The Big Apple and the end

It's one of those places that many want to see. I have been once and was so looking forward to going again. For Dez this was her first time. Here are the high's and lows from the last leg of our trip:

- staying at the YMCA about 15 steps away from Central Park (no they didn't ask us to do the dance)

- naming our yoga pictures "yoga graffiti"

- more yoga graffiti

- walking through Central Park in the morning

- running through Central Park

- strolling through Central Park at night

- more jumping

- walking through downtown (suit watching on Wall Street)

- mourning the loss at ground zero

- the Highline (an old railway line now converted into a green walking space) 

- having a hotdog in Battery Park

- using the subway (at any given time it is packed)

- having to switch carts on subway due to the most foul (human) smell encounter ever

- being blinded by the lights in Times Square 

- having a delicious pizza and finally some good wine in little Italy

- feeling like we were in asia in Chinatown

- listening to live music in Greenwich

- visiting the Flatiron building

- looking at the Statue of Liberty (being amazed by how small it is) 

- walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

- visiting the Museum of Modern Art (wow)

- drinking the best beer of my life (first time I had one which I would gladly have again)

- losing a down jacket (since I bought it here 5 years ago, perhaps that's an appropriate ending)

- buying glam leather jackets dirt cheap (sold by an excellent salesman from Trinidad who at some point said "who cares if you are cold, if you look hot")

- watching a baseball game (hotdog and all), those boys are so cute in their stretchy pj's 

- saying goodbye to America

- the end

All in all it was a fantastic trip we had some high high's and few-to-no lows. 6 flights, 5400 kms, 10 States, 20+ motel rooms, 60+ beers, 20+ dance floors, 10 new friends, ? new stuff, 100 laughs, and 11 blogs!

We laughed, we danced, we drank, we jumped, we posed, we slept, we ate, we breathed, we cried, we moved, we blushed, we flirted, we missed, we lost, we won, but most of all we had us some fun! 

To have in life a friend with which to experience something like this is an honour and gift! 

Thanks Dez for creating with me some memories that will last a life time. Here's to many more we will gather together!

"Nawlins" (New Orleans)

This was the first time during our trip where we got to stay with someone local thanks to a friend made along the way (Rick - famous for creating Ricky-O-Ritas). After a few days in the laid-back hills of Texas we were ready for some fun. Here are some highs and not-so-highs:

- being welcomed to Nawlins by Chip and Brandon who were 5 star hosts and tour guides

- going out 3 nights in a row until after 2am each time

- pulling an all-nighter on the last night

- listening to some great live music (including the likes of Richard Scott and Kevin Smith)

- drinking a Hurricane

- walking around the beautiful French Quarter with its amazing plant and flower littered patios

- walking along a stinky Bourbon street

- having a drink in one of the original bars, which used to be a blacksmith so no electricity, only candle light

- going to the New Orleans Museum of Art

- eating crawfish (miniture lobsters - less meat than a prawn)

- wondering who to put a hex on

- meeting interesting new people

- making good new friends

- getting happy birthday sung to me by a brass band (we milked this birthday angle)

- getting a birthday hug from Seth Rogan (ok, so maybe he was just saying happy birthday and I went in for the hug)

- learning more american, wait until we are back and you can hear us say classics like: "let's saddle up to the bar and get ourselves liquored up y'all"

- riding the electric car "tram"

- having a delicious lunch (which included Catfish and fried chicken) at "Dooky Chase's", around since 1941 and the place Obama goes when in town

- getting the flu

- dancing

- enjoying a delicious plate of biscuits and grits for breakfast at a place where you had to give in a famous persons name which would get shouted out when your table was ready

- leaving for New York

- saying goodbye to Red Rocket (our faithful and amazing car) and Round-about Robin (our sometimes annoying but most useful GPS)