Although there was some doubt about whether we would arrive here at all.
We were due to fly out of Nashville in the afternoon but soon after checking in we were told that our flight had been cancelled due to thunderstorms and a hurricane warning.
A hurricane.
We were re-booked on a flight via Detroit and spent hours upon hours, watching flight after flight to New York being cancelled. All direct flights were cancelled and we began to doubt whether once we got to Detroit, we would be able to fly out at all.
After what seemed like an eternity, we boarded our plane and not long after that we landed in Detroit (Put your hands up for Detroit... We love this city!) And we did love it because all other flights to New York had been cancelled except for the one that we were booked on. Insert sigh of relief here.
So we arrived, thankful that we had made it. Pending hurricane, thunderstorms and all.
Only Cassie's bag did not arrive with us.
For some reason, it had been put on a flight via Atlanta and so we waited a short time, until her suitcase joined us after it's own little adventure.
After yet another trip in a Fast and the Furious-inspired taxi, we arrived at our apartment in SoHo, very grateful to Cassie's generous friends Mo and Aaron, who had allowed us to stay there while they were away.
And what an apartment it was! Gorgeous, comfortable and home-y with two large bedrooms and the perfect open plan living, dining and kitchen.
In the heart of SoHo, I felt very 'Sex and the City-esque' and made ample use of the shopping and cafes and restaurants.
July 4 in New York was an affair to remember. We started with a spot of pub-hopping and World Cup watching in Brooklyn, and were invited to an apartment and rooftop to watch the fireworks. With an unobstructed and front row view, we stood upon our ivory tower (the rooftop) and watched the most spectacular fireworks.
For some unbeknown reason, we later decided to power walk for up to 45 minutes through New York city singing "I'm so fancy", and with people shouting 'Work it girls!', in search of a dance floor.
It was a successful night, particularly the part where a very attractive brunette woman asked to dance with me and then attempted to recruit me to become a lady of the night (No, I'm not kidding, and no, I did not agree to go with her to meet her clients!)
Saturday night was spent eating delicious Japanese-Brazillian infused food and rooftop bar hopping to get some of the best views in town.
We saw 'Kinky Boots' on Broadway, had lunch in Central Park, walked through the many galleries at the Museum of Modern Art, strolled Madison and Fifth Avenues, wined and dined but the highlight for me, is always the most random part of a trip.
There we were, on a pier on the Hudson River, drinking beer, ordering Mexican and waiting for The Fray to start their outdoor concert when suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the heavens opened and it began to rain. Not light, sun shower type rain but absolute monsoon-style, soaked right through, huge puddle forming rain. The concert came to a halt, the food trucks ceased service, and we waited. As we fitted ourselves with garbage bags (a newly acquired survival skill) we sipped our beer and waited it out.
And just as abruptly as it had begun, it was over and we proceeding with our evening of beer drinking, sunset watching and the concert.
It is hard to believe that we have been here for a week and that in nine hours, we will be on a plane en route to Croatia.
New York, you have been vibrant and vast, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable , but I must admit, I am excited about sailing the Adriatic on a yacht...
Cue Song: "I'm so fancy, you already know, I'm in the fast lane...
Highlights: Watching a musical on Broadway, being caught in a monsoon on the Hudson, meeting the kind, generous and welcoming Mo and Aaron (a big thank you for letting me, a complete stranger, stay in your fabulous apartment) and of course, meeting the most adorable little girl in the United States (quite possibly the world) Poppy, with her bright baby blues and her contagious giggles.
Lowlights: The complete lack of items for purchasing! What does a girl have to do to find a nice but casual dress in this town?, certain exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art. For example, filming near naked people throwing animal blood on one another and rolling around in it, does not an art piece make! Nor is a blank, white canvas. Pretty sure they forgot to put the paint on it...
Needless to say, I'll save my gallery and museum visits for the Louvre, or at least the classics.
Farewell New York City - it has been a blast!
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