Gale force winds; trains stopped due to fallen trees on tracks; our Operations building near evacuation as it was moving more than the engineers thought possible in the wind; 10 people dead; and my 7pm flight to JFK cancelled, I didn’t think I was going anywhere when I arrived at Heathrow on Thursday night. Roz’s flight had already been moved to the next morning; her twin cousins, David and Ian, were delayed and I wondered what fate I was in for. I had visions of surprising everyone at work the next morning when I arrived for the 7.15am conference call. That was all until, a robust smiling African man with British Airways walked up to me and said, “Come on my dear, let’s get you on a plane”. I hadn’t realised that I was standing around. Bemused or confused, I don’t recall. Next thing I knew, I was leaving on the 6.30pm flight to Newark and being handed a new boarding pass and fast tracked through to departures. I would get to take my first bite of the big apple after all. Upon arrival, I joined the twins at our accommodation on the Upper West side and after David’s last nicotine fix for the evening we all crashed. As Roz had already seen Wall Street and the Statue of Liberty, we were assigned a mission for the following morning before she arrived. I was awoken with Ian’s shout of “It’s snowing”. I must have vaulted out of bed to join him at the window to see huge white snowflakes drifting past. Ian was like a kid, as one is when you first see snow. After admiring the beauty, my next thoughts revolved around how much I was going to freeze. After hot showers we braved Amsterdam street in search of coffee and the subway on 96th street. A Dunkin’ Donuts Latte in hand we boarded the subway for Wall street and Ian quickly discovered that the train drivers in New York do not know the meaning of smooth braking. Drinking a coffee while reading your newspaper became a multi tasking nightmare – until he found an available seat, that is. Upon arriving at Wall Street, a local took pity on the confused looking foreigners pouring over their map and pointed us in the direction of the Stock exchange.
We then walked up past Trinity church in search of the big brass Bull, before heading on for one of the numerous Delis for a scrambled egg and sausage bagel. Yum! Tummies full, we headed through Battery Park to the Liberty Island ferry terminal to head across to the Lady Liberty. 
After climbing up inside to the viewing deck in the icy cold, we were treated to some magnificent views of the New York Skyline. After arriving back on Manhattan Island, we headed to Greenwich village to meet Roz for lunch at a little Argentine bistro, where Ian and I paid a fortune for some amazing Argentinian Cabernet (note to self: ask price first next time). It was worth it though. As Roz thought she had not been to ground zero we all next headed there. Upon arrival, Roz realized that she had been there. Apparently it was still good second time around. After that we headed via Penn Station for a some shopping on 5th Avenue. Macys was our last stop before heading to Madison Square Gardens for the NY Knicks vs. the New Jersey Nets. We found our seats and then loaded up with hot dogs (complete with sauerkraut, chilli and cheese) and beer just before the first whistle went. Building up to the nail biting climax in the 4th quarter, we all got into the swing of things (although we never totally figured out why some of the fouls were called), yelling “de-fense” and “Go Knicks Go” with the crowd. With the Nets clinching it in the final 2 seconds, the end score was Nets 101 to the Knicks 100. A great night and you can see why they say, “I love this game”. 
The next morning we met up with Lana in Central park and went strolling amidst all the runners out in the sub-zero temperatures. Dogs were scampering after balls and everyone was having a ball. Something one does not see in the London winters. In order to temporarily defrost, we headed for the Boat House coffee shop for a coffee and giant chocolate chip cookies. Next up we headed down 5th Avenue past the infamous Trump tower, Tiffanys, Saks, Bergdorfs, Barnes & Noble, etc..
The next morning we met up with Lana in Central park and went strolling amidst all the runners out in the sub-zero temperatures. Dogs were scampering after balls and everyone was having a ball. Something one does not see in the London winters. In order to temporarily defrost, we headed for the Boat House coffee shop for a coffee and giant chocolate chip cookies. Next up we headed down 5th Avenue past the infamous Trump tower, Tiffanys, Saks, Bergdorfs, Barnes & Noble, etc..
En route to the Empire State Building we also passed Rockerfeller centre and stopped to watch the ice skaters, although the thought of ice made me even colder. A little further on we stopped at the NY Public Library where some native New Yorker tried to pick me up, which caused David no end of amusement. At least I’m good value! Once inside the Empire State building, we ascended in the two lifts to the 86th floor and the observation deck. Even though the icy wind was howling straight through every layer of clothing, the views were amazing and worth the risk of losing all feeling in one’s face.
By the time we got down to ground level, our tummies were rumbling so we headed to Pipa’s, a little Spanish eatery on 19th, between Park and Broadway, for amazing Sangria, latino music and a vibey atmosphere, not forgetting amazing food. Pipa’s used to be a Chandelier shop and they still had all the old chandeliers (complete with price tag) hanging from the ceiling. Bare facebrick walls and opulent curtains completed the picture. A few glasses of white Sangria later, we made our way back to 5th Avenue, with a short stop at Grand Central Station. We split ways on 5th Avenue to let the guys head to the Apple store to buy their ipods and the girls headed to Tiffanys and Nine West. A few swipes of the credit card later, we headed for the bright lights of Times square, where the icy wind chased us indoors. Luckily we found shelter from the freezing cold at our next port of call: a theatre on Broadway. We’d booked for Tarzan and loved every second. Men swinging about in loin-cloths. Need I say more.. At the end of the show, we braved the cold as we headed home. Luck smiled upon us, as I was able to flag down once of the scarce empty yellow cabs for the trip home. The next morning we met up with Lana for Breakfast in Soho. Walking past all the gorgeous shops, such as Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn etc., I had to restrain myself. All the apartment blocks looked exactly as I’d imagined, complete with the antique looking fire escapes. For breakfast we ended up at Midnight Diner. It was a typical looking American diner and Ian and David tucked into Lumberjack breakfasts. Later on, we swung briefly past the Met before heading onto the Gugenheim for a bit of culture. Loved the Mark Rothko (1949) and many Picasso pieces, particularly the Dead Birds. Once we’d finished there, we had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport, so headed to 5th Avenue for one last hotdog from a streetside vendor and a bit of last minute shopping at Abercrombie and Fitch. We were sad to go, but with lighter wallets and heavier suitcases, I know I’ll definitely be back.
