Day 1 - We're Here!!!!

Day 1 of Big Trip USA: We’re Here!!!!
The day started with a 7am departure from home to Terminal 5 at Heathrow. It was our first time at T5 and we were interested to see if it lived up to the hype. Well it did. The lines were quick and efficiently run. The building is very nice too. Because of the higher terror threat to the US at the moment we had to go through a second search at the gate which meant a 90 minute delay to departure.
The flight was fairly uneventful apart from a dodgy looking guy and condensation dripping on me during landing...
On the approach to JFK, as far as the eye could see everything was covered in snow. All the houses, fields – it was beautiful!
Lines weren’t too bad at JFK – we were outta there at 4.15pm and into a yellow taxi. From this point, the driver started talking and didn’t stop. He was a Russian-New Yorker, with a very unusual accent, and was very insistent that we go shopping today not tomorrow. We also got a good dose of marriage advice.
As the NY Skyline came into view, it really hit us – WE’RE HERE!

We chilled and got ready at the hotel until 7.30pm and then went to brave the crowds and get to Times Square. We had a specific entry point but we were on 8th and needed to be on 6th but all the streets from 33rd to 59th were blocked off by police. So we had to get a cab up 9 blocks, across 2 blocks and then down 11 blocks – just to get to the entry point that shouldv’e been a 15 min walk!

Here’s a summary of our $250pp experience at the Olive Garden
Great location – wow – just behind the stage and with view of the famous new years eve ‘ball’.
Food, very average – a 6 option buffet
Drinks – very generous spirit servings – huge ameretto
Great service
Friendly people inside – Jerry from Texas and Daphne and Dana from Conneticut and Orlando
At 11.30pm, cops let us out of the restaurant and on to the street – with a direct view of the ball drop and next to people that had been in the rain and sleet for over 6 hours in a pen.
Saw J LO perform.
Great NYPD – cheerful, friendly but firm.
Walked back in only 15 minutes . In bed by 12.30!