Thurs 10th May
Flying with Continental (Manchester to Newark) and I had checked in online yesterday so we only had to drop our cases off - very easy. Huge queue through passport control though, we barely had time for breakfast and to grab magazines for the plane before we had to board. Flight uneventful - nice staff, food fairly mediocre. Got our luggage and walked to taxi rank outside and got a cab immediately so we were at Radio City Apartments in no time (I'll do a separate review for them). After unpacking and freshening up we head off to the Top of the Rock for our first views of the city. The lift going up is great (and very fast) and at the top the view to Central Park is lovely. I'm a bit disappointed that the view of my favourite NY building (the Chrysler) is obscured by what looks like an awful office block. After TOTR we head off to do some shopping, stopping after a while for a coffee. As soon as we sit down we realise that we are actually quite tired so begin to make our way back to RCA, calling into a supermarket for supplies on the way.
At 8pm we decide that we really should make the effort and go out because if we don't, we'll veg out and fall asleep and we want to try and get in the time zone as soon as we can. So after a shower we walk around the corner the Times Square. I have to admit I really didn't want to go out but then I seem to get a second wind - must have been all the neon!! We have a light dinner and a couple of beers at the Playwright Tavern and at 10.30pm admit defeat and go to bed (well we had been up 24 hours by then!)

Fri 11th May
We wake up early but lie in bed as long as we can bear and after breakfast head up to Fifth Avenue and the Jimmy Choo shop. I'm so excited as I've wanted a pair for ages. Typically it's a really small shop and they don't have the pair I want but a quick phone call by the sales lady tells me they are in their Lexington store. Very soon I am the proud owner of my very first designer pair of shoes. Next it's a visit to Tiffany's as it my boss' 40th birthday at the end of the month and the team have clubbed together to by her something nice. I pick out a bracelet for her and a necklace and matching bracelet for myself. Well it would have been rude not to wouldn't it?? We wander up to Columbus Circle and this time it's Marcus who does the spending and makes a fine job of raiding J Crew. All this shopping is hard work so we decide it's time for lunch. We eat (very leisurely I may add) at Landmarc and it is absolutely delicious - great service too.
We head back to the apartment for a couple of hours and then get ready and go out to see a show - Curtains starring David Hyde Pearce. It's not the best I've seen and I won't be humming any of the songs any time soon but we tough that DHP was very good, it's entertaining and a good choice for us. Strange to see a standing ovation though - do they do this for every play?

Sat 12th May
This morning we go off to Greenwich Village and we've booked the Foods of New York walking tour. By the time we are done, I'm absolutely stuffed - we've had pizza, canolis (OMG, how good are they??), cheese, rice balls, mushrooms, cookies, bread . Being the only non-Americans in the small group, one thing we both thought was weird was that they were all interested in the square foot and prices of places. Everywhere we went - "How big is that place?" "What does that rent for?". Afterwards we stop for a drink and then go the FDNY museum, which is something that Marcus (being a fellow fire-fighter) wanted to see. Very interesting and a touching 9/11 tribute. Next we strolled through Soho to Washington Square where there are lots of people performing in the bright sunshine, through the market at Greenwich Avenue before catching a cab back to the apartment.
This evening we eat at Garage. I'd recommend this place in a heartbeat, live music, great atmosphere and food. I can honestly say that the crab cakes I had here were the best I have ever had. By the time we come out it is absolutely bucketing down with rain. We get soaking wet getting a cab and instead of going for a drink as planned we go back to the apartment for a cup of tea like a couple of old farts!

Sun 13th May
At last we have a lie in and get up at 9am. We enjoyed it so much that we walk back up to Landmarc for brunch. What a bargain - $26 for OJ, coffee, scrambled eggs, hash browns and toast for him and the Landmarc egg sandwich for me. Suitably fed we cross the road and spend a few hours in Central Park. It's a lovely day, there are lots of people about and we spend a great deal of time there simply "people watching". We are there ages and yet when I study the map when we get home later I realise we only saw a third of it. We stop in FAO Schwartz to see the piano from Big - childish I know but I love that movie. Two members of staff are playing on it and it sounds great.
Getting ready for dinner at the London I'm really excited - I'm wearing my Choos and Tiffany jewellery so feel very glamorous (before we leave I offer up a prayer to the shoe God and hope I can walk in them!!). If I have to use one word to describe the evening it would be DIVINE. The service was faultless and the food (presentation and taste) was absolutely delicious. We opted for the $90 three-course dinner and with the extra bits you get in between courses I'd recommend that over the seven course as I don't think you get much less. To start with they brought us canapes and foe grais. We then had a tomato foam which to say it was so light was packed with flavour. Our starters arrived next - I had tiger prawn ravioli and Marcus had sweetbreads, both we really nice. Main course next - duck for me, lobster for him. They then brought us a little bite to clear our palette before dessert. I had the bitter chocolate mouse and he had quince and catalan crème. They simply looked too good to eat - I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. The wine list was a very intimidating 16 pages long so we asked the wine waiter to bring us each a glass to match our food. What a great idea - he did a fantastic job and after he did so well with the first two we even had a dessert wine (something we'd never do at home). A fantastic evening.

Mon 14th May
Today we catch the subway to High Street and walk back to Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge. We visit St Paul's chapel and the memorial is really moving. We go passed Ground Zero and onto Trinity Church, through the financial district and down to Battery Park. We catch the Staten Island ferry past the Statue of Liberty, coming straight back over. We find a friendly place called Becketts and have a (very) late lunch.
I pack most of our stuff this evening as we are (unbelievably) going home tomorrow. Lord, I feel like we just got here!! Anyway, it seems to have been a long day today so we stay close to the apartment tonight for our drinks.

Tues 15th May
The idea of packing the majority of our stuff last night was so that we could lie in as long as possible as our flight isn't until 10pm this evening. So what a great morning not to have any hot water in the apartment. Eek!! I call reception but no-one comes before we check out so we have to "make-do" with a kettle of hot water each. Not good when it's a hot day and is going to be a long time before you see a shower again. Hey ho!
We leave our luggage at RCA and walk to Grand Central Station. It's amazing and is everything I thought it would be, it's incredible that you see something so often on TV and in movies and it really does look like that in real life. It almost brought tears to my eyes to think it was almost pulled down years ago. We stop at Juniors for a piece of cheesecake and afterwards stop at the whispering corner outside of the oyster bar. If you stand in the opposite corner to your partner you can have a conversation with each other by talking very low or even whispering - yes we tried it, it really does work. I reluctantly tear myself way from GCT and we walk to the New York Public Library - another beautiful building, what a great place to study in the reading room must be. Bryant Park is right behind the library and on this gorgeous day there is not a spare place to be had - so many people in such a small place!
Time for lunch so we walk back towards the apartment and to Stage deli. I'm a walking cliche today, yes you've guessed it I have the obligatory pastrami sandwich - OMG, it's huge and needless to say I can't eat it all.
The car service isn't picking us up until 6.30pm so we stop in Heartland Brewery for a couple of hours. Why oh why didn't I discover their berry champagne ale earlier in the trip. Damn them!!
We used Carmel limo to go back to Newark - bang on time and comfortable car. I'd use them again.

It was a fabulous trip. I don't feel like we even scratched the surface, there's still so much we didn't do. We will be back.
If you're planning a trip and have any questions, just ask.