New York, New York

We managed to clear everything out of the house (we did have to buy an extra suitcase at the last minute to accommodate it all) and left in such a hurry we didn't really have time to be upset.
Our flight from Long Beach to New York (with JetBlue) went great. Steve and I snoozed for most of the way and Beth played in her seat and pulled faces at everyone around us!

The hotel is pretty good (Hotel Metro - www.hotelmetronyc.com). We got a family suite so luckily Beth has her own room. It's right next to the Empire State Building - we can see it from our window (see picture to the left).

We went up to the observation deck this morning at 8:30 before it got busy. It was pretty impressive but difficult to really appreciate since it was so blooming cold. After that we went and bought gloves, hats and scarves!!
We then wrapped ourselves up and walked up to Central Park and to the American Museum of Natural History. It was a lovely walk and the museum was good. Beth had a blast running around looking at the stuffed animals, bones and other stuff. Of course she most enjoyed climbing on anything that could be climbed on! Auntie Jane best be ready for when we get back to England - I think she's the only one ready to challenge her!!

On the way back to the hotel we ate at a typical NY deli - huge sandwiches with far too much on them. Beth had a triple decker jam sandwich that she managed to scoff pretty efficiently. :) We also wandered through Times Square avoiding the manic taxi drivers.

This evening we managed to make it to the pizza place next door for a proper NY style slice. It's probably a good job we have both a pregnancy and Beth as an excuse not to go out to clubs/bars as we're both so tired we'd put you all to shame!! A nice cuppa and the luxury of tv (after surviving an entire week without . . .) is the perfect end to the day.