Lazy days...

Sunday was half over by the time I got up and I was the first one up! I wanted to get some washing done so spent the late arvo doing that in the basement, and heading up to the store to take some more spending money out and get a magazine to read. I bought a TimeOut, which is like a cross between a whats going on guide and a editorial of NYC. I think they have them in London and other places as well. It was full of things to do and money well spent, two bucks for hours of reading about whats going on in this huge town. While I did the washing, Kerry and Noni walked across Central Park to the Upper West side in search of the best cupcakes in NYC. Apparantly its a toss up between two places, Buttercup and Magnolia. We havent had cupcakes from Magnolia yet so I cant judge, but these are pretty good. They bring six home and I have a lemon frosted sponge one, Kerrys fave is one called Red Velvet, which has a crimson frosting and Nones has chocolate I think. We save the leftover three for the next day. We had a really good, lazy day and I felt so good that I still accomplished something like boring washing. Im really struggling with not having lots to choose from, I want to go out shopping all the time but I dont, Im being very good. I need to keep thinking that hopefully a little bit of weight will come off in the next few months so will treat myself then. In the meantime I will just buy a few outfits for working, a new pair of black pants (the same pair of Old Navy ones I bought last week but in the next size down, theyre too big!) and work top and a new black jumper. Thats it! And maybe a few extra socks and undies, I packed really lean, didnt I Mum? I can fit a few more things in my pack and I will make the most of my carryon luggage to the UK so I only pay 25 percent more instead of triple when I have to use pounds!

Power Shop

So after a lazy morning I head out fairly early and take the 6 down to Spring St for SoHo power shopping. I found a pair of black pants and a little knit singlet top thing to go under my red cardi for our fancy dinner tonight at Tao. My new favourite store is Old Navy, its just like a Just Jeans with better prices and is ten times bigger. So lots to choose from! Before I head home I stop off at Bloomies for a lipstick and end up having my makeup done at the Benefit counter. All the shops are open until at least 8pm on Saturdays so it was great, and they dont charge for makeovers and you dont need an appointment either so it was awesome and all I paid for was a lipstick which I needed anyway. Thirteen bucks well spent and Im really pleased with my makeup. Very classic contoured eyes and a nude lip. I just wish I didnt have to pluck my eyebrows, they really need a wax but waxing is really expensive here, not unusual to pay 40 bucks just for a wax, plus tax and tip, so out of my reach.

We all glam ourselves up for Tao, the girls really love my makeup and Julian asks if Ive had my hair cut. Good try but at least I looked a little bit more glamourous than jeans and a tee. Tao is this amazing, multi level warehouse space with asian fusion food (a real buzz word here with the foodies, I think its just a licence to charge twice as much for pad thai) and a great cocktail menu. There is also a giant buddha statue as the focus for this bar, like 3 stories high, its amazing. We order entrees, mains and get a free desert to share because Julian knows the owner of the LA Tao. The desert is this giant platter of different deserts, including the biggest Fortune Cookie Ive ever seen, filled with the best chocolate mousse. Addictive. I was drinking Mango Cosmos but I wanted a change and made the big mistake of ordering a Sake-tini. Yuck! It was a pricey meal but great food and I reason that Im not going to have this in the UK so enjoy the experience while I can. Lots of shenanigans are had and we visit a dodgy club for five minutes before going to a much more relaxed bar before ending the night with a taco from a cute little place. We roll into bed at 4.30 in the morning. Top night!

update, getting lazy...

Had lots of emails this week so have neglected my blog. Its been a busy week with lots going on, Ill pick up where I left off.

Its Thursday so we head to the Empire State Building for our daily dose of touristyness. The lines are not very long so that was a bonus, however the lady selling tickets at the booth tells us the visibility is crap today and to come back if we can later in the week, so we spend the rest of the day just looking around, window shopping and visiting yet another mega department store (today was Macys). I have decided New York is on fashion overload, there is so much to choose from how can you choose? Obviously, people do, and do it well cos everyone is carrying a bag on fifth avenue whether it be from Macys, Cartier or Banana Reupblic somebodys always buying something.

Friday we venture down to SoHo for more shopping and Im over my shopping overload. This part of town has some really funky shops, mixed with crap shops mixed with chain stores. I decide in my head to go back the following day and do a bit of power shopping on my own. Julian met up with us in the afternoon and he and Kerry did a bit of shopping for his apartment and spent an obscene amount of money just on curtains...we all meet up at this gorgeous bar called Balthazar for some wine which was really crowded but we somehow managed to get seats at the bar. Good work Julian! We celebrated with pommes frites (expensive fries) and mayo and sauce, which spawned an entertaining debate in which we all decided the mayo was a bit funky and that we needed a second plate to make sure. The bar staff were lots of fun and were also hot nerds. PS NYC is full of men with weird shaped heads, and very few we have found cute, so the bar staff were a welcome distraction. No wonder series like Sex and the City were so successful, it is hard for a girl to find a good man here!

We catch the subway back (our local line is the 6 for anybody playing at home) just in time for a late dinner of takeout Thai with Schini. More wine and girly chat made for a great, laidback night. Schini (or Sohini, Im not surehow how her name is spelt) is so lovely, a really smart, really savvy girl who knows everything about NY. She used to work at the Forum with Kerry but know she is with the Michael J Fox Foundation for research into Parkinsons Disease. The thai we have is almost as good as Aroy Thai, one of the best meals Ive had since being in America.

Staten Islandland

On Wednesday we decided to see the Statue of Liberty. You could pay for a ferry that takes you there and to Ellis Island and line up for hours to get on it or you can hop on the Staten Island Ferry which cruises straight past the monument for FREE. On we get to the SIF, a giant Orange ferry, and enjoy the half hour cruise to Staten Island. As a tourist, once you get to Staten Island you pretty much head straight back to Manhattan but we decided wed go for a walk around the island. How big could it be? After walking for about a km, we decided wed catch a bus to check out the neighbourhood, maybe visit the mall (hehe mall). After half an hour on the bus we realised that Staten Island perhaps isnt that small and quaint and that we were going to be on the bus for hours, travelling round the suburbs. Off we hop and cross the road to take us back to the ferry, Im glad to say Ive been to Staten Island now so I never need to go again. When we looked at a map we saw that Staten Island was almost as big as Manhattan, whoops.

So we covered Statue of Liberty and also Battery Park, nothing exciing there, we then walked up Lower Manhattan and had lunch, and also came across the World Trade Centre site. They have a part of the site above a transit station which has a timeline of events and also some great photos of New York and its people taken before, during and after the terror attacks. It was moving but not as emotional as what I thought I might have been. The site is pretty much all closed off and not having visited the Twin Towers, I didnt really get a sense of just how big they were and what a grand structure it was. After some more walking, we headed into Century 21, which claims to be the Best Discount Department Store in New York. It is huge and there is some nice stuff, but its like Harris Scarfe mixed with one of those Mr Bankrupt sales, and is where bad fashion comes to die. So many crazy pieces in there, think of what The Nanny used to wear. She must have loved shopping here. It was so busy, at like 6pm on a Wednesday night I hate to think what it would be like during a clearance sale...

Tonight we stayed up to watch the episode of David Letterman we went to see live. The only shot they showed of the audience was at the beginning, and we couldnt pick us up. If you looked at the stage, we were to the right about six rows back. Not a great position but I had a perfect view of Jack Black, which is all i needed.

New York, maybe Central Park

Tuesday saw us heading out into the beautiful weather, blue sky and take a wander around Central Park. The snow is slowly starting to melt away, little rivers were forming in the trails in the park. Didnt pack my camera today but Nones got some good shots. We will definately head back to Central Park once the snow has all gone, Im sure itd be a completely different experience. It is a huge space and although we spent hours there we still didnt cover it all. Starspot! Filming has begun for a new series called Lipstick Jungle, which is based on the book written by Candace Bushnell, of Sex in the City fame. Today we saw them filming a scene on one of the lakes, basically just a woman standing in a boat with burly crewman ehind her in awkward positions to keep out of the shot. Apparantly Brooke Shields is the star but we couldnt tell if it was her in the boat (couldnt see her eyebrows, just kidding).

After Central Park we wandered up to Fifth Avenue to visit FAO Schwarz, the home of the giant foot activated piano key...thing. Huge reference to it in one Simpsons episode, can anyone remember what song Homer played on it (and subsequently broke it doing a kneeslide). ToysRUs may be big, but FAO Schwary has so many beautiful things in it, like stuffed toys and intricate dollhouses and dolls. It has to be seen to be believed, I have a new appreciation for toys now I have visited here, and jealous of the kids who actually walk out of there with stuff!

There is also a huge Apple store, where you can try before you buy anything Apple. Hundreds of iPods are all loaded up ready for consumers to play with songs and videos, and you can check your email for free if youre lucky enough to find a free monitor. People swear by Apple but I dont know if I could handle not working PC style. Its all a bit advanced for me, Im afraid. This place was filled with freeloaders (ie me) and techheads (boring surly nerdy sales staff). Im sure in amongst it someone was buying something. How could they afford the rent otherwise?

An apology for those reading this who are annoyed at my lack of using apostrophes...I still cant find them on this keyboard. And if I get my ys ad zs mixed up its because theyre in the wrong place (Kerry uses a European keyboard, whatever that means)

Letterman and laughing

On Monday nones and I headed down to Times Square and came across the theater where they film The Late Show with David Letterman. We decided to put our names down for tickets (it was a lottery draw, apparantly its a popular show). A couple of hours later we heard we had tickets to a taping happening in the next few hours. We were stoked so had a good dose of energy dancing around Times Square and visiting the Hersheys store, the MandMs store and Sephora to do our makeup (I havent forgotten your eyeliner Jen). We met a nice young British couple in the line which wiled away the time waiting in the cold to go into the theatre. We though that the guests were Bernie Mac and Paula Abdul but we later found out that they were on the show they taped before us (he tapes a few shows at a time), so when we sat down and the show started I exploded when I found out that JACK BLACK was going to be a guest on the show. For those of you in the know, my great friend Jen and I love Tenacious D, a band JB is in and saw them twice, in Adelaide and Melbourne - on their last tour in Australia. I missed Jen so much at that moment I wish I could have shared my excitement with her, but Briony was definately a good alternative.

The taping was fun, the bald guy who is in the orchestra is really annoying and David Letterman isnt really that funny, but we had to fake laugh anyway. The theme of the night was how chubby Al Gore has gotten and another guest that was on was a College student that invented a beer cannon. Genius. Jack Black talked about his new tv show which was beginning this week called Acceptable TV, Im sure it will be hilarious. A good night had by all!

they sure love singular word places around here...

Sunday saw us have a lazy morning before meeting up with Schini again for brunch (at 1pm!), at a place called Public, downtown. We didnt have a reservation and the wait was going to be crazy so instead we went wandering and found a place called Bread. It was really nice food but crappy service (welcome to America). I had this delicious Split Pea soup which really hit the spot. We whiled away a bit of time before going to see 300, everybody is talking about this movie and I can see why. It had a lot to do with the same Aussie animation studio that made Happy Feet and it smashed alot of records over here so we had to check out the fuss. Plus David Wenham was in it and I love him in lots of things (Ah Jen, remember Gettin Square? Y`honnor). A good story but a better excuse to look at 300 spartans wearing very little for the whole time. Very satisfying time was had by all us girls!

So Friday night we went to a swanky hotel for a cocktail and nibblies with a view over the city skyline and central park. The bar is on the 35th floor and its still snowing, making me proud of how I navigated the sidewalks in my pointy boots with no grip on the sole. Until I reached the foyer of the hotel, where I proceeded to walk half on the tiles and half on the mats they had put down. Result? I made a grand entrance by gracefully slipping over and doing the splits. Thank God I didnt land on my arse was all I could think about as I got up. The staff were really concerned about me and it wasnt until later that I thought they were probably worried about me suing them, I just wanted to forget about the whole incident. Ive got a wicked scrape on my knee that is going to take weeks to clear up I can tell. Thank god I packed a first aid kit, the bandaids have come in handy!

After that debacle, we cruised up to the 35th floor and had a great night with Viraj, and another friend of Kerrys who used to work at the Forum, Schini. Shes a bible about all things NY and also has a Museum Pass that means wse can skip the queues at a lot of the museums, and she said shell pass that onto us which will be great.

When our night concluded the snow was really starting to come down heavy and of course there are never any cabs when you need them, we walked blocks in calf deep snow and strong wind and finally we got a cab. Kerry was hating it but because it was my first time going through something like that it was kinda fun (im sure Ill lose that feeling really soon). What an experience, and Briony did it in heels, can you imagine?

The next day was St Patricks day so another of Kerrys workmates and friend Julian came and met us at the apartment and we walked a couple of blocks to the parade which goes down Fifth Avenue every year. Lots of firemen in uniform and high school bands, it was fun. We had burgers at the hardest place to get a burger in town, JG Melon, we waited over an hour for a table but it was worth it. Viraj met up with us for lunch as well so we had a good crowd, then walked down to watch a film, Julian shouted us to see Wild Hogs which was crap but good because after a few beers you didnt need to really pay attention to the movie to get a few laughs out of it. One more bar after the movie and we broke up to have a nanna nap before going out for a late tea and margaritas at a swanky restaurant, Rosa Mexicana. Im certainly having a much different experience of New York than I thought I would have going to all these kinds of places but its good fun and I know I wont have it this good in England so Im enjoying it while I can!

brrrr

Kerry heads to work while we head out in the afternoon to have a look for a coat for me. Its spring in NYC so of course the shops are filled with pretty dresses and strappy shoes. the weather is much colder than yesteraday so it seems ridiculous more people are looking at swimsuits than coats.

In the evening, after a late lunch (motzah ball soup for me), Kerry took us to one of her workmates apartments about 15 minutes walk north (i think) where he lives on the 18th floor. Viraj has just flown from India that day but has been dying to meet Briony so we (Kerry, briony, Viraj, his partner and me) have a few glasses of wine and a good chat. the wine must have trigered my jetlag because toward the end of the night I was trying so hard to keep my eyes open. At 11pm we got a call to say that brionys bags were about to arrive at the apartment so we hopped in a taxi. Got a good nights sleep and woke up to the beginning of a snowstorm outside. I still hadnàt found a good coat and had done without one until today but tomorrow we are going to st patricks day shenanigans so I NEED one. Briony stayed inside in the warm while I headed out to Bloomingdales. Found one and walked back to the apartment so much more warmer. I am so thankful I bought a little hat and took some leather gloves...they have come so in handy! Yep its cold but its not unpleasant yet...check back in a few more days and Ill let you know what snow is really like!

okay, were here

Okay, weve been in new york for a few days now and i finally ave some time to sit down and write something! The plane trip was long but not as bad as I expected it to be. We went adl-syd (2hrs), syd-la (13), and la-ny (5), plus a couple of hours stuck in custom queues and airport lounges. We saw scott hicks the director in adelaide (he flew first class of course. prick.), we sat next to him on the shuttle bus at sydney and he kept popping up all the way to new york so maybe he was doing business for his next movie. get all the scoops here, guys.

Brionys bag didnt make it out of australia, the airline gave her 100USD for compo and a bit of a delay at JFK hanging around the lost baggage office. We hop into a cab after and head to Kerrys place, 53 East 74th Street, Manhattan. Ooh la la! The drive in was surreal, so far the whole trips feels like a bloody long journey to Melbourne. Both cities have the same colouring and look like they could use a good wash. Kerrys apartment is gorgeous, and in between Park and Madison avenues on the upper east side. Central Par is two blocks away. Its just one big room which is the bedroom/dining/lounge/office with a little kitchen and bathroom tacked on the side. Add a bit of cupboard space and thats it! Kerry is lovely, truly a Wellman, the resemblence is striking when they all get together.

We head down to grab dinner and take a bit of a tour around the local neighbourhood. end up at a diner for a burger - its massive - welcome to america. we end the night with coffee and a piece of cadbury choccie that we bought for Kerry at Sydney duty free. Were rationing the Haighs chocolate frogs Mum gave me at the airport, thanks Mum! Saying farewell brought a few tears from everyone at the airport but it was fine. Thanks for coming as well Cara! But the bloody noise cancelling headphones I bought for the plane took AAA batteries and not AA like we bought, so I got some AAAs in LA and gee they really did make a lot of difference. Im so glad i ended up getting them - thanks Dad. And my flight socks were good too.

Its beautiful night in NYC, almost balmy. Kerry says its been really weird weather and that we might get snow in a few days so we enjoy it while we can.

The time in New York today is yesterday here. Nup, too weird. Hopefully this'll help me get my head around it - IN NY IT IS CURRENTLY:

Party like it's 1999

Saturday night Briony organised one more farewell for us at the Union (cos a girl can never have too many shindigs). Great night Briony, I wish I stayed on for the Zhivago shenanigans now. Kudos to all those stayers who made it back to Melissa and James' place at 6am. Here are some of my photos it's Livvy!, Mel and Yimmy, and Briony, normally a very attractive girl for those of us who were there know why she looked possessed! Mel took a million more, inlcuding the shots we took with the guy from the RAA ads, or for those of you old enough playing along, the short one from Acropolis Now.

We're off on Wednesday morning. Getting REALLY exciting now!

wrap up of sunday 25th Feb

Thanks to everyone who came to my farewell shindig on Sunday. It was a great day, and I am so spoiled to have so many lovely people in my life. I am especially humbled by the people who travelled from Pirie to be there on the day, it meant a lot. Thanks also to Michele for taking lots and lots of pics like this one, and for making my hair look all one colour, when my 5cm regrowth was taken care of by the hairdresser the day AFTER the party. I heart photoshop.

PS we're laughing with you, not at you!

one week to go...answers to some commonly asked questions

Yes, I have started to pack

No I am not stressing out about it

Yes I am glad to finish work

No I won't be doing the same work over there

Yes of course I will miss friends and family (like Cara with me in the pic here)

No my iriver isn't big enough to put all the music I want to take with me

Yes I just bought a new digital camera...one that I WILL use

No, I can't afford noise cancelling earphones

Yes we are staying in an awesome location in NY

No, there aren't any real plans of what we're doing after NY

And I kinda really like the idea of that, despite never not having some kind of plan for my life.