New York with a side of Miami

Blake and I recently jetted off to New York for a much needed weekend of shopping and sightseeing. It had been 6 months since we had been off island, so we were in desperate need of some serious civilization. Unfortunately it was going to be a quick trip. We decided to leave on Thursday morning, and return on Sunday. In our excitement, we had overlooked the fact that we had promised we would never fly American Airlines again. They had ruined our Costa Rica trip by grounding our first flight of the day in Cayman due to "Crew Rest," thus making us miss our connection to San Jose, our 3 hour bus into the interior of Costa Rica, and our first night in a hotel. As compensation, they had sent us two $200 vouchers for travel anywhere they fly. Despite our intuition, we decided to use these towards our New York trip.

Of course, we got to Miami, and were mere moments away from boarding our New York connector when it flashed "cancelled." There was noone behind the ticket counter either! After much confusion and waiting, we found out that there were no more outbound flights to NYC that day! We would have to sacrifice a day of our already short vacation to stay in Miami. Also- we were told we wouldn't be able to get our luggage back! Making the best of a bad situation, we headed to the mall. What had started as a pesky delay turned into a wonderful shopping night. Although the whole missing toothbrush thing did put a damper on my overall state of hygiene.

The next morning we returned to the airport for our 6:00 am flight. Another positive turn of events was that the Royal Wedding was just beginning. Talk about a captive audience. The wedding was being broadcast from all corners of the airport, and I nearly missed our connector for a second time as I ogled Kate's beautiful dress (and Pippa's).

Due to the delay, we had to hit the ground running in New York. We arrived at our amazing hotel and found out that our room was on the 39th floor! So high that our ears popped on the way up the elevator. With the Cayman dump being only a few metres above sea level, anything with more than four floors is exciting. We had a view of the gorgeous Chrysler building and the Empire State Building. We stowed our stuff and headed down to Wall Street to watch the Friday morning unfold. I was surprised by the security carrying automatic rifles, but anything goes in the states I guess. We then headed to Battery Park to see the statue of Liberty and then to Ground Zero to look at the new buildings. We then headed up Manhattan to Broadway to look at the shops. That evening came the highlight of Blake's year thus far; the Blue Jays and Yankees game at Yankee Stadium. I nearly lost him once we entered the stadium. He was drawn like a magnet to the field- he reminded me of a kid on Christmas morning. Our seats were amazing, being only one up from the field. We had the delight of sitting in front of a very Italian resident whose wisecracks and Noo-Yowk accent kept us laughing the entire time. One Blue Jays victory later (and numerous beers and a very mustardy hot dog) we were on our way back to the hotel.
The next day we set out early for an authentic Big Apple breakfast diner experience. We found the perfect B-grade restaurant located on the corner of our street and Blake proceeded to have a marvellous American breakfast. Full of calories and a lifetime's worth of grease, we walked over to see Bryant Park and the library, then we headed over to Rockefeller Centre where we ascended the 60+ floors to reach the look out. From there you can see clear from the statue of Liberty to Harlem in one gaze! Afterwards we walked up to Central Park where we rented bikes and cycled the entirety of the park in 2 hours. We checked out the Plaza hotel and saw the tail end of a very wealthy wedding, then worked our way back down to Times Square and sat in awe of the lights, people and sights. I have NEVER seen anything like it in my life! There was so much going on that I don't know how any of it can possibly register in one's brain. We headed back to our hotel and got ready to go out for dinner at a small local hide-out recommended by friends. Going by the name Panna II, this Indian restaurant is known for its overwhelming display of Christmas lights and chili pepper lights year round. It is also known for offering towering plates of food for a small fee. I have no words to actually explain this restaurant, other than You Must Go!
The five course meal cost us $13 each, and the atmosphere was out of this world. In a room that many would use to store shoes, there are ten or so tables, each huddled under a massive display of lights. To stand up, you must first duck under the strings of bulbs and disentangle your arms, coat and purse in order to even move. After giving gluttony a whole new meaning, we decided to walk most of the way back to the hotel, but temptation got the better of me, and in classic NYC style I wanted to try hailing a cab. I am proud to say I got one on my first try!
The next morning we had to fly out, but first we decided to venture off to see the Flatiron building and the Empire State building. We were sad to see the end of our New York trip, but lucky for us, our flights home happened to be on time (except a minor delay in Miami... of course).

I never thought that I would have my heart captured by a city, but New York was magical. I would never want to live there, but just to see the sights and sounds of one of the most famous cities in the world was surreal. It is one of those places all should visit in their lifetime!

Pictured above: Panna II, Times Square, Yankee Stadium, The view from our hotel room, Blake at the top of the Rock!