New York Part 10

Sunday. Our last full day, which was free to do as we wished.  Jo and I caught the subway (couldn't have done it without her!) to Union Square, where there were to be markets. They didn't open until 11, so we went in search of breakfast first. There was a lovely looking diner on the corner, and the day was so nice we were happy to sit outside, but they were not at all organised, so we gave them a miss. There wasn't much else around, so Jo stopped to get a smoothie, which took so long to get made that it was then time to go to the markets! They were great, and probably three times larger than the Bryant Park ones, and Jo and I both found joy at a jewellery stall run by an Argentinian man and his Finnish wife. They are known as Kapa Designs and create truly special work, and I was very pleased to purchase this special timepiece for Matt. There were many beautiful jewellery stalls, and there was a fabulous textile jewellery stall, with some beautiful metallic crochet pieces. We also saw some lovely headpieces by avigailadam. Very beautiful pieces, but by now I was feeling pretty conscious of all the lovely purchases I had made - you simply can't have everything!

We walked through Soho and Noho, and a bit past Bleeker Street,  Jo made me go into a Steve Madden shop which was advertising a sale. As soon as I was in the door I headed straight for this one pair. I was speechless with lust, leaving it to Jo ( who by now knew my shoe size) to ask for a pair to try on. It turned out that was the last pair, in my size, 30% off - of course they would

The dodgy Canal Street

be mine!! Then it was Jo's turn - we were off to Canal Street for the faux label handbag purchasing experience. Wow. Amazing. As we crossed the road to go to a likely looking shop, we were spoken to by an Asian woman, saying what they all did  - a list of designer labels. Jo was in the market for an Hermes knock off, so we agreed to follow the woman across the street. We then ended up following her nearly three blocks, and were starting to get alarmed! We then met the 'gang', and after naming brand and colour, were told to wait 5 minutes. Well, nearly ten minutes later we were starting to get impatient, then it finally turned up in a black plastic bag. Unfortunately Jo did not have the cash on her, so we had to find an ATM, and then go through the whole process again, as they were not willing to hold on to the bag in the street.

We were due to meet the group at the hotel at three, and were running out of time, so made our way back home, where I headed off to the disposal store to get my duffle bag, and grab a slice of pizza before rugging up for the evening.

 






We had a long, fast walk to Pier 81 to finally catch the Circle Cruise, and once there headed up to the top level outside for the best view, where it quite quickly became cold - but I hung in there for the whole time!! The tour started at 4pm, and it wasn't long before sunset, so we got to enjoy the city views in both the daylight and then the twinkly stage. I never expected to be impressed by the Statue of Liberty, but she was very lovely, and I was glad to have the opportunity to see her like that. Sitting there on my own, I got a little emotional, wishing Matt was there to share it with, and feeling exciting about seeing him within 48 hours. Or thereabouts.  

 We headed towards Times Square to end our evening with a trashy American dinner, and it certainly was that! At Applebees, we had a strawberry/lime margarita, which seemed to be pure sugar syrup, and boneless wings with blue cheese sauce. Blergh. Not a patch on Ronnie's blue cheese dip! Once home I packed my bags, and looked forward to the fact that after one more sleep, I would be on my way home!