Brunch and Shopping - It's What Sundays Are For Apparently

It took years for England to offer Sunday shopping, most of it around Christmas, and in very limited ways at first. Now we think we are doing well if we can find Asda still open at 4pm - not so in New York. The shops open at 9.30am and remain open until 7pm. the streets are as busy, if not more so with tourists and locals all looking and shopping.

The day started with brunch at 'Nolita House', an unassuming bar come restaurant, in the 'Nolita', or North of Little Italy District' with my big sister. A complimentary Mimosa cocktail, followed by a steak sandwich and salad. Live bluegrass music in the bar kept the place buzzing, as patrons tucked into green eggs and ham, eggs Benedict, shrimps and grits, French toast etc etc. (By the way French toast here isn't French Toast here, it's bread and butter pudding.)

While waiting to be served my attention was drawn to a framed notice. 'In case of Choking' and detailed the correct procedure. I'm not sure I really want to see that on a restaurant wall, it doesn't really give me the right message, especially when I read on and it says. "If the person has stopped breathing, cannot talk or appears distressed, ask them if they are choking." Pardon me but if they have stopped breathing, can't talk and are generally distressed and going blue around the mouth they are hardly likely to answer. I ponder if an inadvertent or perhaps premature Heimlich manoeuvre has ever been used as a pick-up technique in New York? Then as I pondered that thought my eye was drawn to a notice chalked on another wall - "Bottled beers available", and there top of the list 'Newcastle Brown Ale'. Talk about six degrees of separation - spooky or what.

We leave and walk onto Broadway and work our way down to the tip of the island, calling at various shops on the way, 'bling emporiums' run by the brothers, who rap as they wrap. More jeans stores than branches of Mcdonalds, enough shoe shops to keep even Imelda Marcos happy, and some truly mad, bad and downright wacky ones to boot.

Did I purchase? Yes I did, my outfit for the pride parade next Saturday. My guess is that there are only two places on earth where I won't look out of place or different 1) New York Pride & 2) The Bigg Market in Newcastle on any Friday night. I won't spoil the surprise, just tune in next Saturday for photos, but make sure you have the Tena Ladies handy.

Off for a manicure now...................laters xx

Shopping In The Rain - Tacky, Crass and Oh What Fun

I woke at my usual early hour around 6am, and before the daily thought of 'what shall we do today', could fully form, I heard the unmistakable sound of heavy rain on the window. I got up just to make sure, but there was doubting the stair rods, nor the fact they had been going at it for some time. A cup of coffee and about an hour editing photos, then I decided to go back to bed for an hour, maybe the weather would change.

I woke up 3 hours later, and the weather had changed..........and not for the better. It looked more like a late afternoon in November than mid morning in June. So not the sort of day for walking and discovering. Eventually I decided to take the shopping plunge - Macy's, the Worlds largest store. I took my passport and went to the visitors centre to get my 11% discount card, but after 20 mins of shopping I'd had enough really. The Louis Vuitton was making me nauseous, the perfumes making me sneeze, and the hoards of tourists hiding from the weather were just too much - haha.

K-Mart, Old Navy and H&M followed and I could feel my reasons for living draining away, much to my nieces amusement. However, we stumbled upon the tackiest series of gift shops - crass, cheap, nasty, bemusingly ugly items, that would not have even been welcome as a bingo prize in Blackpool after 20pints of Watney's - and yet people bought them by the bag full. Oh it was great fun. Did I buy any tacky, crass presents - wait till you see me - haha.