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After a late-night and an early morning alarm set, it is safe to say that I did not sleep well.

And, after a cold shower and a very average taxi ride, it does feel like the country is rejecting us, it is time to say goodbye.

After 7 months today is the day we bid farewell to New York and the USA and make the 24-hour trip back to Perth and then Geraldton.

We arrived at the airport in plenty of time, including a little spew in the taxi by Noah as a result of the driving…

Time to kick back before our flight.

Let’s hope that there are no flight delays, I don’t think I will be able to cope with the horror on Pete’s face.

A long but great flight with NO turbulence. I am not the best flyer…

A slight issue with the kids fake magic handcuffs during the security check-in in Hong Kong.

Finally, we arrived back in Perth.

And, we were greeted with the best surprise, Aunty Chris and Tom at the airport.

What a magical Brown Family Adventure we have had.

I hope you have enjoyed the ride.

Goodbye.

Until next time…

Ready to go

Boarding

A little excited

Lucky

I not complain…

Up in the air…

Home with Family

Goodbye USA

Wow, it is hard to believe that today is the last day of our Brown Family Adventure.

In some ways, it just feels like yesterday that it was the end of February and I was boarding the plane to New York, and in other ways, it feels like years ago.

Tomorrow we will be boarding the plane from New York to return to Perth and home, Geraldton.

We have the most amazing holiday and have been fortunate to see absolutely amazing sights. We could not have had a better trip.

And, the time we have been able to spend together I will cherish forever…

Another beautiful fall day in New York. Our first stop was to drop off the last minute washing to the laundry and beg the owner to have it ready by 5 pm.

Next, a delicious breakfast where the hollandaise sauce on the eggs benedict was actually edible. A first for the USA.

Onto the subway and uptown to Harlem where we wandered more of the westside city parks (Morningside Park and St Nicholas Park). They were gorgeous and tourist fee, except a few, like ourselves…

Peter had been given the insider tip on these parks from a local at Central Park yesterday and they did not disappoint.

As we were wandering the streets and passing one of the churches (St Joseph), we could hear gospel singing and decided to stop and investigate. We were lucky enough to witness a gospel choir and church service. Not wanting to intrude for too long we stayed for a song, left an offering and kept moving.

A little more Harlem exploring and then time to jump back on the subway.

We have a Broadway show to attend this afternoon and evening, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Lyric Theatre.

It is going to be a marathon, two shows, however, I can’t wait to see it. I don’t think I can say the same for Pete, it will be interesting to see how long he lasts.

We arrived at the theatre in plenty of time for the Part One sitting. Stocked up on snacks and took our balcony seats. They were perhaps the worst seats in the whole theatre.

Although the seats were at a binocular distance, they were facing directly in front of the stage. They would not have been too bad if there was not a barrier with a wooden balustrade directly in our line of sight.

Pete was a little taller but unfortunately had a larger women sitting in front of him that he was unable to see around.

If we twisted our necks just enough we could see the stage between the balustrade and the metal pattern.

Pete lasted until the first intermission of Part One…

Wes did well and enjoyed the whole of Part One, however, he was feeling very tired. After meeting up with Pete during the 2.5-hour break between shows, he decided to go back with him.

Noah and I, the true Harry Potter fans, endured the whole epic tale and it was fabulous. The acting and special effects were brilliant and we were both glad we were able to experience the play.

What a way to end the day. A walk back to the hotel and in bed at 11 pm.

Only a few more hours before we need to get ready to board our flight home.

Route 66?

Good Morning NYC

Huge Pumkins

Breaky

Great Food

Our Boys

Dude!

LOVE NYC

Brothers

Walking the parks

Quiet Parks

Morningside Park

St Joseph

Harlem

Ready for the show…

We paid for these seats?

Times Square

Lyric Theatre

Waiting for Part 2

A lovely sleep in until 7.30 am and then a short walk to a lovely American Diner for breakfast. In fact, it is the boy’s local diner, this will be the fourth time they have eaten there.

Onto the subway and back down to the West Village to take another look at the Friends Apartment in the daylight and a lovely walk around the village.

As it was such a beautiful fall day we decided to walk along the Hudon River pathway from Pier 40 to Battery Park. It was a section of the path we had not walked before and it was lovely, although we did have to share it with the hundreds of other walkers, joggers and cyclists.

Once at Battery Park, we jumped back on the number 1 Subway and back to Colombus Circle to enjoy more of the day in Central Park.

After a little walk through the park, Pete stayed with the boys at one of the playgrounds while I jogged a lap of the park. Again, along with the hundreds of other walker, joggers, cyclists and Janet Jackson fans who were lining up on both sides of the park, waiting to enter the concert she is holding in Central Park tonight.

All back to the hotel to regroup and have a little rest. We have a lovely view of the city from our window and it is nice to just watch the world go by.

Out to dinner at Sushi Damo for a lovely Japanese meal.

Back to the hotel and time to relax before our last day in lovely New York.

A lovely, lovely day.

Breakfast

Horse and Carriage

Chilling

Subways

Trains

Tourists!

NYC Apartments

Friends Apartment

Friends Apartment

Friends Obsessed

River Walks

Hanging with the locals

NYC Marina

This boat is ok…

Brothers

Look out there…

A Beautiful Day

The Lady

Cute Statues

Our Wessy

Prisms

Back on the subway

Central Park

Lift?

My running track

Our View

NYC Transportation

Dinner

Janet Jackson Fans

Another restless sleep. Stop it anxiety!

Even with the wet weather, and an extra sleep in, I was still early for the forum. It’s the Matheson curse.

Another 7.30 am enjoyable workshop.

Only a half a day of presentations today. More time to soak up the New York working life.

By 1 pm the forum had finished and I wandered a couple of blocks back to the hotel.

Time to catch up on emails while Pete and Wes went for a lovely walk to Times Square.

Freshen up, relax and ready for a casual dinner at Old John’s Luncheonette, a local restaurant close to the hotel.

We ended the day with a lovely after dinner evening walk through the city streets.

Gotta love New York!

NY Taxis Cabs

After Dinner Walks

Beautiful Churches

Memorials

Exploring

Dinner Drawings

The Boys at Breakfast

Old John’s

Masterpiece?

Noah at Dinner

The Boys

A restless night sleep, I may have been a tad nervous about the Skift Global Forum and sleeping through the alarm.

I was out the door by 6.45 am, ready for my breakfast workshop and once again one of the first to arrive. A quick walk into Central Park to bide some time while watching the runners and cyclists, a perfect start to the morning.

My day was spent in and out of presentations and workshops and it felt wonderful. It was nice to pretend to be back in the corporate world.

The boys spent the day at the spy museum and soaking up the New York life.

By 4 pm I had finished seeing the presentations for the day and it was time to rejoin the boys.

Tonight we are meeting an old work colleague of Pete’s and his partner for dinner.

Onto the subway and into Lower Manhattan to meet Ty and his girlfriend Krystal. We enjoyed a delicious Ramen Noodle meal at Ippudo with wonderful company.

A lovely walk into the East Village after dinner which included, to my delight, a stop outside Carrie’s Sex and the City Brownstone and the Friends apartment.

Time to say our goodbyes to friendly faces and then back on the subway to our hotel.

What a magical New York day.

Good Morning NYC

Runners and Cyclists

Central Park

Ippudo

Dinner

Friends Building

Wesley as Joey

Carrie’s Brownstone

Joey’s Theatre

West Village

An easy start to the morning with breakfast at the hotel.

Then it was time to pack our bags ready to move hotels, to the Empire Hotel, Upper West Side.

The Hotel is walking distance to the Skift Global Forum (Travel) venues, where I will be attending on Thursday and Friday.

Into an Uber and through the heavy traffic. The UN General Assembly is also meeting this week which means road closures and even heavier traffic.

We soon arrived at the hotel, however, far too early for check-in. A recce past the venues I will attend at the forum and then time for lunch.

After purchasing rolls we crossed the street and ate them in the beautiful Central Park, where the boys could also have a much anticipated and deserved play.

Another follow up on my business cards, which they managed to find and then Pete took the Subway to collect the cards, while we waited in the hotel lobby.

Our room was ready at the 3pm check-in time and not a moment before.

A little rest and freshen up before I went to the Skift Global Forum’s opening dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Pete and the boys went to dinner.

Central Park

Ready to play…

Playgrounds

Waiting in the lobby

Mandarin Oriental

As forecast, we woke to wet, wet weather. Not that this is a problem for New Yorkers, they just get on with their day, umbrella in tow.

Wet weather for us little Aussies means stay indoors.

Pete and Wes went for an early breakfast at the hotel cafe.

I waited for Noah to wake from a little sleep in and then Noah and I went down to the cafe for breakfast.

A lovely run at the hotel gym, which I had all to myself.

Lunch across the road at Subway between showers.

The afternoon was spent hanging indoors in the hotel room. Thank goodness for the balcony where we can still watch the world go by…

A very average dinner down the street at an Italian Restaurant, where they need to take their ‘speciality lasagne’ off the menu.

A Wet Day

Rain go away…

Treadmill Runnig

Gym all to myself

Finally Outside…

Dinner

After resting our weary legs overnight we (I) were ready to get them back on the New York City Streets.

Plus, the weather forecast for tomorrow is wet, wet, wet. We best make the most of the lovely fall day.

Our day began with a walk downtown to the Financial District. A reflection at the 9/11 Memorials and then onto the One World Observatory (One World Trade Center). We ummed and erred at whether we should join the queue. In the end, we decided that we should tick it off the sightseeing list and joined the line.

We queued in a line to wait to enter the building to buy a ticket, we queued in a line to purchase the tickets, we queued in a line to re-enter the building once we had purchased the tickets, we queued in a line to go through security and we queued in a line to enter the elevators.

Finally, we were in the elevator and riding up 102 floors. The 360-degree view was lovely, however, all behind the glass windows. I like how the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) has an observation level outside.

Back down and lunch surrounded by the World Trade Center buildings.

Next, a lovely long walk uptown towards Chelsea, through Greenwich and along the Hudson River.

A short break to enjoy the sun and for Noah and Wes to have a play in the park.

We poked our head into the Chelsea Markets and then up to the High Line for a short wander and ice-cream.

It was now mid-afternoon and our legs were tiring.

Onto the subway and time to return to the hotel.

Out for dinner around the corner, past a protest, at the Farmhouse Restaurant.

Another enjoyable New York day.

Good Morning

Ready to start the day

Our Neighbourhood

Cheese…

Little Italy and Pasta

NYC Carpark

World Trade Center

Financial District

A splash of colour

Reflection

Amazing Architecture

One World Observatory

Tourists

Beautiful Views

The Real Legoland

Lunch

One World Tower

Ready to go

Greenwich Village

Walking the Hudson Westside

Having Fun

Hudson Parks

A little rest..

Chelsea High Line

NYC Streets

More Walking

We have had enough

Walking, walking…

Home Time

Subway

Dinner

When I made the statement that we could not hear the traffic from our room I think I was a little premature.

Once the lights were out and the curtains were drawn, the buzz of the traffic, the beeps of the horns and the sirens of the emergency vehicles did filter through loud and clear. Oh well, welcome to New York.

A light early breakfast across the street at Starbucks and then back to the hotel to prepare for the day and get out on the town.

We walked downtown until we came to the Brooklyn Bridge entry, a beautiful morning walk across the bridge before the heavy crowds and then a lovely explore of the Brooklyn foreshore.

A walk to the subway and then the train to 34th Street. Pete and Noah went to explore the B&H electrical store while Wes and I went to Zara to exchange a purchase from yesterday. We also managed to do a bit more retail therapy along the way…

Time to meet up with Pete and Noah, a light lunch at the marketplace around the corner from B&H and then onto the Lego Store on 5th Avenue. Just a look today, maybe a buy in a few days.

Walk, walk, walk…

More walking past the Flatiron building to the 23rd street subway and then off at Canal Street.

Through Little Italy and China down until we finally reached our hotel, The Allen Hotel.

By now our little footsies were aching and needed a rest.

Time to relax in the room.

A small ride on the exercise bike for me at the hotel gym.

Another trip out for the boys to look at Lego.

A simple Subway roll for dinner and then the evening spent on the balcony and relaxing in the room.

Breakfast, Starbucks

Walking

Under Bridges

Quiet streets, for now

Brooklyn Bridge

Beautiful Bridges

Browns do Brooklyn Bridge

Across to Manhattan

Brooklyn

In Two Burrows

I forgot my wedding dress…

Brothers

Father and Son

More Browns

Flatiron Building

Lego Shop

It was nice to have a long hot shower.

I had forgotten about Pete’s snoring…

We were all awake and ready to start the day by 6 am. Admittedly, we were all tucked up in bed by 7.30 pm.

Down to breakfast at 6.30 am and then I had another lovely run on the treadmill. It was nice to run without the threat of being followed by a bear or a white van…

Back to the room to get organised and ready to get back to Manhattan, this time the Allen Hotel in Lower Manhattan.

At about 10.30 am we jumped in an Uber and we were ready to go.

The drive was lovely, from New Jersey into Staten Island, New York, across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (I had only crossed this bridge on foot during the New York Marathon) into Brooklyn and across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan.

As our room was not available on our arrival at the hotel we stored the bags and were eager to get out and explore. Down to Little Italy and the San Gennaro Feast, the city’s longest running and largest street festival running for 11 days from Sept 13 – Sept 23. It is now into its 92nd year and we enjoyed lunch purchased at a few of the food stalls.

Onto Broadway in Soho and time to do some retail therapy. New sneakers for Wes, Pete and I and maybe a little stop at Zara…

Back to the hotel where our room was ready to settle in. The room is small but enough for us and it has a lovely balcony, which is very unusual for New York.

Plus, we can not hear the traffic, bonus.

Showers, freshen ups and ready to get back out on the town.

Back through China Town and Little Italy and then a lovely Italian dinner at a cozy restaurant I did not get the name off. It was out of the hustle and bustle of the festival which was just too busy for me.

We returned to the hotel and spent the remainder of the evening on the balcony watching the New York City world go by.

Finally, a hotel room

Relaxing in the room

Waiting for an Uber

Out and About Manhattan

Our balcony

Room With A View

More Exploring

Off to dinner

China Town

You want Handbag? Watch?

This place is OK

San Gennaro Feast

Dinner

Places to sit

Rustic Italian Restaurant

The Allen Hotel

Savage!

Watching NYC go by…

Hotel just reminds me of this…