From the City that Never Sleeps....to the village with no phone signal...the last few days of my journey!

So its 2am back in England, and I can't sleep because I'm on the wrong time zone still...but I have to be up really early on Friday for my first day of work so I should really start getting into a good pattern!
So much has happened since my last post, a third and fourth flight, my sixth hotel room in 12 days, and two more timezones. Keeping up with news from Disney, there was a Magical Express bus crash near Epcot the other day with one fatality which is very scary, and one of my best friends during the program got termed the other day for trying to sneak someone in which sucks!!!!

Now, to rewind back to the last few days of Vegas... I think I was up to Wednesday the 14th.. our last proper night in Vegas as we flew at 11pm on the Thursday.
I made the most of the sun by spending nearly all day in bed while the others were by the pool as I didn't want to make myself ill again! I watched Shallow Hal, played Despicable Me and wrote my blog. I met the girls at the foodcourt for another McDs, two cheeseburger meal oops! They had no BBQ sauce which is lame so I had to have Chipotle, not as good!
After eating I read my kindle and the others came back and we all napped then got ready and headed to the strip. We headed down to the other end, on the way we saw the most disturbing Hello Kitty costume ever!! It was crappy like all the others but also had a darth vader-like breathing vent, ugh!
We went to watch the Sirens of Treasure Island (a hotel) on Jules' recommendation and I have to say we all thought it was AWFUL. Jules' said she remembered it being much better and maybe we were used to Disney standards but it was really just girls dressed like complete tarts fannying about on a boat pretending to sing/dance/act but failing badly, with a few special effects thrown in.
Then we went to the Mirage to see the white tigers from when I'd stayed there with my family but it turns out that they'd been taken away years ago, probably right after I left, so that was a fail too. We watched the volcano there and that was pretty good.
We wondered through the Venetian and checked out the canal and shops then got a taxi back to the MGM as it was late and we were tired and hungry, and we decided to use our hotel credit at Hakkasan, an Asian restaurant that's also a nightclub with people like Calvin Harris and Tiesto but it was closed that night. Between us we got lemon chicken, salt n pepper squid, duck rolls and some asparagus dish and it was all really good and we still had some left and were full. We estimated we'd need to pay something like $10 each on top of our credit but when we checked out the next day it was all free!
We ended the night watching the Bellagio fountains, we watched two; All That Jazz and This Kiss, apparently there's an MJ one I'd liked to have seen but it was too late. On the way home Jen and I looked at New York New York hotel and walked past the Coyote ugly bar but it was $10 dollars to go in so we didn't.
We were up early on the Thursday to pack and check out and pay the 'resort fee' ($28) and leave our cases. Then it was off to Caeser's for a VIP pool party where we stayed most of the day. We got stamped when we went in behind a secret curtain to the special pool, and when we tried to move sun loungers we were led to our own day bed (a bed covered in towels for sun bathing) that had been bought by some young guys from NY one of whom had just sold his company, and they'd told the guy to find some girls who could use it!

It was a very chilled 'party'. The pool had its own bar and then loungers beds and cabanas around it and there was an interesting mix of people (old fat ladies, old lesbians, young guys, old rich guys with young bimbos.., us!). We bought pina coladas and sunbathed and sat in the pool and played 'volleyball' with some guys from Virginia and talked to guys from Canada and it was fun. We got told off for taking photos as it was a topless pool oops!
I got some really yummy fries there too and they were a huge portion!

We stayed til people starting leaving and the girls got Earl of Sandwich and then Jules and I walked past Excalibur and looked into the Luxor as we had time to kill then back at MGM we were thirsty so we got our old staple, chocolate milk and as Jules handed over her card to pay the lady said 'ID please' and said 'for chocolate milk???' her face was so funny!! Of course it was because she was using her card but most places don't bother asking for ID so she didn't realise. Made us laugh!

We had 30 mins or so til we needed to leave so we thought we had better gamble since we were in Vegas...we headed to the roulette table and made some random bets. We bet $20 and won $46 very exciting!! Then $27, then $36...then $18. We got very excited then went through all the highs and lows of winning then losing then making decisions of when to stop and carry on all in about 20 minutes and ended up with -$8 on what we started. Its a good job we didn't start on the first night!!!
Also the table showed statistics for what was best etc but we thought it'd be more fun to all press random numbers!



 We got a taxi to the airport, security was fine (they didn't care about liquids for any of our 4 flights in America...) and we got through quickly so had 90 minutes until the flight. I got a California Pizza Kitchen pizza which was nice but only ate a bit of. Our flight was at 11 and overnight, the girls had booked it and informed me we'd sleep during it and we'd then be fine to go around NY the next day. What actually happened is that it was 4 hours long, we slept for maybe 2 hours max, woke up numb and in hell to find we'd landed at 3 am our time, 7am NY time.
We got an airtrain and then a long subway to our hotel on Times Square, and bought $30 week subway tickets even though we only needed 4 days one journey was $2.75 so we got our moneys worth.. Our hotel was just at the top of Times Square, next to a Herschey's (yuck) world and opposite yet another M&M store (we were next to one in Vegas and the shopping mall in Fl had one!) When we arrived around 10 our room wasn't ready so we went to the Times sq McDs in agony and tiredness and sat by the window looking at the view while the girls ate their McDs breakfast (which I will not touch) and Jules argued with the server about her bagel order, I waited for the 15 mins to tick by til 11 so I could get a real meal...and got a 10 chicken nugget meal which came with huge fries and I said I wouldn't eat it but I stuffed it all in, think I needed it! The weather in NY the whole time was warm, but cloudy, no sun, and I borrowed jeans from Hannah a lot! Having not worn jeans for 3 months it was weird!

Sidenote: whilst in NY and Vegas we basically lived off Starbucks and McDs, which for me meant breakfast was always Pain au Choc and hot choc from SBs and then some form of fries and meal from McDs, not healthy! And also service SUCKs in NY! Especially Times Square...although you probably cant blame them.

So we had to kill time we walked to Madison Square Gardens, of which we saw nothing as it was being renovated, then got the tube/subway whatever to Grand Central station which was cool. It was time to meet Hannah back at the hotel as she'd come in from Orlando and then we begged for our room (it was 1pm) and got it finally! Jen and Hannah went shopping but Jules and I got straight into bed and fell asleep til 5.30. Those beds were by far the comfiest out of any in America!! SO nice.
And our view was pretty damn good!

View from the room

Hannah's Eeyore and my Winnie the Pooh :)

That first evening our target for dinner was the Times Square Olive Garden. Ive only been once before in Cali and the food all sounded good but service was bad so I didn't think much of it. And the summary of the night was food was yummy but service was DIRE. The list of things the guy did wrong was so long we couldn't remember it all when we complained to the manager but he took off our tip and offered us dessert but we just wanted to leave. He sent the same waiter to collect the bill...awkward. It was very busy so we waited in the bar and ate appetizers there of nice fried things, then we ordered two pasta dishes to share between us which were nice and more than enough as you get free salad and garlic bread. On the way out we told a waitress we weren't given the little mint chocolates with our bill and she gave us loads, yum.
We got some photos in the Square where there were more awful Disney characters, and spidermans, a minion (wearing skinny jeans!!) a fat old 'cowboy' in pants and a painted girl just wearing a thong, ugh, dignity woman!!
Jules got talking to a 'gym boy' a group of exercise addicts who were trying to sell their calendar, and she said they should be lifting weights or something it ended with them forcing me (as the only one wearing jeans) to lay on top of his back as he did press ups in the middle of the Square. The girls found it hilarious as he was topless and greasy and I was embarrassed!!
We went to the Empire State where we got tickets for the top (but not very top) and spent ages up there taking photos, very cool! Turns out my American bestie Lindsey was up there the night before!! shame we didn't meet! Also we spied an exciting looking building with pink and blue lighting on the rooftop and tried to zoom in with the camera to see if it was a club or something (more on that later...)
Jen and Hannah and I walked home, long day!

Saturday 17th; our first full day in NY. So we did what any girls would do and hit Fifth Ave!
We had our SATC (sex and the city) bus tour booked for 3pm so we wondered fifth until it was time. First stop was something I'd been dying to do but the girls weren't that bothered about (until they realised SATC was filmed here...duh); NY Public Library!!! It was very cool, a beautiful marble building very ornate, and best of all downstairs in the Children's book exhibit; the original stuffed toys owned by A.A Milne!! Including Eeyore, Pooh and Tigger!

Then we wondered up Fifth and made stops at the Lindt store (lovely sample guy there trying to guess our accents let me try a coconut lindt! should have bought some!) and the Trump tower. We had to catch our bus from right by the Plaza. The tour cost nearly $50 but was fun! We got to see a lot of different areas of the city; all of Fifth, the Flatiron building, the meatpacking district, Little Italy, Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, Soho... probably lots of others and they pointed out different sights where things happened and then played the clips for us, and even though it was filmed 13 years ago (some of the TV show) we saw quite a lot! We also got to get off at some stops including Bleecker Street to look at a bakery but we were given different cupcakes back on the bus, and there I found the coolest book shop ever; Bookmarc, everything was Marc Jacobs! I bought an ipad mini case...and even the sharpies said "sharpie by Marc Jacobs". We also got off at a place called Buddakan where Carrie and Big have their dinner before their wedding!

We drove by the Church where Samantha meets a religious guy, the St corner from the credits, the Paris cinema where Carrie watches a film alone, Sushi Samba, and numerous other bars and gyms featured, and of course there are lots of scenes filmed at the Plaza too!  We saw Charlotte's gallery, the street Carrie gets robbed in, and we went and had a drink in Steve's bar Scout but it was called 'Oneails' or something (there was an 'i' in it somewhere). We learned some interesting facts such as the baby that is Aidan's in the show (tate) is actually SJPs and that Steve's bar isn't really on Mulberry St they just covered the sign up but the next St over is Mulberry because we ate there on the last day! We got dropped off near the HBO shop (don't bother) and wondered down Fifth to find dinner. I enjoyed the tour, was worried it'd be a waste of money but we had fun and saw a lot of the city!

Dinner was at a random Italian next to the flatiron building where we sat outside and could see the Empire State! ( I had pasta 'alla vodka' YUM).

We went out that night and met Jules family friend Dan. He took us to a rooftop bar 230 Fifth which turned out to be what we saw from the Empire State! Was cool but very crowded, noisy and expensive and one of those snotty places with nowhere to sit unless youre rich so I hated it tbh, couldn't move or fear of spilling my $15 Bellini so I was glad to get out of there. We got a yellow cab on to a club that we had no idea where we were, turn out it was called Phebe's in Greenwich village and it was a local place with normal music. Highlight of the night was the girl that Dan was friends with answered the phone to her mum saying "yo, what's up bitch?".

In the club Dan's friends bought us Tequila shots (ugh) and we danced til 2.30 or so and had a fun girls (+ Dan) night out.

Hannah and I were so tired we opted for a cab home which cost $12 but we argued about it (like every single decision!) and so the others got the subway but it took them an hour longer so I'm very glad we got the cab.

So it was bed at 3, up at 9 for more serious shopping!

Jules stayed in bed whilst we did Disney store (one last Eeyore) and Sephora then went on to Fifth where we wanted to go to the lovely bookshop in the Library but it was closed (Sunday, damn) as Jules wanted a card she'd seen. Then we went to the VS flagship and spent ages in the Pink free photobooth (fun!!) and then I spent probably an hour wondering around in there and bought some goodies. Then it was back up Fifth where we hit Urban, Barnes and Noble (basically Waterstones) and A&F as we had a 25% off voucher (there was a guy 'modelling' in the foyer, he looked like an idiot). It was the flagship store AKA worst shopping experience ever. So many people in the way, all the staff retarded useless and rude, I was in the changing room and asked for a different size as they'd labelled it wrong and the girl was like 'I'm not allowed', idiot! I could only find L in the joggers I wanted until someone miraculous dumped on pair of XS and so I grabbed them along with jeans I wanted and we all headed down, everyone a bit tired and grumpy to find out they didn't accept discount in the flagship, god were we angry!! We threw the clothes on the floor and got out! No way were we paying full price. After that the girls went back whilst Jen and I popped to look at flagship Apple in the Louvre style but cube not pyramid. Just a large store nothing special! And then FAO Schwarz opposite Plaza, a huge toystore, with a massive minion!

 That evening we split with Jules going elsewhere and Jen Hannah and I headed to the Met to take photos, they weren't interested but I thought it was stupid to go just for photos and wanted to go in but it was closed, lame. We went through Park Ave and Madison Ave (Upper East side...GG) on the way and saw some nice houses. Then we wondered in Central Park and went to meet Jules but she decided she couldn't go in like she'd told us so our tour of the park was cut short for us to basically run back to the side we came from to meet her and so we didn't see much of it and it was all a bit stressful! We did walk past the free theatre though that was buzzing, wish we could have gone! I think Debra Messing may have been there the day before...damn!

 

We got the subway to Greenwich for dinner and found a place by NYU dorms that was full of students as it was a Sunday at 10pm and they still did happy hour, so we bagged $4 cocktails; perfect for our last night together. It was Thai, called Cafetasia, and really good!!  I got a gorgeous red thai curry, a whole bowlful of sauce, rice on the side, perfect!

Halfway through the meal a HUGE plant fell over somehow in the middle of the restaurant and flooded the place with water and leaves, very funny! We got on the tube tired a bit tipsy and emotional. Hannah fell over when the tube started and we found it hilarious!! Crazy drunks on the tube...

 

In Times sq on the way to bed we saw more horrors such as THREE Mickeys all standing next to eachother, and a little girl in front of us saying 'Mummy, I can see the person in Mickey' and her mum saying close you're eyes. So sad I wanted to go and kick the people in every awful Disney costume I saw!!

We got a photo with the NYPD as per Jen's wish and they stood on a vent so she had a very funny Marilyn skirt moment in the middle of the Square in front of them!!

Then we queued up for a pic on the top of the steps but Jules went to bed which was a shame. We got our faces on the screen but Hannah missed the face hole and hers was just a photo of her chin, huge on the screen, very funny!!

 

 

 Back at the room I packed my case for an hour then hit the bed but we were up at 7, so tired! We ditched the cases and got the tube to Staten Island Ferry where we got the free ferry there and back to see the Statue of Liberty, then onto what Id been looking forward to, the 9/11 Memorial. We had to go and get free tickets (for a donation) and wait until 2pm for our allotted time so we wondered through Wall Street as it was on our list and then down to Seaport or somewhere we we'd heard of the possibility of another Abercrombie...and there it was, right next to AON! By a miracle this store was practically empty, and had a whole load of XS sizes of everything yay including what I wanted and theyd extended the voucher for an extra day so we managed to get our shopping! Then it was time for Ground Zero...

It had a lot of security but apparently when its all finished being built it'll just be open to the public. It was huge, peaceful, breath-taking how the water cascaded into a void, and crazy to picture the squares as having walls as high as those towering around it. Apparently I had been there when I was five or so, wish I could remember it!! The stone with names inscribed was ice cold to touch. Jen and I walked around one of the 'towers' reading names and we saw at least four including 'and her unborn child'. Very sad. The museum, open next year, has some of the girders in it from the outside of the building, all twisted up. The whole was very poignant, and although I remember seeing it on TV when I got home from school, its very hard to comprehend.

 

 

 We were starving by this point so we got the tube to Little Italy for our last meal and ended up walking through Chinatown where we walked past a Chinese fashion shoot! We ate at a place outdoors, right near Steve's bar, on Mulberry. I got creamy salmon pasta, it was a nice last meal. Sad though, really going to miss the girls!!!!!

The card machine didn't work and they didn't seem to care we'd get charged for cash so we left no tip and got out of there, but Jen apparently had to go back as she left her shopping haha!

So we split....Jules and I got the tube to Brooklyn Bridge and the others walked off. We popped out took a pic and got back on the tube as we were running out of time. We then got off in Greenwich and found the NYU bookstore AKA NYU merch!!!

We had a good rummage around and got a t shirt and a notebook, but they had everything you could want, a million mugs, like 8 different types of monopoly, all the stationary, clothing you could imagine including 'my first NYU top' and 'NYU Mom'. Best of all Jules found her card she'd wanted from the Lib, fate!!

 

Back at the hotel we got changed and said our final goodbyes to the girls, group hug, very sad!!

We also saw a sign for a broadway show next to our hotel with Daniel Craig and Rachel Weiz, really wishing we'd seen that before!

Then it was a tube and airtrain back to JFK. it took us under an hour from the first tube to the airport, but 30 mins just to lug our cases from the hotel around times square to the correct tube stop then all the way through it to the actual platform!

So with time to spare we looked for the Dunkin Donuts, with the place labelled east and west things were hard to find. Without the Castle as north I was no idea!!

McDs and Dunkin both disappointed as did lack of Wifi (crappy JFK!) so we gave up and waited to board. It was lovely to find Blair was on our plane so we got to say goodbye, I want to go and visit him in Scotland! We got a nice guy to swap so we could sit together (we'd left seat choosing too late), and attempted some sleep after the average inflight meal. We got our last Baileys together too :(

I watched two modern familys (my new show!) and a bit of Wreck it Ralph before sleeping for a bit.

We landed at 10am UK time (5...) and were met by Jules' mum, who kindly waved her welcome home banner at me too since my family couldn't be bothered and had sent a taxi up! It was sad saying goodbye to my roomy and work friend since we'd spent most waking hours and all sleeping hours together for the last 3 months or so!!

 

 

So that brings me to the end of this blog...unless I use it for Everest, we'll see, and I am still super jetlagged and tired and out of it five days after I've gotten home, and I need to start preparing for Everest!

To sum it all up, all I can say is, in the style of MiSiCI.. I've had "the time of my life....", the BEST SUMMER EVER and I don't think I've ever been happier and less stressed (even when things kept going wrong) and felt better about myself. I got to work on Main Street, in front of the castle every day, saw Wishes and parades every day, gained so much confidence; who knew this shy girl could shout goodbyes to thousands of guests without blushing and dance along a parade route in front of 50,000 people???? Worked in my favourite park Studios on Sunset boulevard, as close to Tower and Coaster as a UK ICP will ever get! I got to lay in the sun, play in the parks, becomes completely and utterly Disney-fied, and make some of the best friends ever!! I also got my degree results through that I feel like I've been working towards ever since I was the only one in the class who did her homework in Middle School; and I somehow managed to pull off a First!! Despite spending the whole fourth year worrying about raising charity funds for Everest, applying for real life jobs and Disney stuff, I have finally got my Masters! I missed graduation but hopefully get my own in January, and of course I got to attend my Disney one....

 

To anyone who comes across this blog, you MUST apply, maybe your dreams will come true!!!

I for one will definitely be applying for the Cultural Representative Program in the near future...;)

See ya at Everest Base Camp!!!!!!

xxx