On Wednesday we went shopping again. What a surprise! We went to Macy's which was just filled with bags, shoes, clothes, etc. US sizes seem more arbitrary to me. I fit the same size for everything in NZ, but in the US, it's rather random. 

My kind of shoes, obviously.

We then had to return some shoes we got for mom that she didn't like. We took the subway downtown. I must admit, while I didn't mind the subway the first time, by Thursday I was tired of it. It's incredibly hot and humid in the stations and the smell of urine is not uncommon. There are also not many places to hang on to when standing in the trains. The subway in Tokyo is a lot better in my opinion.

For the first time on our trip, we weren't treated to dinner, but instead we treated mom's PhD student who had come a month earlier to do all sorts of experimental work for the project. I think the restaurant was called Sushi Seki. It was honestly the best sushi I had ever eaten. The tuna was such a vivid shade of red and  tasted amazing. The other fish were good too. For dessert we went to Häagen-Dazs.

Yum!

New York is filled some some peculiar things. I didn't really notice them last time we visited.

There are lots of psychics.

Well, maybe not a lot, but compared with anywhere else, there are plenty. There is one about 5 metres from our apartment. Mom and I agreed to go there one day. I'm not entirely sure if she's joking or not. I don't even know if I'm joking!

There is a huge chain of drug stores called Duane Reade. They sell the usual over the counter medications and make-up like our pharmacies, and they have an actual pharmacy part of the store. What I find bizarre is that they sell a lot of junk food. Nothing healthy, only junk. They sell cigarettes too. I've gotten used to cigarettes being well hidden in stores in NZ, so to see them being sold so openly, especially in a place where you go to buy medication was a bit of a shock.

They had interesting ice cream though.

On Thursday (today) we went to TJ Maxx. They sell clothing, and they also have heavily discounted stuff from designer brands. While I was there I saw not one, but two(!) people who brought their dogs with them. I guess you have to be efficient if you live in New York. You have to be able to buy a Ralph Lauren shirt half price and take your dog for a walk at the same time.

I bought a ridiculous amount of goldfish crackers at the supermarket next door. There were some unusual flavours there so I'll be bringing them to school so we can all have a taste! I'm not entirely sure how I'll fit these snacks in my suitcase. I may have to put some bags in my pockets or something, I don't know.

Next up were some tourist spots.

We only went here to buy souvenirs from the gift shops.

Dad and I walked from Washington Square to East 6th Street between Ave A and B. It was quite a distance, especially because we got a little lost. We got treated to dinner again. This time it was an Argentinian restaurant I think. The steak was AMAZING! It was really so soft and so full of flavour. Even the steak that was supposed to be "tough" was far easier to chew than good steak you can get in Palmerston North. After our delicious meal, we walked all the way back to our apartment along 1st Ave. I checked the distance on Google Maps: 4.7km! Not too bad.

I actually declined an invitation to go out and experience Manhattan night life with the daughter of a family friend and their friends. Does this make me the most boring person ever?