2 APRIL - NEW YORK

Side of NY Building

Katz & Uri

We are a bit jet lagged and still on Costa Rican time and sleep late. Callie runs over to Uri to collect our suitcases with winter clothes (which Uri had to carry up and down 4 stories!). We drop our laundry off and then meet up with Uri who takes us all the way down town to have brunch at the famous Katz Deli. What an experience - this deli has been there for more than a 100 years and is famous for pastrami/beef rye sandwiches. You get a ticket when you enter and then have to line up for a cutter, who makes the sandwich. Callie and Uri is brave and order one of the famous sandwiches - which is massive! Luc is happy with his French fries and soup! Monique orders two massive german sausages - oily but great! By the way this is also the restaurant where When “Harry met Sally” was filmed.

We stroll back via Soho and Little Italy towards Wall Street and end up right in China town - and at Monique’s favourite bakery - without planning it! Uri is now the hero and we all indulge in a pastry. It is running very late and we need to get Luc to sleep before the long evening ahead. It is just amazing how quickly the time flies when you are having a great time! We take the underground back to the hotel. Luc refuses to sleep but finally succumbs.

We are in Time Square just after 7:30 and immediately join the line for Mary Poppins. We are in the cheap seats, right at the top balcony with the stage just about straight down from us. Luc is terrified walking down to our seats. In the end it turned up to be great seats - Mary Poppins flew right us to us! Luc loves the show and it is really spectacular. We are seated next to a bunch of high school kids who had to come and see the show - so funny to see that half of them where sleeping, whilst we are so keen to see the show.

The show lasts much longer than what we thought and we are only done at 10:45. We have to meet Uri and Liz who has just flown into NY at a Indian Restaurant. Uri tells us that the kitchen closes at 11 and we have 15 minutes to get there. This create great stress in the Strydom household. We grab the downtown train, then were not sure where to get off, and then the train stops one stop from our destination and we have to get off. In the end we get a taxi and finally arrive at the restaurant. It is only us and we are very happy to see Liz. She looks great! Skinny and gorgeous! And, as always, she has lots of gifts for the Africans. We only have one night with Liz and she is on her way to Saracruz, where her father-in-law is critically ill.

The food (and company!) is fab! After dinner we stop for hot chocolate and rum and then take a taxi home. We finally get into bed after 2!