Lady Liberty

The last stop for our visit to NYC this year was to see the Statue of Liberty up close - something that I had not done on any previous visits to the city.

Katie and I lined up and took the ferry across, which gives you a great view of the Lady, and of the city behind you. The ferry is crowded, and was very hot on the day we were there, but you have the choice of battling the crowd on the top deck, or resting weary feet inside with the few benches around. Same view, out the window!

Once on the island the size of the Lady is impressive, and the view of Manhattan is magical across the water. From the Brooklyn Bridge, to seeing the Peace Tower, and imagining what the skyline will look like once the WTC buildings are complete.

The ferry sells the obligatory, silly Statue hats for a photo with Lady Lib, which had to be done!

The ferry then takes you back, with a stop at Ellis Island which we skipped, being Aussie and feeling like US Immigration wasn't really part of our story. We then made a mad dash back to our accommodation, and off to the airport to finish off our trip together - both flying off in different directions.

NYC's Flatiron District

After the tennis in New York City, Talia and I met up with Katie again, and got the subway down to the Flatiron District.  Here we met Rich, and had a little Medley Hall catch up under the fairy lights of the Shake Shack.

Beers and burgers seemed to be the best fare to help up cover the years since that year at uni, and the last time I saw the two of them in NYC - and this little eatery was awesome, outside at the edge of Madison Square Park.

The opportune catch up also meant that Katie got to see the famous Flatiron Building.  The younger version of Toronto's lesser famous one, it loomed up on it's narrowing corner as we emerged out of the subway, and is one of the icons of New York City that is a must see on a visit.

Big Kids in New York City

Besides all the regular sights to be seen in New York City, we managed to get to the three much talked and anticipated fun things to do, which allowed the three of us to bring out our inner kid!

One of the things Katie was most excited about was M&M World, which we found in Times Square.  Essentially, this store is four floors filled with M&M merchandise  and walls and walls of every colour M&M you could ever possibly imagine. Apart from the ads with the peanut and regular M&Ms talking, I didn't fully realise the scope of the characters of the brand, but a visit to this store had that rectified, in full visual overload!

So excited to fill a bag of little chocolate morsels for the rest of our visit to NYC, there are some pretty awesome flavours available from the walls and walls of M&M towers. Yum!

Another treat for the kid within was a visit to Lego World at Rockefellar Plaza - apparently the largest Lego store in the world.  Like M&M, here we found a wall of colour segregated Lego pieces for purchase, just like a pick and mix!

But the best bit of the store for us was checking out the countless models around the walls, and the Lego dragon weaving it's way through the walls and roof, in and out of the rooms of the store.  The streetscapes in Lego miniture were my favourite, with NYC streets, and a complete model of the Rockafellar Plaza we had just walked through.

One of the must dos that I was keen to make sure the girls got to see on our visit was the Big Piano, from the movie we watched as we were growing up.  The massive keyboard Tom Hanks played on in the movie is as FAO Schwartz  just near the top west corner of Central Park.

The toy store itself is amazing to wander through, and you could play in there for hours.  The Big Piano is upstairs and towards the back of the store, and once you have taken off your shoes, you can have a jump around and play a tune, just like in the movie! We were most definitely not the only big kids doing this! Such fun!

New York City really does have it all, something for absolutely everyone!

Magical Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is without a doubt one of my favourite bits of New York City.  Walking across it, taking in the river below and the borough of Brooklyn as it grows closer is just magical, taking in the two granite towers, and all that cable holding them in place.

I took Katie across as dusk was approaching, after we spent the afternoon at the baseball, and after we saw Kylie off back to Toronto.  We got the subway down to the closest stop, and then started the walk.

Taking in every delight of the bridge, we reached the Brooklyn end eventually, and then found our way down to Brooklyn Bridge Park to see the bridge from ground level. We sat for awhile, taking in the view of the city, as the light faded and the city lights came on. As the mosquitoes made their presence known, we walked around Jane's Carousel, which took such a battering just this month with Superstorm Sandy.

Katie and I found Bubby's for dinner on the Brooklyn side, before we started our walk back to Manhattan, this time with the full cityscape in view. The Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building all lit up, as well as the new view in town being the Peace Tower, giving us the full New York City experience.

The Best (and Free) View of Washington DC

One of the travel tips I read before heading to Washington DC was that the best view was to be found at the Old Post Office. That advice was spot on!

The building itself is gorgeous, and ornate, and just a short walk from the White House.  Walking in under the arches, the inside Pavilion is just as beautiful.  A cavernous center point, with the entrance to the Clock Tour and the view downstairs.  This basement level is reached via a beautiful staircase, and hosts a mini-food court of treats....for after the climb!

Selena and I joined the short line to go up to the observation level of the Clock Tour, and were soon ushered into the elevator for the ride up to the top.  Even the view riding up was impressive, with glass walled elevators giving us a bird's eye of the Pavilion below.

Reaching the end of the elevator ride, there was another short elevator, or the stairs, to reach the observation level.  This takes you past the bell room of the tower, with mammoth bells a little older than me, ready to ring out over DC.  These bells were actually made in the UK, and sport the words "Wisdom", Courage" and Love" along their belt - and are the Bells of Congress, one of the largest sets of musically tuned ringing bells in North America.

But it was the view we were there for, and upon arrival at the open air observation level, it was clear why this was a recommendation.  A full view of the Mall laid out in front of us, as well as the White House and the buildings of George Washington University.

In the other direction, you have a view straight up Pennsylvania Avenue, to Capitol Hill.

Looking back on these photos now, I get a sense of how much we walked over those 2 days, exploring the Washington Mall, and we didn't even venture into any of the museums along the way!  The view from the top of the Old Post Office gives you a good lay of the land, and let's you get a visual map of the major sights, ready for your wander on foot.  And it's free!

Strawberry Fields Forever

The Imagine mosaic in Central Park, just a short stroll from the Dakota Towers where John Lennon lived and was shot, is such a powerful and peaceful part of the city.  A tribute to the man and his words.

Meet The Mets of New York Town!

One of the things my sister wanted to do when she travelled with me to New York City was go to a baseball game, and experience the full Americana.  As luck would have it the New York Mets were playing on the Sunday when we were there, and thus a trek out to CitiField (near the site of former Shea Stadium) was planned for.

We grabbed tickets online, and after playing around in Central Park we rode the subway out to the stadium, which is just across the tracks from the home of the US Open.

Spending some time in the gift shop to buy novelty hands to feel part of the action, and then grabbing a very disappointing and expensive hotdog on our way to our seats, we finally took our places well into the game!

In probably the fastest game of baseball ever, after I had told the girls it goes for hours, we watched on as the Mets and the Houston Astros did battle in the blazing sun and heat.

With all sorts of music and silly activities between each innings to kept the crowd into the match, we were entertained completely through the handful of innings that we saw.

It's a really impressive stadium, and with our foam hands we loved getting right into the spirit of it all - even if we didn't fully know what was going on in the match!  The Mets won 2-1, and so the crowd went crazy at the end, which just added to the fun!

View From Top Of The Rock

The view from the top of the Rockefeller Building in New York City is spectacular, and the best vantage point to get a true sense of the island of Manhattan.  From one side of the observation level you can see all the way down Lower Manhattan, and out to the Lady.

This view, of course, features the iconic Empire State Building.  My favourite building in the NYC skyline.  Now, as you can see, the Peace Tower, or 1 WTC, is growing in it's prominence, and the other WTC buildings that are planned for that site will certainly make for a whole new view in this direction.

Katie had debated about going to the observation deck of the Empire State Building, but we convinced her that this was the view she wanted - complete with the Empire State Building.  Although, upon reflection, I have not been up to that famous level with the movie-famed caging, so maybe next time!

The Top of the Rock was pretty reasonably priced, and after walking from Times Square in late afternoon, we did not have a wait to board the elevator to the 67th floor.  A lighting show on the roof of the elevator adds to the experience of being whisked up into the middle of one of the tall midtown buildings.

There are three levels here to check out the views from, with outdoor and indoor vantage points, catering to all weather variations, and generous seating for a rest for those city-walking weary feet!

I love this vantage point, taking in the sights below, and picking out things like the Chrysler Building, the neon of Times Square, the location of Grand Central Station.

Looking closely, you can see the bustle of the traffic below, and also the rooftop life that is set up above the city.  So many great patio and garden escapes!

Being aloft NYC, you also get to see the sprawl of the great New York area and her boroughs, like Brooklyn, Queens, and then Jersey City and Hoboken on the other side of the river.  Of course, you can spot all the bridges too, all the way along the East River.

Facing in the opposite direction, you get a sense of the massive size of Central Park, and see all the activity going on down there on the greens. You can also see the Upper East and West sides of the Park, and get a feel for the dense population living along these flanks of New York.

Have you been?  How does it compare to the view from the Empire State Building?

Elvis' Cars And Other Toys

One of the things that strikes you as you wander around Graceland in Memphis, is Elvis' love of his family and his toys! From cars to planes, to pianos and audio-visual equipment, the King and his family did not want for anything, that is clear.

The first car into Elvis Presley Automobile Museum is a beautiful, slick white Mercedes 280SL that he brought for Priscilla. So pretty! What a lucky girl!

The Museum is at the end of the building at start of your Graceland visit, and can be seen as you wait for your turn to board the bus and be taken across the road to the house for the self-guided tour. This Purple 1956 Cadillac Eldorado is in the centre of the room and forms the back of the mini-cinema for a short film.

The other area where Elvis' toys are on show is the yard also on this side of the road, where you can board and view his two custom planes. The 1958 Convair 880, named the Lisa Marie, is the most impressive, with the rooms decked out in suede chairs and leather-covered tables, the guest and main bedrooms with all the fittings, two bathrooms with gold-flecked sinks, a conference and lounge room - he had everything one could need on this little flying home. The walk through also affords you some commentary pointing out the features, and mentions the King's whimsical use of this plane, with one occasion being when he discovered that his daughter had never seen snow so he loaded up the family for a day trip to Colorado!

Also on display in the Automobile Museum are the John Deere tractor Elvis used across the road and on the ranch, and his 1970 Stutz Blackhawk. A black Ferrari, a white Lincoln and a Rolls Royce, plus a jeep and his motorcycles. Plus his favourite car, his 1955 Pink Cadillac. Yes, it's quite the collection!

9/11 Memorial, NYC

One of the things that was new to me during our trip to New York City was a visit to the 9/11 Memorial.

Having seen the World Trade Center buildings back in 1999, and then being in NYC in October 2001 and again over NYE that year, seeing the rebuilding and the memorial now at the site of that horrendous and unforgettable terrorist attack felt like the continuation of the recovery from that fateful day.

We were advised to book a time slot to visit online before we go to Lower Manhattan, which was great information, and probably saved us a 90 minute wait in the line at the Preview Site.

The Preview Site is a couple of blocks away from the World Trade Center, and where you get or pick up your timed passes to the Memorial site. Here too is a lot of information about that day in 2001, the timings of the two planes, the crumbling of the 2 tallest buildings of the New York skyline, the the rescue efforts by the first responders, and the recovery mission in the aftermath.

This was actually pretty tough, emotionally, as the interviews being shown told stories of that morning, of lost ones, of trying to find their loved ones, and recounts by firefighters. It brought it all back, for me, and I was on the other side of the world that day. I think this Site should come with a PTSD-trigger warning, for anyone affected directly by the day.

Once through security at the actual Memorial Site, you walk around the construction zone of the rebuilding, and see the presence of the NYPD everywhere. And then you round the corner from being surrounded by buildings and bustle, and arrive within the space where those iconic buildings once were.

There is peace and stillness here. A respectful memorial.

The footprints of the Twin Towers are now pools of cascading water, with bronze parapets all the way around both the South and North towers outlining the names of those who died in these buildings, on the planes here and in Virginia and Pennsylvania, and also those that were lost in the WTC bombings in 1993.

The names are grouped by their role on the day, being office workers in the buildings or personnel responding to the event, to plane passengers, to people in the Pentagon, and are also reportedly ordered by where they were and with whom they were with on that morning.

One of the most powerful elements of the Memorial Site, and a symbol of hope and moving forward, is the Survival Tree. The only tree to be recovered and rejuvenated from the rubble of Ground Zero, this damaged stump has been nursed back to health and transplanted to the site. A symbol of survival and resilience, indeed.

All features of the site are not yet complete, with the buildings all around in different stages of completion, and the Memorial Museum some way off being opened yet.

Through the mirrored windows of the Museum between the two pools you can see one of the steel tridents from the original North Tower - you can just make out the top of the fork in front of the scaffolding. There will be many original pieces recovered from the rubble at Ground Zero.

With the massive and towering 1 WTC already making an impact on the New York City skyline, the images of how this complex will look when complete is pretty amazing. Once finished, this area will have a whole new life to it, with the proposed performing arts centre and pretty 2 WTC. But these 2 cascading pools will ensure we never forget that day that changed the USA forever.

US Open: Day 2

For the second day of my visit to the US Open this year, I took a gamble and grabbed seats to Arthur Ashe Stadium. Katie agreed to come along with me for the day, and she did well with a day of tennis, as a non-sports fan!

When we got there we took in the sights from the walk into the Flushing Meadow complex from the South Gate, before checking out some play on the bigger Court 17, as we kept our eye on the scores on the big stadium. Once the first match looked like wrapping up, we made our way into the infamous bowl of seating, to catch Andy Roddick.

During the warm-up I climbed to the top of the Promenade section so I could take in the full view - you can see Manhattan from those seats! It must look amazing at night!

The A-Rod, who later that week announced his retirement and that this would be his last tournament, played young American Rhyne Williams, and won in comfortable 3 sets.

With the end of this match, we took a much needed shade break within the South Plaza area, before managing to time our shift perfectly to score front row seats in the shade for Marcos Baghdatis' game.

Struggling to a set all, Katie and I then left this court, had some silly and fun photos taken with the Fan Wall, before scoring seats at the mini-grandstand at Court 13.

Aussie Bernard Tomic started his US Open out here by dropping the first set, and then clawing his way back to a 4-set win well into the evening and under the lights of night. As we cheered him on, we could not help but be captivated by the sight of Pat Rafter courtside. Getting a photo with him at the end of the match may well have been the highlight of my trip away! Ha!

I loved the excitement of being at the event that I have watched from home for so many years, and be able to soak it all in across these two days, while comparing the ways and differences to the other 3 Grand Slams.

US Open: Day 1

The US Open was the last of the Grand Slam tournaments for me to get along to, and last week I completed the dream of going to Flushing Meadows. Getting tickets was easy as booking online, and after lining up at will call to pick them up on the morning of Day 1, I was there.

I went straight to Louis Armstrong, being the second biggest court, and grabbed to seat to see James Blake play some convincing tennis as part of his recent return from injury.

Whilst the American got to work on court, Talia and I found each other in the stands, and we got to catch up on the last few (four!) years since I was in town last. We chatted between points, as we saw the rain clouds start rolling in...

Blake took the 2nd set as the rain started very lightly and stopped play, before it bucketed down as we started making a dash for it with the rest of the crowd. Getting completely soaked in the stairwells of the stands, there was really nothing we could do about it but laugh!

When the rain subsided to less than torrential, we made a dash for the Food Village, and found the Grey Goose Bar for the signature cocktail of the US Open, the Honey Deuce.

Served in a souvenir cup with all past Men's and Women's US Open winners listed, this drink was perfect to while away the rain delay - very refreshing! The green honeydew balls were a cute touch!

As we caught up on each other's lives properly, huddled under a canopy in the Food Village, we did not fully realise, but this ended up being a 2.5 hour rain delay!

Once the sun was out again, and the courts had been dried, we made our way to the Grandstand court, which sits in the shadow of the Louis Armstrong, to watch a young US hopeful. Jack Sock played a pretty impressive brand of tennis for the 2 and a half sets he was winning against the German Mayer, before the seeded played retired hurt, giving the American the match.

In total contrast to the belting rain earlier, the NY sun packed some heat while we took this game in, and then decided on the next match to watch. We made our way to Court 4 to watch American Ginepri for a bit.

Keeping my eye on the progress of the match on Court 14, however, I then made the switch to watch Aussie Matt Ebden take the first 2 sets of this 3 set win. I then joined Talia back at Louis Armstrong to see Mardy Fish start his campaign, before we called it a day and headed back into the city.

That night, after meeting up with Katie in Times Square, the 3 of us met up with Rich for dinner and drinks, and a little mini-Medley Hall reunion. It was so good to see these guys again!

Marcos And My Grand Slam

As Katie and I sat in the front row of Court 7 of Day 2 of this US Open, I was telling her how I thought that I had seen Marcos Baghdatis play at every Slam around the world, upon completing my very own visit to all 4 tournaments.

Last week I attended Day 1 and Day 2 of the US Open at Flushing Meadows, out in Queens in New York, completing the lap of Grand Slams around the world. This has been a dream of mine for some time, on a travel and sports fan level, and I was so excited to be walking around the complex and sitting watching matches at the courts I have watched on tv for years and years.


It occurred to me that I have very much being watching the same set of players around the world for the last few years. Baghdatis being one of them. Marcos is the exact type of player that I love watching play - he plays with such grit and determination, the never-say-die, heart on his sleeve manner, and the fight in him that so often gets him out of being 2 sets down and into a tie-break in the third, and then win in a thrilling 5 set match!

Upon reviewing my photos, and posts from the years however, I see that I didn't see him play on the two days I went to Wimbledon after all! Oops! He reached the semi-final in 2006 when I was there, but I didn't see a match of his out on the smaller courts that year, nor the year before.

I remember him vividly from the French, as I snapped this photo of his flashing his belly! Ha!

As I sat in the top section of the Authur Ashe Stadium watching Andy Roddick, who's career ended with retirement overnight, and had memories of the electricity of this stadium as it beamed out to me from the tv in the wee hours of many mornings during the Men's Singles Final, I think I developed a new wanderlust goal. I think I really want to try and complete the circuit of Men's Finals in a year - like Grand Slam Girl has done this year, but save up a gazillion dollars, and do all 4 finals. Would be amazing - a new tennis fan dream!

Seeing NYC Again For The First Time

New York City is one of my favourite cities in the world, and even since that wondrous first visit back in 1999, and my subsequent (five now!!! Ekk!) pop ins, I have always wanted to experience again that excitement of taking it all in for the first time. With Katie coming from Australia to visit me for my last 2 weeks of my trip, I got to do just that, whilst showing her all the things I love about the amazing city!

We stayed out in Brooklyn, in a room in an apartment found on AirBnB, and Kylie spent the first night and couple of days with us also.




Through Katie's eye, I got to walk through the bustle and the neon of Times Square, and take in the full view of the city from the oberservation deck of the Rockefeller Centre.

Pointing out the iconic buildings like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler, and discussing how different the skyline looked with the Twin Towers at the end of the island on my first trips to the city.

Whilst in Times Square we lined up at the TKTS booth for discounted show tickets, and finally decided on seeing Chicago that night. So many to choose from! Seeing a Broadway show was something Katie wanted to do, and it took me back to memories of my first trip, and seeing Beauty And The Beast with Talia.

I took the girls to Grand Central Station, and we eat breakfast and drank coffee sitting on the floor near the doors to the train platforms, taking in the light and the rush of people. One of my favourite places! Such a pretty interior!!

A walk down 5th Avenue, complete with a visit to FAO Schwarz toy world, before exploring Central Park. The girls jumped on bicycles so they could get around to all the places to see, such as the Bethesda Fountain, the Alice In Wonderland sculpture, Strawberry Fields, and the views of the lake and Sheeps Meadow with the city as the backdrop.

This was the first time I had been to NYC in the Summer months, with other visits being bang in the middle of an icey or snowy North American Winter, or around Halloween and the Fall colours. It was hot and humid, sunny and glorious!

There is just so much to see, and so much to do, in New York, and we did not stop for the whole five days we were there. I am certain that I managed to instill my love of NYC in my little sister, although, let's face it, that city will do that to anyone!

Katie Comes To Visit In Toronto and NYC

For my last week in Toronto, my littlest sister traveled across the globe to visit. She stayed with me and took in the sights we had picked as favourites, or had been saving for her visit. When I was done with my MSW placement, we then headed to NYC for 5 days.

Just like she did when I was away in London, she boarded a flight in Melbourne and I picked her up at the airport at my end. This is favourite sister material indeed! Only making me an auntie would surpass this, surely! (Other sisters, take note!)

Kylie and I had been plotting out the places to take her for dinner each night of the week, and had saved a couple of things in Toronto that I was keen to do during my visit, for this very busy week.

I loved having her come and see my life in Toronto, and have her explore the city that was my home for 3.5 months. And then I loved showing her the sights in New York City, which was kind of special. She's not really that little at all anymore, in fact she probably needs to decide on whether a Working Holiday somewhere is something she wants to do before she gets too old, but she'll always be my little sister and having her visit was such fun.

This collage is collated from photos taken on the outside rim of the CN Tower, with the lighting show and it's colours giving us the backdrop.