A trip to New York can be one of the most exciting times of your life.  There’s something here for everyone, and something that will appeal to guests of all ages.  New York has a broad and wide range of attractions, from zoos to museums to amusement parks, that will keep everyone smiling.  It also has some of the best shopping in the world, where you can pick up some of the latest fashions, and watch the amazing throngs of people.  It’s always stunning to see the rich display of cultures and personalities in the streets of New York City.  There are also magnificent restaurants, which create and set the international standards for fine dining, but also economical places that serve authentic foods of all types.  If you can’t find it in New York, it probably isn’t anywhere.  There’s everything in New York.  Hotels included.

New York almost invented the tradition of hospitality, or at least, it borrowed the best from everywhere else and made it its own.  There is an elegance and an energy to the lodgings that suits the city.  They feel cosmopolitan, and they also offer a splendid rest from the time in the big city, so you can wake up and have a new adventure the next day.  You’ve no doubt heard about New York style pizza, and probably had it a dozen times, but when you’re here, you might enjoy spending some time looking for the best slice in town.  You’ll meet a lot of interesting people with some very sincere, if not downright fanatical, opinions.  You may have heard that New Yorkers have opinions.

It’s important to remember a few things about New York style pizza so you can sound like a local, or at least sound like you’re trying.  New York pizza is thin.  The crust is characteristically thin, less than 1/4 inch thick, and should also have bubbles from the cooking process.  The style is as close to Naples as any pizza in the country.  If you really want to look like you know what you’re doing, fold it in half and eat it while you’re walking, just like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.  It’s how they still do it here, and how it’s done in Italy.  Real buffalo mozzarella should be in the ingredients, but until you get used to the city, don’t ask, because it could cause an outrage from the owner, who prides herself or himself on using only the right everything.  You get the idea.  There are lots of lists of best pizza in the city, so check out the ones you trust, and eat where it looks interesting.

This morning my blistered finger looks like it belongs in a B-Horror flick. I decided to puts some plaster around it, basically to hide it. The rest of the morning didn’t go too well either. I found that there were no trams leaving before 7am. So, I had to walk down to the pick-up point for my day excursion trip to the Great Ocean Road. At least one of the five star hotels in Melbourne where I was staying at the moment wasn’t too far, only about 3 miles. But, this still made me grumble about having to resort to a tour option, I’d much rather have my own set of wheels, but budget restraints stop me from hiring my own transportation.

The bus driver appeared to be a very happy guy, especially for being so early in the morning and as he explained to us, just getting back to work after having an operation for skin cancer. As we stepped into the bus he made sure we all had plenty of sun block on us, if we didn’t he handed us a bottle!

I managed to scored the front passenger seat of the mini-bus, so things were starting to look brighter for me this morning. But, then the bus driver put on ‘It’s a Beautiful Day’ music to match the scenery and then he followed it up with ‘Heading West’. Our first stop was at the famous Bell’s Beach, known to be a top surfing place and the water being almost mirror like calm. There was a haze hanging over us due to the recent bush fires in northern Victoria, and of course the music playing was ‘Burn Baby Burn’ and the haze obscured any views. I could barely pick out the lighthouse.

On another stop, Lorne, some kind of Triathlon was taking place. I got off and got a drink and noticed how most of the sea was blanketed with kayaks. It kind of reminded me of a cartoon, where the character could cross the water just by walking on a string of boats. The stop was short, and we continued on, now listening to ‘Winding Road’ and yes, we were on a very winding road. We then stopped at an area known for Koala bear sighting, and yes the music playing was ‘Don’t Call Me a Koala Bear’.

With all its cringe worthy music and despite the fact of the combined age of most of the rest on the bus, which was greater than the age of Australia, I couldn’t help but notice that I enjoyed the trip!