Slowing Down

After a late, but exciting night watching the New York Knicks get beaten by the Dallas Mavericks by 20 points, we enjoyed a BIG sleep-in. Madison Square Gardens is a great venue with comfortable seating and although high, our seats were fantastic. I enjoy Basketball, especially a game played at a high level; however, the Knicks were clearly having a bad night. Within 3 mins they were down 13 points and found it difficult to come back all night. At times, I am sure Michael Jordan (who was sitting next to me) could have played better at least kept possession or even shot with greater accuracy. At least we left with a free Knicks shirt and some great memories.

This morning was a slow and steady start. However, I dreamt of the exceptional meal we enjoyed last night cooked by George. Finally a steak with a spicy sausage and salad.....a meal that required a knife!!! When ready, we wandered to the Chelsea Markets (a 20min walk), which is an indoor marketplace. Again, another amazing place where Peter and I finally enjoyed a Flat White !!! Yes, the small coffee place apparently has a number of Australian customers and knows how to texture milk ..... Yay!!

We discovered at the markets that Nanna Lyn and Clarissa Galvano could make an absolute fortune. Two shops were highly intriguing, the cupcake shop and the fudge shop. In the cupcake shop, there were packets of shortbread shaped biscuits that had been ..... wait for it ..... 'Hand-iced" and even sprinkled with coloured sugar selling for $35 to $60. And these were not packets of 50 biscuits either; these

were packets of only 5 to 6 biscuits!!!! While at the Galvano's house Miranda and Hayley had hand-iced Christmas biscuits which looked very similar to the ones In this shop. Next door, in the fudge shop they were selling packets of 6 pieces of fudge for $25 and I don't think they were even iced. It's incredible to think that all of these years we have been spoilt by Nanna Lyn's cooking when she could have been making a fortune overseas.

Further wandering through the markets and we uncovered many food shops/restaurants, bakeries and a seafood market. This market had a number of fresh seafood to purchase, but also allowed customers the opportunity to eat fresh sushi and full lobster for $20. Had we had more time, I am sure Peter and I would have sat and eaten the same. However, happy with our coffee and the expedition through original artworks, we had a quick trip back to the hotel for a quick change, a bite to eat and then off to The Schubert Theatre to watch Matilda.

How does an 8 or 9-year-old have the talent and connections to perform on Broadway?? Well, who knows but there is clearly an abundance of children who get to do so. The young girl who played Matilda today (Eliza Holland Madore) was simply talented, and I assume the other three girls who are cast as Matilda are just as equally as talented. There were eight additional children's roles who were a little older, while the remaining cast were adults. Hayley's favourite was Mrs Trunchbowl (the nasty Principal of the School) who was played by a man, which she found very amusing. Again, the staging was highly engaging and involved, with hidden trap doors, the use of puppetry and even large swings.

The Schubert Theatre was much more intimate than The Minskoff Theatre, and again our seating was brilliant. This time, rather than being on the Balcony, we sat in the orchestra which is a theatre so

intimate felt like being in the first few rows. The actors would use the aisles frequently which excited both Miranda and Hayley. This was yet another fantastic experience for all of us

As the sun sets quite early, when we exited the theatre at 4.30 it was dark, so it was a stroll back to the hotel for dinner. On our way, we found a small deli/corner shop and purchased some smoked cheese, biscuits, salami and ice creams. As usual, George cooked an amazing dinner, in fact, two separate dinners tonight, fresh salmon pasta for the girls and pork chops and salad for us. Tomorrow, another ride on the subway to get to Battery Park in order to catch the ferry across to Ellis Island to see Lady Liberty.

Sorry about the lack of photos, no time to stop and the Hotel lobby's wifi is quite slow.