New Jersey
I was hoping for SNOW on Christmas aka a White Christmas. It didn’t quite happen on Christmas day, but came it did on Boxing Day ... better late than never I suppose :O)
I was so excited!!! It snowed all day Boxing Day and boy did it make for challenging driving! Cars were travelling between 20-40km/hr and some were even sliding on the roads. YIKES!
That Boxing Day snow fall was the record breaking BLIZZARD that hit the East Coast of the USA. I woke up on 27 December 2010 to 3-4 feet high snow. WOW for me, but not so wow for the locals :O/
Being a winter novice I was L.O.V.I.N.G being surrounded by what could only be described as a sea of whipped eggs whites :O) LOL... Days before, I had upgraded my jacket to a down (stuffed feathered) jacket so the -5 to -10 degrees celsius weather was bearable. Thank goodness!!!
Due to the mad weather, getting from A to B was no easy feat for anyone. Some places around NJ had to wait several weeks before their roads were ploughed down for driving again. Planes couldn’t even take off or land in the affected areas. My SBD HQ training plans weren’t going to happen... as always the Plan B card needed to be played so with that in mind, rather than trying to fight with the snow, I played with it instead :O) FUN FUN FUN!!! Mr Snowman had to be put together!
There were no slopes near to where I was staying so basically no tobogganing or skiing for me (at this stage of my travelling, I didn’t think I would ever get to ski)... just a lot of walking and making snowballs for target practice on fences.
Atlantic City, New Jersey
When snow on the roads had cleared up I visited Atlantic City (i.e. the Las Vegas of the East Coast of USA).
The city didn’t quite live up to its catch phrase “always turned on”... I reckon it was the cold weather that scared a lot of the would-be gamblers away so the place looked abandoned and switched off. It was nice having the place to myself though :O)
Besides the casinos, Atlantic City is full of direct factory outlets and because it’s a city in NJ, clothes and shoes aren’t taxed so shopping is cheaper than NYC.
The highlight for me was seeing the snow on the beach that welcomes the Atlantic Ocean. WOW!!!
New York City
NYC is addictive... thus I had to visit it again before leaving East USA. Besides I needed a good feed and NYC is the city for it :O)
Gastronomical bliss included NYC pizza followed by chocolate and caramel fondue with banana fritters and strawberries... hmm...
I finally got to taste the Korean Fried Chicken Desiree and our NYC mates kept raving on about too – YUMMO!!! Had that along with the BEST corn on the cob ever – Korean style! The Mono + Mono Korean restaurant can be found at Midtown NYC in a very obscure location – if you blink you may miss the entrance... Not sure I’d be able to find it on my own. Thank goodness I went with a friend who knew where to go. Mono + Mono is worth finding – food was GREAT!
This time around Central Park was snow capped white and the lakes were freezing up. Very much a contrast to the shades of bright colours it was painted with in November.
Across the street from Central Park are the Apple Store, Trump Tower and the FAO Schwarz Toy Store (i.e. the toy store that appeared in the movie Big starring Tom Hanks). Expect to spend BIG if buying toys from this store... OMG!!! Prices for a big stuffed animal are $500+ USD! FAR OUT!!! Notwithstanding the mad prices for toys, lollies, etc, the store is COOL!!! Felt like such a BIG KID... LOL... best bit was playing a few notes on the BIG piano :O)... SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FUN!
Christmas was in the air and the Rockefeller Centre tree was finally up and beaming with lights.
Mates and I attempted to check out the Statue of Liberty but it was a cold, foggy and snowy night thus visibility was limited. We could only just make out her outline in the mist holding the torch light.
We made a detour to the World Trade Centre memorial site and also checked out the Wall Street Bull, a NYC icon symbolising “aggressive financial optimism and prosperity”. As its name suggests it’s located at Wall Street, Manhattan NYC. It’s HUGE topping 4 metres in height.
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Thankyou to the family and friends for braving the winter chills to catch up with me. You’re AWESOME!!! See you next time it’s warmer ;O)
