PROPER TOURISTS!

ROCKEFELLER CENTRE 

There is nothing more iconic when visiting New York, than the Rockefeller Centre and the Statue of Liberty with Ellis Island thrown in - which we managed to see on our second full day. The Rockefeller Plaza has appeared in so many films - with the skating rink in winter and the lovely sunny setting for lunch and drinks in the summer.

The sun was definitely shining as we arrived and took in the beautiful golden bronze statue of the Titan Prometheus, but there are other statues dotted around the plaza, with intriguing 
artworks from statues to friezes above the entrance to the ComCast building.

The view from the Top of the Rock is just amazing - well worth the $32 it costs to whizz up in the lifts (and we don't particularly like heights), but it was an experience not to be missed.

You will see from the photos that we both had our lovely (but very different) daughters with us for the trip - Lizzy  (23) is a fashion blogger and you can read more about her New York fashion experience on her blog www.shotfromthestreet.com.

My daughter Louise (25) is an HR administrator and was so excited about coming to New York for the first time - something she had been nagging me to do since her early teens - possibly something to do with her obsession with "Friends"! This was to be a trip of a lifetime for her.

STATUE OF LIBERTY AND ELLIS ISLAND TOUR 

As Anne had previously told you, I haven't been to New York for 30 years having spent a fabulous six weeks there in the 1980s, when I won a travel scholarship studying internal communications, and spent some time with AT&T.  That was a tremendous experience - particularly since I had a small apartment on Madison Avenue and walked to work each day down those famous streets.  However, at the time, the Statue of Liberty was undergoing major refurbishment and was closed to the public, so I never got there.  This was the highlight of my visit this time.

Again, the weather was perfect although it had started chilly in the morning - but as the sun came out it became rather hot, so I ended up lugging my coat around all day!

A couple of tips about visiting Liberty Island - if you want to go inside the statue you must book in plenty of time.  We were there in early May and there were no inside tickets available until June. Once booked, you get a confirmation email which you can screenshot on your phone and show in the pre-booked ticket hall.  However, we were happy to just be there and walk around the grounds since it was such a beautiful day. Your ticket also includes an electronic device detailing the history of the statue and stories from the families who have passed through.

Also - try and go early in the day as the later tours are absolutely packed - we were slightly unnerved by the number of people on the ferry particularly as everyone automatically stood on the right hand (starboard) side of the boat as they approached causing it to look as if the boat was listing. I'm sure they're used to this however, as they do limit the numbers on board. Jump back on board and the second half of the tour includes Ellis Island and the immigration halls and museum.

Security getting on the ferry is extremely tight and we had to go through airport style security, including taking out cameras, keys, phones etc and even taking off our shoes before we were allowed onto the ferry.

CENTRAL PARK 

This was another truly amazing experience- again as touristy as it could possibly be, but so very enjoyable! We paid $50 for a 20 minute ride through the park in a horse-drawn carriage - and there were plenty of carriages so no need to book (possibly advisable during high season though). Our lovely coachman was a twinkly Irishman named Patrick - what else - and he had been in the US for 11 years.

He pointed out where all the A-listers live or have apartments - Lady Gaga, Jude Law, Bono, Diana Ross and Tony Bennett (he's even a bit before my time) , and where Demi Moore recently sold hers for $57Million - and where all the filming for our favourite movies had taken place - including Home Alone and the final Santa scene from Elf.

Louise and I then took a walk down Poet's Walk, also known as Literary Walk, with its statues of famous authors, writers and artists, and sat on a bench dedicated to Duncan and Eleanor and obviously donated by family members, as we soaked in the atmosphere and the glorious weather.

We met up with Anne and Lizzy to wander down 5th Avenue as Lizzy was in search of shoes - one of her passions!  The traffic here was insane! We wandered through Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's but they didn't have what she was looking for, so decided to head to Times Square to try and get tickets for Chicago that evening - which we succeeded in doing, (at a cost of $300) but then unfortunately never got to see it as I was involved in an accident outside the theatre and landed up in Roosevelt Hospital!