No not a gigantic iPad but New York, the place that never sleeps.  We were joined by a friend of Audrey's whom she meet in new Caledonia, Sophie, who like us was making her first trip to NY.  Because NY has such a grand history and is arguably the Capital of the World and is in that many movies and TV series and is the home to every Superhero and Supervillain, it is almost like you know it before you get there.  I mean you have seen everything already, numerous time that the images are burned into you brain but even still to be in amongst it all is a sensory explosion.  First thing, New York is expensive.  Very.  To get the most out of it you need to be a little smart.  Once again the City Card is a great way to save some money if you want to visit Museums, Tours, Walks, and alike the whole time you are there, something that we like to do.  Having said that there is so much to see and do that is free that you could easily enjoy yourself without going into anything.  Also don't eat at restaurants like Wendy's, Shake Shack or McDonald's as the prices suck.  It there suck here then never go into anything else.  Instead go to a place in Harlem or the East Village to for something normal.
So where do you go first?  The choices are varied: the Statue of Liberty, the top of a Skyscraper or Central Park are probably the most obvious.  Hmmm.  We decided just to walk in the streets, getting out of the subway near 5th and 59th (the South-East corner of Central Park) and then heading back south.  The Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center, The Empire State Building, some new massive residential building and One World Trade Center stand out like dog's balls, which is a hard thing to do when there is so many skyscrapers around.  As we walked we came across the Rockefeller Center and decided to head to the top.  Wow what view, the typical NY skyline that is seen by hundreds and thousands and Millions.  I have been to Hong Kong and have always thought that that was the best Skyline in the world but this has to surely rival it.  To look north and then down at Central park with all the super, super, super expensive residential housing along either side, to spin around to see the iconic shaped Empire State Building and the new One World Trade Center behind it and then off to the left, the Lady herself, you could stay up here and wistfully dream forever, if it wasn't bitterly cold.
We had 10 days in New York in total and they basically went like this.  Wake whenever but usually around 8 am, then look at what we are going to do.  Take subway to place of interest and look around.  Somehow, doesn't matter where we were, end up in Time's Square and gawk at the lights, realize where we are and then leave for next item on the to-do list.  Somehow arrive at Time's Square again this time a night (anytime after 16H30) and wonder if there is some sort of wormhole that just drops everyone here.  Then head back home.  We got to see a lot of places at least once but we saw Time's Square about 10 times.  Personally I felt like a Mossy that was drawn to the lights without realizing until it's too late.
We went over to Brooklyn a couple of times and I can tell you it is a completely different feel to Manhattan, you could say that it is a more realistic city, one similar to every other City in the world.  One of our trips was to catch a game of Ice Hockey, a game between the New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers.  Ice Hockey is a game that although I have watched previously is something that I find hard to understand.  To me it seem like 5 guys just skate around and move a puck between them without any rhyme or reason, it seem very chaotic to me.  Except the fights, I understand that and when I fight does start that is when the crowd goes nuts, everyone including the 8 year old girl in front of us starts screaming.  It is actually one of the things that think AFL should introduce.  Let the players get some frustration out and only stop it when one starts to 'win'.  In Ice Hockey the ref just stand nearby and watches and only step in when necessary.  All the other players take a breather which led Audrey to suggest that it was a tactic to slow down the game.  Without any prior knowledge of who to support or even who the stars are, we were neutral but leaning towards the Islanders which took the game with a soccer scoreline of 3 - 1.  Comparing the 2 sports we saw I lean towards the Basketball as I am more familiar with it a follow it more while Audrey really enjoyed the chaos and skill of the skaters.
We chose a bright and warmish day to go the Liberty and Ellis Islands and visit 2 great monuments to Liberty, Friendship and Hope.  Each had a meaning that is only means something to each individual so I wont suggest anything for anyone else but only my own thoughts.  And what the Statue means to people has probably changed over time.  First it was the first step of success, a successful journey across a vast ocean, second is hope, hope that you can make a better life here than from where you came from and third is freedom, freedom to do what you want in a new environment.  Sadly a lot of those dreams were not attained for the early immigrants who stayed in New York.  Exploitation was rife in the late 1800's with cheap labor, gangs where aplenty within neighborhoods and housing was horrendous.  The really brave one took up offers to settle land way to the west where it was still wild.  But anything must have been better than back home where for instance over 25% of the population in Ireland died due to a potato famine and religious persecution was everywhere in Norway.  To see the Lady would have been a sight that few can comprehend these days because it meant a new life.  Today it would probably mean being sent back from where ever you came.  Ellis Island is also a great place to go to read up on some real stories from the days gone.  It looks and feel a bit like an Insane Asylum and could very well been used as a back drop to some horror movie but I'm sure would have been a good to be there during the decades that it operated, unless of course you got turned around and sent back.
The City that Never Sleeps is a correct term for NY.  Coming from Adelaide where shops close at 5, if not earlier, its a little bit of a shock to find places open till 10, even some that never shut.  The lights are never off and light up the sky and clouds to give even the very of amateurs photographers that magnificent shot.  I felt like a Pro behind the camera every time I looked up and took a snap although when I reviewed said snaps I had to delete 90% of them.  Just goes to show that I'm no photographer ...
New York is just huge with so much to see and do that 10 days only skims the surface.  The Brooklyn Bridge, The Natural History Museum, Central Park, the Bronze Bull in Lower Manhattan, Empire State Building, Grand Central, did I mention Times Square, yes you can visit the must sees and never have to return but just like Times Square, I think the big bight lights will draw us back one day where we might be able see some of the stuff we missed.  Bye USA and hello Mexico.