On Saturday evening I arrived in New York. The flight from LA was even an hour early, so I had plenty of time to get to the terminal where Andrea arrived. I prepared a “Andrea Leb” sign, and so she could not miss me. What a cheerful reunion! That night we just got to the hotel and got to sleep.

Sunday was different. We were going to Times Square where we happened to stumble into the “Broadway on Broadway” show which is essentially a free medley concert of all Broadway shows! For the big finale they didn’t spare the effects and so this is the wonderful first impression that Andrea and me were able to get from Time Square.

Still a little bit tired of the jet lag we got to bed early, only to start exploring the city today with all our batteries fully recharged. We took the Staten Island Ferry trip for a close-up with the Statue of Liberty and wandered lower Manhatten

We also visited Ground Zero, where we were fortunate to be part of a very intimate guided tour. A married couple that has very close connections to the events of September 11th 2001 shared some historical facts as well as their personal story. Also a very emotional trip. It is amazing how they deal with it, I don’t know how I would. You can already see new buildings rise at Ground Zero!

After some late lunch / dinner we decided to visit Brooklyn Bridge, where I got this beautiful photo of Andrea, the Brooklyn Bridge and the skyline of Manhatten

Thank you New York and its people, it was a great day!

My four days visit to Los Angeles comes to an end. It was really a great idea to come here. A lot of  things have changed, and a lot have stayed the same, but my friends here are still wonderful. Christina and Kun-Huan, the couple that offered me a place to stay, were just terrific! From getting me from the airport, including  perfect hydration after the flight to checking everything with the  UCLA gang – they did a great job! Thank you so much!

The first day I would show up at UCLA. I still know so many people and seeing Ali and Reza again was really nice!

It was also great to see Darren, Stephanie and Thomas again, what a nice family they have! The burger place they chose for dinner was perfect! Next days frozen yogurt with Naomi was just as delightful.

This evening I could have a last dinner with Kun-Huan, Christina, Michael, Jim and his new girlfriend  Peggy. The curry was great and so was desert. But the best was still to come: I had talked Jim into trying geocaching and so he had prepared a cache near the restaurant and, lo and behold, I could be there when he made his very first find!

Thanks a lot to all of you!

Tomorrow I’ll be heading of to NYC where I’ll meet Andrea!