New York New York & Viva Las Vegas

New York, New York so good they named it twice had for a long time been on my 'wish list' of places to go so when I was fortunate enough to win some flights there was no stopping us, and we coupled this with a another visit to Las Vegas. As you'll see from my other journals, we absolutely love it.

Talk about the 'City that never sleeps' - was an understatement the pace of life was way faster than I'd imagined in Manhattan -everyone seemed to be running everywhere. As we only had 3 days we really had a 'whistle stop' tour of all the major sights. We bought a 72-hr open top bus ticket which was a good investment and crammed in as much as we could. Queuing was a bit of an issue purely down to the time of year and volume of people in NY, however it didn't dampen our spirits and we saw plenty. We took the 'Staten island' ferry which goes passed the most famous sight in NY _ the lady herself Liberty which is one of those moments you've seen on TV and then feel quite humble to see first hand.

We were recommended to go out to the Meat Packers district for a bite to eat and drink, and were not disappointed. The pace here is a lot more sedate and lots of choice for bars and restaurants which are good value. We actually found one bar (quite similar in style the old 'Cheers' programme) ran by a guy from Essex which we soon felt right at home in......

Onwards then for a few days in Viva Las Vegas, stayed here at the Planet Hollywood which has a great location on the strip and has a mile (yes that's right ladies) a mile of shops. When we eventually found our way out we were staggered by how much had changed since our last trip. Hotels had 'sprang up from no-where' or so it seemed such the stunning new city centre of Aria and Vdara which were not there on our previous visit.

Other than of course the slots/tables and in our case Bingo there is SO much to do in Las Vegas and anyone who thinks it's all about gambling is not so. One treat we had on this trip was to see 'Phantom of the Opera' at the Venetian. Having not seen Phantom or even been aware of the story it was a truly magical experience. I'd read about the massive chandelier which leaps off the stage and hovers precariously over the audience but when it actually happens in the show it still takes you by surprise. The performance was fantastic -and all the special effects were done in real Las Vegas style.

I'm sure we could go back to Las Vegas time and again and still be amazed by the sheer size of the place and effort that's put into everything they do - it's like no where on earth. how many other places would you walk passed Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Bart Simpson,Mickey Mouse, Terminators, and not so much as blink????