Day 13 and 14 - New York

Distance travelled: 8 miles by subway, 2 miles on foot

I was feeling pretty rough on Wednesday so we actually didn’t really do that much. I had a really bad headache in the morning. I’m not sure why, although we did have another drink when we got back last night. I could only think as I’d eaten quite a bit of Chinese for dinner before we went out, that the alcohol had a bit of a delayed effect. The Wednesday was a bit of a write off to be honest.

Stephen's hangover!

In the evening, Kathryn cooked a nice meal with a starter of brussel sproats, bacon and parmesan. The main course was a pasta bake with creamy mushroom sauce and green beens. As Smiti was heading for Washington in the morning, we had an early night.

So for Thanksgiving we got up early as Smiti had to get the train to Washington. We left about 8:30am to go to the parade which started at 9am in Central Park. The weather wasn’t great and it was very cold and grey. We also got some “wintery mix” of rain and sleet that they didn’t mention on the tv.

It was very eerie using the public transport and walking the streets as there was hardly anyone around and most of the shops were closed. The platforms were deserted. We decided to go via Grand Central Station and walk to the parade route. We had wanted to see the station anyway during our stay so it seemed like a good opportunity to do it.

Deserted New York; John Street (left) and Fulton Street Subway (right)

We got off the subway and spent a few minutes in the station before leaving. We got some coffee on the way to the parade. Unfortunately, being tourist/first timers we were actually not really prepared for the parade crowds. Even though we were at 7^th Avenue before the parade arrived, the police had already shut most of the streets off to more spectators so there wasn't any overcrowding. We ended up being funneled into a park, but eventually we got a decent spot where we could see most of the parade. Unfortunately we were just a little far back.

The parade was actually very entertaining and quite exciting. I’d say the best thing was the marching bands, probably because they were very loud and ou could hear them very well.

Our view for the Thanksgiving Parade (left) and another photo of what it was like in reality (right), especially if you weren't as tall as me

After we’d seen pretty much everything, we pushed our way back away from the crowd and back towards central station. We were going to get a drink to warm ourselves up and found a nice Parisian bakery. Unfortunately, although we got seated quickly, it was about 10 minutes and no-one came to take our order so we just left. We went back to central station, I took a few more photos and we headed back to the apartment.

Main hall in Grand Central Station

In the afternoon we decided to go and see a movie as we haven’t had the chance with having to look after Izzy for at least a year. We went to a cinema in a newly built office tower.

Main cinema foyer

The movie we saw as The Hunger Games which we enjoyed. Afterwards we went to a bar and grill called Bill’s. They did a special thanksgiving meal of turkey, cranberry sauce and vegetables that I had to have, and I wasn’t disappointed.  It was really good, very nice and moist turkey. My plate was clean afterwards! Kathryn had a burger.

Bill's Bar and Grill; turkey dinner (left) and bar (right)

Afterwards, we wondered past the 9/11 memorial again, although this time it was at night. It took a few more photos, which I think showed how spectacular it looked with the contrast between dark and light. We went back to the apartment and watched the remainder of the Matrix trilogy which we had recorded before going to bed.

9/11 memorial at night (left) and lower floors of the Freedom Tower (right)