It has been a busy couple of days and it only just occurred to me that I didn’t blog days 2-4, so prepare for a post with four days smooshed together!!

Monday 16th

On this day, I decided to lounge in my hotel room for the morning, reading a book obviously! I headed out at lunchtime and caught some lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. Some people were definitely judging me for eating alone but I had a book with me, so thinking of what other people though didn’t register that much. I wasn’t meeting the wedding party till later, so I headed to Bryant Park, where I could read my book in piece, and ended up getting stuck next to a raving lunatic who spend thirty minutes chasing a pigeon! I finished my book but I wasn’t very impressed by it – review will be up next week. Finishing my book coincided with meeting up with the wedding party and then it was off to the escape room.

The boys did alien escape room while us girls did the Egyptian one and it was hectic and chaotic and we escaped with 36 seconds to spare, coming out looking like the above.

The groom and his guests went off for dinner afterwards, and I followed the bride and her guests to an American diner for dinner. I ended up not being able to eat my veggie burger on account of the peppers and cumin, which I have intolerances to but I’d had a big lunch so it wasn’t an issue.

Tuesday 17th – Wedding Day

I didn’t bring a book with me today, but probably would have tried to sneak one in if I could. I walked from my hotel to the Rockefeller and met the other guests there. We had VIP treatment as the wedding was taking place on the top of the rock. It was sauna hot up there, blue skies and not a cloud in sight. The wedding was short, sweet and cheesy but I did feel quite emotional watching my lifelong friend get married.

From the rock, we left the bride and groom to their photos and took an Uber up to The Pond at the top end of Central Park. There, we had lunch on blankets with parasols and a game of frisbee. At 3:00pm, things drew to a close and it became ‘down time.’ Dinner was at 6:30, at Obicà where the bride and groom had rented a room for dinner. It was a lovely meal and a lovely thing to do. After the meal we headed to a rooftop bar for a cocktail before saying goodbye to each other, wishing each other pleasant flights home or continuing holidays and parted ways.

Wednesday 18th

Here’s the thing. I made it a rule on this holiday that I would walk everywhere and really it’s easy to do that n New York, but, I think perhaps I have overdone it. I woke today at 11:30, not really surprising after last nights late night, but today my muscles have seized completely and are causing me much pain. From the tops of my shoulders up to the top of my next, the muscles have knotted painfully and have made moving around difficult and agonising. I got out to whole foods, but other than that I’ve been wallowing in pain and self pity from within my hotel room.

Thursday 19th

Muscles have been easier to manage today, but inflamed kneecap has been causing more trouble. Honestly, I just wanted to be active and healthy walking everywhere and my body is punishing me! I walked from my hotel to 5th Avenue to do some shopping but didn’t find anything I liked, so I walked to Lexington Avenue and found plenty of things I liked and bought some of them too! I started to have a pretty big iron attack in one of the shops, where my shaking was confined to my left arm/hand but it was significant to draw the eye of others. I even worried one of the shop attendance but my assurances that I was fine and just needed to eat some iron enriched food didn’t seem to get through to her. I found a Pret nearby, good some food, and of course, got my book out to read while I ate.

I walked slowly back to my hotel after lunch, dipping in and out of Central Park and spent the last few afternoon hours reading a book in my hotel room. I’ll go out for some dinner in a mo but it will probably be an evening of reading once more.

I haven’t even started any of the kindle books I got for this holiday but I have read 4/10 paper books I brought with me.

Tomorrow I’m going to the art museum, a place I visited 11 years ago. I might even get some more shopping in!

Tomorrow is my last full day. On Saturday I check out of my hotel at 12 and then my flight home is at 7. I’m only going to pack two books in my carry-on on the way back because I’ll probably sleep most of the journey. It has been fun coming back to New York and seeing it through older eyes. I feel though, as if I have done it all, and I am not sure I’ll have a desire to come back.