i am the annoying tourist.

we spent xmas doing very non-xmassy things this year. we walked for hours along the highline, which i had at the top of my "nyc to-do" list, and would absolutely recommend to everyone and anyone who ever comes near this city. the highline is an old disused railway above the rooftops of chelsea and the meatpacking district (two of my favourite districts of manhattan), which a couple of residents decided to turn into a beautiful park. here's the npr podcast where i first heard about the highline. i just love hearing all about how community can sometimes come together to create something for the greater good, and the highline is a perfect example of exactly that.

so, although the grasses were dry and the flowers had wilted in new york's stiff cold, the highline was still a place to see one of the most beautiful slices of new york. the birds still come to feed on apples left behind by residents, in their own special little bird oasis. and it's probably my favourite glimpses of this city so far.

i am the annoying tourist, and i am wishing you all a very merry xmas (eve).

since i last posted, the fella and i have seen wicked on broadway (totally amazing!), taken a helichopter ride over new york city, and explored some more of manhattan's many and diverse boroughs. i have eaten the iconic new york pizza (the best i have found is ray's cheese pizza... incredible!), downed many paper cups of hot chocolate, and devoured far too many pork spare ribs at a place called hill country bbq.

it is -1ºc outside and the breeze running down the streets and avenues makes it far colder. i need a good coat, scarf, beanie, gloves (conductive, so i can still use my iphone to navigate the subway!), and furry ear muffs.

new york just does xmas right. there are dressed trees and fake presents in every hotel lobby and store, and the converse store even has a tree made from silver-sprayed shoes (to match it's shoe-wreath!). with every purchase, i am wished a "happy holidays" from a shop assistant who would rather be iceskating in rockefeller centre or trimming their own trees. in fact, few staff in these stores can wait to get their feet out on the cold pavement to head home to their own xmas plans.

oh, and i officially love the shopping here. i could never live here: i'd spend every last penny at urban outfitters! though i think i'd miss fresh food and home cooking far too much to stay here longer than a couple of weeks at a stretch.

so have yourselves a merry little xmas, and happy holidays from the cold part of the world! i hope you are all having a special time of year and appreciating the time with your friends and family.

i am a tourist, and last night i enjoyed a ravishing meal at the breslin. we are currently staying at the ace hotel in new york, and it is the most amazing, hipsteriffic hotel i could have ever dreamed of. if only the laundry bag in my room (which i can purchase for the princely sum of usd$50.00) came in pink...

but back to our meal at the breslin. apparently this restaurant caters for nose-to-tail cuisine... not that i'm fond of the idea of chowing down on pig's trotters, but i suppose i could try anything once.

but for last night's dining, it was the safe option: lamb burger with thrice-cooked chips (yes chips, not fries). as the effervescent alex albrecht would say: "ah-mazing".

and the atmosphere: decidedly american. elk, cows and pigs of all known man-made materials adorn the walls and all horizontal surfaces in this place. at least i couldn't spot one that had met its end with a bullet to the head. actually, with the nose-to-tail eating here, the carcass probably wouldn't have made it long enough to be wall-mounted.

beautiful. i'll be back again.