linger like we do in SA. Here, we make it more of an outing and a chance to relax and chat, but there you place your order, your food arrives within minutes, you eat and you leave. So it's Fast Food wherever you go! One last look at Times Square. This is the famous ball that drops at midnight on New Year's Eve.
A protest rally in solidarity with the Balitmore riots where we heard lots of calls of "Y'all better repent!" and "The end of the world is nigh"!
For all my negative comments, there were many, many more positive moments and the Brat and I absolutely loved The Big Apple.
When we got back, I said I was glad I had been but would probably not return....but who knows? Never say never! Farewell New York...thanks for an amazing time!!
