16
to win the big prizes at the arcades,
Day 25 - Baseball, New York
fire station, tried on some of the gear,
a giant Jamaican banana (though, it
to America must do, it's go to the
got to sit in their trucks. A lucky few
including a UCLA college jacket and was so big it would have needed its
own seat on the plane so we decided
to leave it behind). According to some tourists, the most important thing to
do in Jersey was get a henna tattoo. So most of us did! Sorry Mum... Day 22 - New York City
This was a major highlight with the beautifully-lit Times Square, a bike ride through Central Park and a
visit to Madagascar Zoo in Central Park! We also had the pleasure of
experiencing Broadway, which was an
amazing night. We saw Brooke Shields staring in the Addams family, and
what an amazing musical that was... very funny.
If our bags weren't already full,
If there is one thing that every tourist baseball. We almost lost our way to
the stadium as our bus driver couldn't find the right roads and the GPS had decided that it would rather us visit an old lady who had just returned from her grocery shopping. After
reluctantly asking directions from our shopping lady friend we arrived at
the stadium. We entered in VIP style,
receiving customary bobble-head dolls
which can weigh up to 60 pounds, and had a fun time 'cleaning' one of the
fire fighter's cars with the hoses they use and boy, do they pack a punch
full of water! After one of the best
meals we had on the whole trip, which just happened to be a good old BBQ, we played some hoops with some
of the fighters. It was a day I won't forget in a hurry.
and lanyards in which to hold our
Last Day - San Francisco
the field to watch the Cardinals warm
San Francisco, a very cool place
precious tickets before being invited on up. Baseball is very different to AFL,
in that the sport itself isn't the fun bit, the commentators and voiceovers are,
particularly when the 'kiss-cam' comes
up on an elderly couple! We were there to support the Mets and we did so in
The final stop on the trip was
indeed. A highlight for many was
swimming with dolphins in the Six
Flags Discovery Kingdom and enjoying the natural beauty San Fran has to
offer, including Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square.
they were exploding now. After all the shopping at Macy's we visited
Serendipity where we had the famous
frozen hot chocolate... before dinner! And there was one extra seat at each table which left us confused... until
Hamish and Andy rocked up! We all
got on so well, telling jokes, listening to stories and laughing 'til we cried. Day 23 - Phantom of the Opera, New York
Phantom of the Opera, the longest
running show in Broadway history,
is a must-see when in New York, and when else to do it than on a Trip of a Lifetime? For many of us, it was
our first time on Broadway. The show was one of the most moving and
spectacular shows I have ever seen in my life. The cast, band and sets were
good old Aussie spirit by giving all the
The steep hills and the beautiful
of some of the actors was just mind
thought suited them better. Having
were also amazing sights to see.
just stunning and the vocal power
blowing. But where do you begin to
describe one of the most renowned musicals of all time? The amazing
atmosphere, the feeling you get when
the actress playing Christine hits that
super high note, or the moment you're
players and umpires names which we been given personalised baseball
jerseys with our choice of name and number we returned back to another stunning hotel, slightly quicker than our trip there.
so blown away you just sit back in
Day 26 - Fire Department, New York
has to be the latter!
experience of meeting with some
your seat unable to speak? I believe it
While in New York we also had the of the most legendary servicemen
the world has known from the Fire
Department of New York (FDNY). These were the guys who helped fight the
blazes of 9-11. We met them at their
Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco After a fun ride around the city on an open double-decker bus, we had lunch and mocktails at the Hard
Rock CafĂŠ. We went for a ferry boat ride past the Alcatraz which looked really interesting and was crawling with ancient crimes and artefacts.
There was also some time in San Fran to do a quick spot of shopping and
pampering before the big flight home.
Wow, there is no other way to describe our journey around America.
It was nothing less than 'the trip of a lifetime.'