Just Another Sunday

Here is a little story bored of what we did on Sunday. It included afternoon tea at The Berkeley, going to see The Avengers at the movies, dinner in Chinatown and then back home. 

Wake up sleepy head 

All the tools for caffeination

The flats barristas hard at work 

Our day before us (voucher to The Berkeley afternoon tea)

Tag 

On the tube 

All rugged up

Out the front of The Berkeley

Sugar, Spice and all things nice 

Fancy tea and fancy things

All our delicious sweets based on the latest fashion

Fashion you can eat ...nonononon

Drinking tea 

Life in the fast line 

To the movies

Another sunny afternoon in Trafalgar Square 

Keeping up appearances 

In the cinemas 

All tired out and on our way home

The last couple of months: A picture tour

As suspected the blog has been a little stagnant for too long. 

We're going to try something a little different from now on. We'll give you more pictures, less text and more updates.

This is where James spends most of his days. Behind this beautiful espresso machine there is a lot of passion and the occasional tantrum when something doesn't do what it should.  

 This is the inside of Kaffeine. A great space when used for private functions as it was here for one of our crews last day before heading back to Tasmania.

 East London street art at its satirical best. Provocative, on point and a fair bit of artistic depth make up so much of the art that now occupies many walls around the Brick Lane and Shoreditch area.

 More great examples of London's thriving street art. The piece on the far left was actually created through a series of explosions placed to create this beautiful portrait. 

A great piece painted on the side of a great gallery space. This Union Jack was actually painted by a French artist.

An example of some more 'urban' style art in the area. This photo was taken at one of our favourite spots, a car park.

Carnaby street is typically one of London's busiest shopping areas and on Christmas day the street was completely deserted. It was a really nice feeling having a place like this to ourselves, even if it was only for a minute.

The start of Chuck's birthday morning celebrations. This was well and truly before the gargantuan drinking session that ensued.

Just a half hour train ride out of London lies the peaceful and serene neighbourhood of Richmond. A great day with some sunshine really made this feel like we were in another country, not just a tube ride away from the organised chaos that is London.

The view towards one of Petersham Nurseries' converted conservatories. We were lucky enough to have a booking at the Michelin Star Restaurant in the same nursery for lunch. 

On top of the mountain in Mayrhofen, Austria for Snowbombing 2012. Five days of boarding and partying really did take its toll, but James really got a handle on the basics and can't wait to go again in the near future.

Antoinette posing with her very 'feminine' board. Antoinette had a great couple of days on the mountain and made really good progress, broke one of her bindings and did a pretty good job of standing up while drinking booze at some serious altitude. 

Looking down the barrel of his first run. Maybe a red run on his third day wasn't such a good idea. 

How could we go into snow and not do this. Fun times indeed.

The street stage in the pouring rain with Krafty Kuts and Fatboy Slim. The music was ok, but it was a brilliant and unique experience getting soaked, having a few drinks and dancing the evening away.

A great sunny day on the top of the mountain. Austria really knows how to put on a show. More days like this would be greatly appreciated. We get the feeling we will be returning to Mayrhofen, but just for Snowboarding.

Antoinette thought it would be a good idea to pay an Austrian 100 euros to jump off the mountain and para-glide to the valley floor. She ended up a short walk from our accommodation and took some amazing shots of Mayrhofen that you can't get anywhere else.

The crew out the front of the oldest restaurant in the valley. Austrian food is hearty, meaty, cheesy and served in a very generous manner. Their beers are great and preservative free and their hospitality was always good. 

This is just some of what we have been up to so far in 2012. Stay tuned for more. 

Lots of love as always,

Antoinette and James.

London: Fresh Hope on A Cold Horizon

After months of life transpiring in a way only London can offer there is much to talk about, but remembering in exactly what order all of the following happened is nigh impossible. So please forgive the erratic and unpredictable nature of the paragraphs to follow.

Global Gathering

We last left you with tales of London and our trials and tribulations of setting up our new lives in one of the busiest and infamous cities in the world. We have since had a couple more visitors, Antoinette’s sister (Marie) and mum (Pam), and done all the usual things you do in London when you have visitors. They both came during the height of the British summer and it was great to get some sunshine while they were here. Marie and James celebrated their birthdays at Global Gathering, a huge music festival in the British countryside, and the celebrations were suitably messy and entertaining.

Our room. At it's finest.

Our living conditions continued to be a cause of pain and stress, but we no longer have to worry about that because we are weeks away from moving in to a new place in East London. Moving out of Cricklewood is a decision we only wish was made a long time ago. It feels as though we are getting a new start in one of the greatest cities in the world and our outlook has become a lot more positive since throwing 25kg on our backs and closing the door of Flat 137 Ashford Court one last time. It wasn’t the area we wanted to move from, in reality it is quite nice, but the people we are living with (an ever changing collage of dim-witted eastern Europeans, one of whom thought he could unclog the pipes in the washing machine by putting it on a ‘dry’ cycle, and really lazy ass holes) and a property manager who just treated us like dirt. We are moving to Bethnal Green and can’t wait to make this area our home for the foreseeable future and, potentially, the place we spend the rest of our time in London. We put our deposit down last week and are looking to move in on the last weekend in October and the area is soooo much closer to central London that it is going to be strange to have so much on our door step.

All dressed up. FOTC Style.

It has not been all bad news, although our blog posts might present it that way sometimes, and we have had some amazing experiences in the last seven or eight months. We have been clubbing in Brighton at Digital, one of the UK’s most infamous clubs for drum and bass enthusiasts like James, spent a week in sunny Barcelona, dressed up as Flight of the Conchords for a farewell party and had a full on Italian wedding experience in Acqua Viva. London and the UK is becoming more and more comfortable and homely as time passes. Even with the mornings becoming colder and the days much shorter there is always something on the horizon to keep us interested and entertained.

Barcelona from atop Mt Tibidabo

Spain was, quite simply, amazing. Our trip could not have come at a better time. The weather in London was grey and drab and after almost a year of rolling through wet and cold weather sunshine was what we needed. Despite Barcelona being a shadow of its normal self due to the August holidays we still had a fantastic time getting acquainted with Barcelona’s architecture, food and beaches. A couple of notable highlights would have to include dinner (a couple of times) at Tapac 24, brilliant chocolate that almost did not survive the trip home, a private walking tour in the Gothic quarter, a flamenco performance and hours of sun soaked bliss on Barceloneta Beach. After eating and lounging our way around the capital, and changing our sleeping patterns to take full advantage of Spanish hospitality, it was time to head back to money earning reality and get planning for our next couple of adventures.

Dressed for the occasion.

Heading to Italy to meet relatives of Antoinette’s she had only seen in photographs was a surprisingly comfortable affair. Perhaps it is because we are becoming so used to being outside of our comfort zones or perhaps it was because we both knew they were family, but the prospect of meeting people who don’t speak a word of English was actually something we looked forward to. Thankfully, however, Antoinette’s cousin Antonio was there to translate for us a majority of the time, but after a few days we could hold a very loose conversation with our hosts thanks to over enthusiastic pointing and gesticulations. Before the wedding we had two days in Milan and had a really relaxing time, except for when chaos reigned supreme at the gates of Milan’s soccer stadium moments before a champions league match. The wedding itself was awesome. 350 people, a ten course meal and plenty of vino. The countryside where this all happened is some of the most beautiful we have seen and being able to see such a significant place in the history of Antoinette’s family was pretty special for both of us.

James @ Kaffeine

Work wise we are both doing ok. Antoinette is working as a receptionist for The Royal Society in a beautiful area of London just south of Piccadilly Circus. James is still slaving away at Kaffeine, but his hours have become more manageable so it has been nice to have a little more time to spend with Antoinette and, of course, London. We have been really fortunate to have saved our tax refunds until finding a place to live and only now are we starting to spend some cash and it feels good. Really good. After living on a budget to get the cash to go on this trip, living on a tight budget while on our American leg of the trip and having to save almost every penny during the start of our London leg having money to spend is a luxury we are definitely enjoying while it lasts. With the festive season and colder weather approaching we are excited about the next couple of months being more positive and rewarding for both of us, but knowing London, well, nothing is certain.

‘Till next time,

Antoinette and James.

London: A Cruel Mistress and Long Lost Friend

Long story short, for those who might loose interest in the extended trilogy limited release special features version of the story detailed below, Antoinette hates bed bugs, James is not sure about his job, our apartment is shit, we have a herb garden, we drink a lot of really tasty beverages and get to wear shorts only occasionally in the peak of summer.

Time heals all wounds, but does not heal writers block. Saying Antoinette and I have been busy over the last three months is one hell of an understatement and we are only now feeling as though we are beginning to settle into our new surroundings. Arriving in London after a torturous flight with Iceland Air on the 3^rd of March we have experienced the whole scope of London life with everything and everything from bedbugs through to sumptuous market food now another element of our new lives. There is much to tell about the trials we have endured during our breaking in time, as it is very common and apparent for the first two or three months of any persons adjustment to living conditions in London to be full of bad happenings, and we are not here to paint a façade with words describing the lives we wish we were living. The last three months have been incredibly difficult, draining and frustrating with little bursts of normalcy and enjoyment scattered through the days and nights of living life in London.

The main event at Secret Cinema

London is what you make of it and we have found ourselves repeating the same sentence to people we meet when asked the inevitable “how are you finding London?” We can say we love London, but (and this is a big BUT) we hate where we are living. The music, café and food in London has far exceeded our expectations and the culture on offer here is magnificent for younger people wanting to get out and do something a little less than normal (like paying 35 quid each to see a movie without knowing what movie you will be seeing until it starts after two hours of pre-show interactive entertainment, an event otherwise known as Secret Cinema). Our first London drum and bass gig was nothing short of exceptional as we were privy to a very special album launch party for Icicle’s, aka the Ice Man, Under The Ice Album and after months of sub bass starvation my insides were rumbling warmly indeed.

Oh Borough How We Love Thee

We are, however, consistently plagued with problems within our home away from home. House mates who seem to be allergic to the thought of cleaning, the ever present threat of bed bugs and the daily grind all contribute to fatigue during the week, but we always make the most of the time we have off together. We spend most of it eating, enjoying whatever sunshine can be found and catching up with friends (both new and old) in and around London. London’s thriving market scene is always a good morning adventure and we have already named Borough Market as our favourite and James has already worked his way through one too many coffee places. There is always something to keep us on our toes and the next couple of months will be no exception.

We are heading to Barcelona in mid August for some real ‘it is too hot to do anything weather,’ our lease expires on September 10 (insert psyched fist pump here), Antoinette’s contract ends at the end of August and James is on the path to a new career armed with a brand new CV ready for distribution once a new room has been acquired. On top of all this we have Marie, Antoinette’s sister, visiting us at the end of July and we will be celebrating both Marie’s and James’ birthdays at Global Gathering on July 30^th and have been invited to attend an Italian wedding in early October. So, as you can tell, all this will be a challenging, intense and fun filled couple of months and we are looking forward to every second.

Another Sunny Day in Bath.

The British summer so far has been exactly what we expected, a little bit of sunshine now and then and plenty of overcast days with the mercury rarely topping the tables at over 22 degrees Celsius. After so many months of cold temperatures and rain we are very acclimatised to all types of weather now and are longing for some dry heat, which I am sure we will find in Barcelona in August, but come next April we will be hitting the slopes (hopefully not literally) when we head to Austria for an event we have been excited about since hearing tales of adventure and debauchery in the latter stages of 2010. Snowbombing is, no doubt, the light at the end of a very wet and cold British winter, but after surviving two blizzards in New York and walking around with a foot of snow on the footpaths we should be ready for it regardless.

This entry has taken a very long time to get out in the blogosphere and we’re not going to make any excuses, we’ve just been a little lazy and have not thought too much about it lately. This is something that will be changing as we finally feel as though we have settled into life in London and you can believe us when we say there will be more stories of our escapades coming to a computer screen near you very soon.

La’er Ladies and Gentlemen,

Antoinette and James.

P.S. We've had this entry sitting in it's juices for a while now so it might be a little outdated. Stay tuned for part two.

The America Dream

Lego James and Lego Antoinette

The last five weeks have passed in a blur of sights, food and caffeine. New York has far exceeded any of our expectations and we can see why it is considered by many to be one of the best cities in the world. After having completed the great American road trip and living in the centre of Manhattan for over a month we were very happy to be discovering little bits and pieces throughout New York well into our final days in the USA. Apart from repeat trips to some of our favourite food and coffee hangouts we have taken in the less seen areas surrounding Manhattan.

Since we last touched base we have done a lot of things we had on our ‘to do’ list. One of those things was seeing some stand up comedy and the Comic Strip was where we ended up after picking up some discounted tickets in Times Square. The club was quite small and we didn’t know what to think after we were seated with a group of strangers, but it wasn’t long before the strong drinks and quality comedians made the night worthwhile. After two hours the caliber of comic steadily deteriorated, or maybe the alcohol was wearing too big a hole in our collective wallets, and it was difficult to find what they said funny. Leaving meant the hecklee became the heckler and any one seen leaving would cop a mouthful from the comedian, but that didn’t bother us, and it was funny to watch some of the patrons confused expressions as they got caught speechless.

There have been many days when we have just chosen a starting point for our day and kind of explored the side streets and avenues on our way home. These explorative walks have let us see a lot more of the city than most tourists and we can really say we prefer the downtown areas to uptown, except for Harlem of course. The diversity and collection of shops, cafes, delis and restaurants make it easy to get what you want when you want it.

Katz's infamous meat-wich

One New York attraction, that we highly recommend to any carnivorous tourist, is a trip to Katz’s Delicatessen. It is one of the oldest delis in the New York area and serve up quality slow cooked meats that are hand carved the old fashioned way with nearly nothing else. The results are delicious meat mountain manwiches with a side of pickle and their perfectly spiced pastrami and corned beef (both on rye bread with mustard of course) is the reason this Deli is still packed from open till close every day of the week. What made this place even better was that Baby Cakes was only a five minute walk away and there have been a few lunches followed by irresistible chocolate chip cookie sandwiches. The foodie memories punctuate the great times we have had in this city and we have definitely made the most of it because we are skeptical of what our next transatlantic destination holds in store for us.

Deep fried oreo = win

Even though we are thousands of kilometers and months away from Texas we couldn’t help ourselves and we just had to get some decent BBQ eating in one more time. It was at a place called Rub, ideally just around the corner from us, and the food was just what we were craving. Delicious pulled pork, wicked pastrami (not as good as Katz’s Deli though) and ribs that rivaled the mighty Joe’s BBQ shack, way back in Houston, for the title of best baby back ribs. We ate way more than we should and even ordered a serving of deep fried oreos to take back to the apartment. It may sound like a weird concept, but wrapping a real oreo in donut batter and deep-frying it made this once in a blue moon dining experience something to remember.

On a very fine winter’s day last week we caught up with one of James’ aunt’s acquaintances and had a really relaxing day wandering the streets of Brooklyn. Not knowing what each other looked like made it very interesting trying to figure out exactly who it was we were supposed to be meeting in a café with no spare seats. A fortunate encounter while we were paying for our drinks, as we arrived unexpectedly early because we had no idea how long it was going to take to get to Brooklyn, meant we discovered each other with little difficulty. We walked around Brooklyn, which is a nice area of New York with lots of vintage music stores and quirky retailers tucked away in the brown rock and red brick buildings. We had a really satisfying lunch at a local pub and talked about anything from Margaret River’s beaches through to smoked hot sauce and it was awesome to catch up with some locals. Seeing Manhattan’s impressive skyline from the Brooklyn foreshore really lets you appreciate exactly what makes this place so special.

Our last weekend in New York City started with a bang at Café Wha. This place has seen it’s fair share of big shot musos over the years with Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix playing regular gigs at this under ground club and café. If you are looking for an ‘intimate’ night out do not come here. You get sat at a really small table with up to six other people and the service is pretty average, but it is a lot of fun and a really entertaining couple of hours if you like loud music and alcoholic beverages (which we have both been sincerely missing over the last couple of months). The night started around 10pm and after 15 minutes intoxicated revelers had taken to the impromptu dance floor in the walkway. All the musos were having a great time and they played a lot of classic rock songs and their on stage energy was very intense, it was just a shame our waiter couldn’t keep up with our thirsty appetites. We got to meet some wicked people from Canada, who’s names escape us thanks to our good friend Mr.Alcohol, and were able to let off a little steam after being cooped up in the apartment for too long thanks to the colder weather.

One very fat pigeon

One thing we just had to do while here was head up-town and check out Harlem and some of their infamous culture and gospel churches. The whole day was really intense and intriguing. Andy, our tour guide, was an incredibly energetic 82 year old who has lived in the area since his early 20s and seen it transform from heaven, hell and back again. Seeing a real gospel style worship service was entertaining and spiritual in a way many churches can only dream of and the buildings in the area are very well kept considering most of them are over 100 years old. We also learnt that most of New York’s older residential buildings are safe from demolition because all a building needs to be worth saving are structurally sound exterior walls. It doesn’t matter what the inside looks like. If a building has dodgy wiring, no plumbing and no floors it doesn’t matter. If the building is purchased in that state the new owners enters into a pre-existing agreement that means they have to leave the exterior façade intact and update the interior to modern safety and building codes. It is so refreshing to see a city that embraces modern architecture, but works very hard to maintain the unique, old school and historical elements that contribute to making this amazing city what it is today. After seeing some of the oldest churches and buildings in the area we were taken to Harlem’s main business district to see the legendary Apollo Theatre, where both The Jackson Five and James Brown have won amateur nights, and catch a glimpse of where former US president Bill Clinton has his offices. It was sad to hear there are proposals to radically change the Harlem area into just another commerce centre with 25 story skyscrapers lining the wider roads and pedestrian walkways. It was a privelage to see this area the way it is today because with things changing as fast as they are and the ruthless persistence of New York realtors and property developers looking for their next big cash cow, Harlem will not be what it is now in five years time.

The holy grail for gluten free celiacs.

Our last days in New York City were spent taking in long walks through the streets and avenues while re-sampling some of the cities best food and coffee places. Another visit to Kaffe in the Financial District, the last batch of chocolate chip cookie sandwiches, milkshakes from Shake Shack and one of the most satisfying lunches from a place in Chelsea Markets called Friedman’s Lunch. The highlights and lowlights from the journey thus far were always on our minds as the American chapter of our round the world trip came to a close. Being able to say we have driven across America is pretty awesome and to have met some ‘real’ Americans along the way, instead of the stereotypes we see sensationalized in most modern media, was quite eye opening. Having to say goodbye to the comfort of our New York apartment, the city that never sleeps and North America all at once was an interesting feeling full of conflicting attitudes and emotions.

quite a view from the Empire State

On our last night in New York, at least what we thought would be our last night (don’t worry we’ll explain that later), we did what we had to do before we left the United States. The Empire State building affords gorgeous night-time viewing of the world within a city and this iconic landmark delivered in a big way. Getting there was easy as and within half an hour from leaving home we were up on the 86^th floor taking it all in while competing with blustery winds. New York for us really personifies the best parts of America and it was hard to leave somewhere that has become more homely and comfortable than we imagined any place other than home could. So after a gluttonous and relaxing day in the city we started our journey out to JFK. The thing is we got so very caught up in the holiday lifestyle we completely lost track of what the date was so we arrived at the airport 24 hours before we were supposed to. We saw this as an opportunity to do things not many New Yorkers get to do, take a day trip out to JFK, and all we got for it was a stupid air rail pass.

Our comfortable studio apartment in Chelsea

The final steps have been taken to make our transition into the working world as easy as possible. Our resumes, which are looking quite sharp in our opinion, have been edited and reformatted to suit the acceptable UK style and been sent on to a number of recruitment agencies in London. Our accommodation will take a little adjusting to as we will be in a four-bed dorm to save cash while we find jobs and a place to call home for the foreseeable future. We are not sure what will happen over the next couple of months, but being able to start with a clean slate is really liberating and we are incredibly motivated to make the most of London, the UK and the rest of Europe. We are sure the phrase books and language DVDs will get a good workout over the coming months and we are hoping to save hard, again, to do a majority of our European adventures in September and October of 2012, with a couple of exceptions of course.

‘Till next time,

Antoinette and James.

New York, New York

The weather outside on our New York bound adventure.

After the tumultuous uncertainty of the last week of road tripping across America our final destination before the UK and Europe was the light at the end of a 9000 mile tunnel. We are very happy, and relieved, that there was no damage to the RV and even with the sleepless and stress filled days now behind us we can look back on the great American road trip with very fond memories and plenty of stories. Our trip into New York from New Jersey happened to fall right in the middle of one of the worst winter storms to hit the area this season. After struggling into a taxi with all our worldly possessions we arrived in New York after two short taxi trips and a half hour train ride. While waiting in line for a taxi at Penn Station we had our first encounter with New Yorkers who quizzed James on why he had a stuffed animal strapped to his luggage and after claiming to ‘just be holding it for a friend’, who happened to be standing out of sight at the time, the whole situation was an unexpected and entertaining way to enter New York City.

Our apartment. Spacious

Our apartment is on West 15th Street just off 7th Avenue, in Chelsea for those of you playing at home, and is in a really nice neighborhood with everything within a five minute walk or subway trip. Granted we have been living in an 17 foot RV for the last four months, but having to walk more than two steps from the kitchen to the bedroom is really luxurious and we are really glad to call this place home until early march. After settling in after only a matter of hours it became clear there was so much to do and it didn’t take long to make a list of things we wanted to do in The Big Apple. Our first impression of New York, regardless of the mountains of snow and ice on the sidewalks, was a good one and New York is a really easy city to live in and enjoy. The public transport is incredible and we have not had to wait more than a couple of minutes to catch a subway train to any of Manhattan’s destinations.


Our first destination was the downtown area and financial district to pick up some winter essentials, better jackets, gloves and scarves, to bear the bone chilling winds whipping through the cavernous streets of New York’s boroughs. After experiencing some seriously good coffee [from a little place called Kaffe on Greenwich] we wandered through the World Trade Centre Memorial and were unexpectedly moved by the stories and artifacts portraying the heroic and tragic loss of life on that fateful day in September. After a challenging half hour of self reflection it was time to pick up what we needed for winter and it took all afternoon to stroll the gargantuan expanses of Century 21 to find what we needed and it didn’t cost nearly as much as expected, which gave us a little more cash to burn in this fantastic city.

Mmmmm...gluten free brownies.

It has been so long since we updated the blog and we have done something nearly every day, unless the mercury drops well into the negatives, and with each day we both feel more at home and in love with this bustling metropolis. We have done all the usual things early to give us time to explore the different and distinctive areas of Manhattan. One notable highlight so far has been the food and coffee scene here. We have been able to find top quality products and experienced some seriously good stuff in the last couple of weeks. We have nearly worked our way through the menu at Babycakes, a bakery specializing in gluten free and vegan cookies, cakes and more, and we really cannot speak highly enough of what Babycakes are capable of. Their cupcakes and cookies, all gluten free for Antoinette’s sake, are so close to the real thing and free of most of the things that make cupcakes a sometimes food. Seeing Antoinette’s expression after biting into a brownie, something she had cast into the ‘I’m never going to have those again so I’m not going to think about it’ pile, was entertaining enough to see us return three times in the last week. Another incredible taste of Manhattan’s cuisine was made possible through NYC Restaurant Week and a little place called Megu. This place takes Japanese food and twists it into a modern double helix of taste and design and the results were exceptional. Great sushi, great kobe steak and a great vibe in the restaurant made this a wicked experience and we were even able to put the $9 price tag on the spring water behind us.

We were also fortunate enough; at least James was, to be in America for the Superbowl. Getting into the spirit of things required some research into peri peri marinades and the results were pretty damn close to our beloved Mt.Barker chicken wings from home. The result of the game was kind of irrelevant, but the commercials were entertaining enough and these 30 second snippets were the only reason Antoinette was able to bear the three hours of padded meat wagons running into each other to prove their ‘stick-to-it-ivness’ [a very intelligible phrase used by a NFL commentator].

Another highlight of Manhattan is, of course, the shopping. Everything from custom kicks to shelves and cabinets full of belt buckles are right around every corner and the areas surrounding Soho have definitely made our wallets a little bit too light for our liking. Then again sacrificing meat for a week to gain the last pair of US 9s limited edition Star War Adidas kicks was always going to be an easy decision. We have been able to splurge a little in this city and we are very glad we toughed it out in the middle of our trip to leave cash to spend here as the opportunities and potential for entertainment in this city are limited only to our imaginations. The only limitation on our spending is the practicality of transporting our latest acquisitions via very limited luggage space into the UK, where the inevitable accumulation of belongings will continue and probably require the purchase of another bag to carry everything home.

Steel on ice. What can go wrong?

The weather here has been what you would expect in the depths of a North American winter and the sidewalks are finally visible for the first time in two weeks. The maximum temperatures have been floating between five above to nine below for the last two weeks and seeing maximums in the double digits for the next couple of days is really exciting for us. There have been days when we have been forced to cut our explorations short because of the bitter winds and cold weather eating through our many layers of clothing. The weather hasn’t really stopped us doing what we want to do and we have thoroughly explored central park, despite a foot of snow covering everything. Ice Skating, or more precisely, Ice Stumbling [seriously the guy who thought it would be a good idea to put metal and ice together for fun needs some therapy] was good for a laugh and taking a horse drawn carriage through the park was something pretty memorable. The weather has been made bearable, mostly because of the public transport, and you never really have to spend to much time in the cold and it doesn’t take long to warm up as every store and restaurant has their heating on overdrive.

For us Manhattan has been about the little things. Babycakes’ brownies, the shake shack at Madison Square Park, the little sculptures throughout our local subway, hot dogs in central park while seeing a crazy guy dancing on the sidewalk, the crazily busy comic book store and the really average buskers on the subway are some examples of the little things that continue the stream of pleasant surprises. Just walking the streets makes the little strips of cafes and shops visible and there is plenty more for us to do before we leave in a little over two weeks. We have planned day trips to Brooklyn and some of New York’s other boroughs, a few more museums, a debaucherous night at a comedy club, a night out with a few beverages and a plenty more to keep us busy and out of trouble. Apartment living is definitely a luxury we are taking advantage of while it lasts and we know the reality of living in the UK will have us sharing space with more than a few people. All the more reason to take in this city while we can.

'Till next time,

Antoinette and James.