Let The Memories Begin! – Day 22
Today is Christmas Day and we are finally heading home tonight. We checked out from Distrikt Hotel, stored our luggages there and had our transport to JFK booked. The weather today is colder than yesterday with a high of -1 deg C and low of -6 deg C.
We walked to a nearby diner for breakfast before heading to Lincoln Center to watch the Big Apple Circus. Big Apple Circus, a non-profit organisation is back for its 36th season with its production ‘Luminocity’. The tent was not very big and our views were unblocked. ‘Luminocity’ celebrates the 24/7 brilliance and the hustle and bustle of Times Square. We saw jugglers, tight rope walkers, bicycle stunts, acrobats, horse tamer, dog trainer and a clown who collects audience’s cheers in a box. The finale was the human fireworks followed by a countdown. The tricks and feats performed were tremendously impressive. Although it was not as spectacular as the Cirque Du Soleil production, it was highly entertaining and exceeded our expectations.
Since we had some time to spare, we headed to Staten Island Ferry Terminal. We wanted to board the free ferry ride from Manhattan to Staten Island. The ferry ride across New York Harbour offers a wonderful view of the harbour, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Ellis Island and Wall Street’s Skyscrapers. Jarod and ZA had wanted to climb to the Statue’s crown but since we failed to get the tickets with crown access, we decided not to visit Liberty Island to avoid the security checks. We sat outside to take in the view till it turned too chilly. When we reached Staten Island, we got off the ferry and re-boarded to return to Manhattan. On our ride back, we switched sides so that we could take in all the views. The ride was relaxing and cool. Upon our return to the terminal, we bought Hot Dogs and Corn Dogs from Nathan’s for Ashley as we have not had lunch.
Our next stop was Katz Delicatessen for our last meal in New York City. Jarod and ZA had shortlisted this deli as a must-eat for this trip. This place is known to have the best pastrami sandwich in the world. It was very crowded when we reached there and we decided to have take out as we were pressed for time. Interesting to note, a scene in ‘When Harry Met Sally’ was shot at Katz. The Katz’s Pastrami did not come cheap at USD 16.95 each but it was indeed hand carved and smoked to juicy perfection. Jarod and ZA couldn’t stop raving about it on our way back to the hotel as they have sampled it at the counter.
When we got back to Distrikt Hotel, our car, a Cadillac Escalade was already awaiting. We finished our food in the cafe and bade goodbye as we made our way to JFK for our onward flight to Doha. The check in counter was long and we expected the flight to be full. Our plane took off on time and the flight time to Doha was estimated to be 11 hours 20 minutes, which was shorter compared to 13 hours on our way there. We were tired and caught some sleep.
We arrived at Doha before 7pm local time and checked into Oryx Rotana, a hotel 5 minutes away by complimentary shuttle service. We decided to stay for the night as our transit time was 12 hours. Surprisingly, the hotel was modern and nice and even had a pianist at the hotel lobby. Ashley began to miss playing on her piano. The room was comfortable with a huge bathroom. We decided not to leave the hotel and ordered in room dining.
We managed to get some sleep and left for the airport at 5am local time. Our flight back to Singapore was smooth and we touched down Changi Airport at 7.30pm. Finally it’s home sweet home as we concluded our trip. In 5 days’ time, it’s back to school, back to work, back to routine and back to reality. We are looking forward to our next holiday!
