12 August New York City

Tonight I am happy but my feet are totally exhausted!  I handed in my ticket for the excursion to Lady Liberty and Ellis Island and instead took myself off for some time wandering in the shops and exploring.  I've just had a quick count and think I walked over 50 blocks - of course the north/west blocks are shorter than cross town ones but are still blocks!  Walked from the ship to Central Park, had a pastrami on rye and coffee at a favourite deli on 8th Ave then walked back down Fifth as far as St Pat's and got a bus to 34th, Herald Square.  Spent an hour or so in Macy's, mainly just looking, and finally found a comfy chair outside the fitting rooms.  (Doubt there would have been a fitting room door big enough for me to fit through at the moment LOL).  Was able to use the wifi and take a rest at the same time.  On the way back uptown I called into some fabulous stores, fresh food ones, so much more attractive than ours with interesting produce.  I crawled back to the ship just after 4pm - George had already come back from his excursion by then.  He was pretty exhausted too, in fact if we'd had a lemon could have made a gin & tonic!!!!! But instead of sitting for too long I showered and went to the theatre as there was a special 5.30 performance by a wonderful husband  & wife team.  They are old friends of our Cruise Director and did this as a special favour and were  able to disembark just before we sailed.  They had the most beautiful voices, gosh, I think it was probably about the best act I've ever seen on a ship.  She is Michele McConnell, is currently playing Carlotta in Phantom and has just had her 2152nd performance!  He is also a singer/actor called Duane McDevitt.  They sang beautiful songs from Puccini, Phantom, Sound of Music, and South Pacific etc.  Not often you get quality performers like these two on a ship!  

So, we ate dinner later than usual tonight as George wanted to watch out for Swinburne Island on our way out of the harbour.  He did take some pics which I will post later on - Swinburne Island is where they dumped all the passengers suffering with diseases before arriving at Ellis Island!  

Sat at a table for two at dinner, most other oldies who eat at sparrows' and who would normally share a table were already there.  Anyway, was quite nice and we were next to a table of 8 of mixed ages.  Looked like three generations.  Eventually some left and the lovely young boy in his late teens showed his new Nikes to the man on his left.  They all took great interest in the shoes, and I heard him say he'd bought them in NY today.  We got talking, as you do, and turns out the old man is Don Shula, former coach of the Miami Dolphins.  Meant absolutely nothing to me but people kept coming to his table to talk and after most had gone Don's daughter came & talked to us for 10 minutes.  Told us her father and mother take the family on a cruise every year, this year is just 16 of them but usually it's 32! You just never know who you will meet.