Hi all,

Callum sure has a thing for heights yesterday he took a helicopter trip and also went up to the top of the Empire State building….more about that later.

Two days ago we took the tour bus down to the spot of 9/11, at the moment it is one large building site but we went into St Pauls church which is just meters from where the towers fell, incredibly there was no damage done to the church and it was used as a site for volunteers to help out family and firefighters in the days after it happened. There are lots of posters of missing people still in the church along with keepsakes from missing persons, its very poignant.

Then we walked over the Brooklyn bridge and stopped for a clam chowder on Pier 17 before getting the bus back into town, we got dropped of at the Wardolf Astoria just as the heavens opened and it p***ed down. We went looking for Mimi’s which Dave Harvey (a pal from the Cask) had told Edna to go to. We found it but were too early for the piano player so headed back to Grand Central station to take photo’s (our battery in the camera was duff last time we went). Then we went looking for the wee Irish bar we had been at two nights before when we came across ladder 24 fire station, we went in and started speaking to one of the firefighters who told us that his station had lost 12 men on 9/11, they have a monument in the station with the names of the men lost, it made it so real to see this.

We found the Irish bar and Edna started speaking to these two Spanish guys (I am sure Callum and Edna have ADD, Attention defecit disorder, they have to speak to everyone they see!!!!!) Anyway they couldn’t speak any English and Edna stared getting fed up trying to understand them! We then headed back to our local deli and got spagetti for tea, then to bed.

Yesterday we took a wander along the shore looking across to New Jersey and came across the helipads that do the helicopter trips, danger boy wanted to do it, so up, up and away he went, he said it was really great although a bit hairum scarum at times, not satisfied with this he also wanted to go the the top of the Empire State building, which he did while Edna and I went shopping. It took two hours to get to the top and back because of the queues!

We headed back to the room to get showered and changed as we had decided to go to Greenwich village for something to eat. The weather was lovely last night so we took a wander down there had a few beers then found a really nice restaurant and had a three course meal for 21 dollars great value and great food. One drink for the road then back to the room by midnight.

Today its raining so we don’t intend doing too much. We leave tommorrow and are heading home after 165 days away, see you all soon.

Keep blogging……for two more days!!!

Lindy and Callum xxx