New York, New York.

How different New York was to Europe! The first and main thing that I noticed was the food. NY is like Australia in that you can get whatever you want and there is food EVERYWHERE! I can completely understand why in Europe everyone is thin, and in the USA there are lots of overweight people. In the USA you can't get away from the food. You are constantly thinking about it because every second shop is a fast food place, or a cafe, or a Starbucks. In Europe I remember so many times when we were starving but we just couldn't find anything to eat, because it was just too expensive, or there was just nothing nice. In the USA you can get 2 tacos for 99 cents, and there are so many options it is impossible not to find something you would like within about 5 minutes. The serving sizes are GINORMOUS. Yes, that is the only term possible to use. We have been easily living on 2 meals a day simply because we are so full from breakfast that we can't eat anything until dinner time and then we are stuffed full again.
The food in NY is terrific though, and I have been going to lots of places that I know from TV shows. I feel like I am familiar with the city due to so many TV shows - Seinfeld, Sex and the City, The Nanny, Law and Order, the list goes on. I feel like I am on a movie set!
On our first day in NY we were walking around midtown on 5th Avenue and there was a Polish parade! How strange that of all the places and all the times this day there was this parade. There were Polish people everywhere and they were all talking Polish. As you can see the whole street was full of floats and people.
Here is the flag of Szczecin!
The next day we got the Ferry to Statten Island and back (it's free) to see the view and the Statue of Liberty. It put into perspective how big the St Peter's Basilica (Vatican) is. The statue would fit into the very top dome of the Basilica.
The view of Manhatten on the way back. The Twin Towers were where you can see the empty space to the left, where you can see through the buildings down the the ground.
After we got off the ferry we walked from downtown, Battery Park all the way up to the Brooklyn Bridge and over it to Brooklyn. This is the bridge next to the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge.
Looking back over the bridge to Manhattan.
My feet were sore for the rest of the week after this walk, I am used to riding my bike now, not walking!
Later in the week we went to the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) and MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) where I took these pictures. The baby (cupid?) above looks just like sulky Chris I think!
So this is where Starry Night is! After seeing lots of Van Gogh all over the place by now, it was nice to finally see this most famous painting.
Two Kandinsky's.
A sticker is covering up the 'D' from 'danger' but I think this sign is more accurate. NY is a very noisy city!
Radio City music hall, next to the Rockerfeller Centre. We went up to 'The Top of The Rock' to see the view of the city on our last night, as we heard that this is a lot quieter than the Empire State Building and you don't have to look through bars.
Empire State Building.
Chrysler Building on the left.
Times Square.
NY is a great place and I'd love to come back again and spend more time here. There are so many places to eat. Pick-a-bagel is one of my favourites. How I loved eating a BLT poppy seed bagel after having nothing like it for 5 months. Bliss!
Shopping is amazing, although high end shopping is what NY is really good for. Macy's is more my budget, but Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's would be terrific... if I just had A LOT more money!
Taxis are cheap, but the subway is even cheaper, and in general there is so much to do. Although I was sad to leave Munich and Europe, New York and the USA are amazing places to be. It is so nice to be able to watch TV in English again, and speak to people while understanding everything (well, 95%) of what they say. America also has that familiarity about it, that I suppose come from a lifetime of watching American TV!