In the trailer Lily (Charlotte’s daughter) asks “Like in Jasmine and Aladdin?” to which Carrie replies “Yes sweetie, but with cocktails” and that is exactly what SATC2 is. A fairytale. Disney for adults. And it always has been. The criticism that it’s misplaced decadence in a time of frugality misses the point. For most of us Sex and the City has always been like window shopping, looking at all the things we can never hope to afford, recession or no recession. The first shot of Carrie’s gorgeous gold glitter Louboutin’s received an intake of breath and a sense of longing. Let’s face it, until she married Big even Carrie’s wardrobe and credit card abuse was enough to leave her bankrupt before the end of the first series. Unlike her three co-stars with believably affluent jobs and/or lives, as a newspaper columnist she wasn’t earning enough to keep herself in the manner to which she was accustomed.

SATC has never lived in reality. This sequel may not have had quite the heart wrenching scenes of the first one, but there was comedy. And, for some, echoes of reality — with amazing and sometimes “interesting” outfits. The women might now be in their forties and fifties, but having been a single girl for pretty much all of my twenties I have seen friends struggle with the different challenges in this movie; settling down to marriage, juggling children and coming to hate a job they once loved. I found the drama of the jilted bride in the first movie much further removed from real life than than Samantha trying to deal with menopause in the second.

For over two hours I was whisked away on a fabulous daydream. I giggled. I looked on in awe. And, without apology, I enjoyed it. We let children watch Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Movies about two young impressionable girls, asleep, powerless, waiting for the kiss of their one true love, who will then whisk them away, with no consultation, to a happily ever after? I think they’re far more ripe for scrutiny than a romp in Abu Dhabi in fabulous outfits, where a rich man has paid for a mere week away, on Samantha’s terms, before they return to their “real” lives in New York.

Sex and the City has been the voice of many taboos. It’s also been shallow and decadent. This film isn’t made for a critical audience. Hate Sex and the City? Well I can say without a shadow of a doubt you shouldn’t waste your time and money seeing this film. Love Sex and the City? Sit back and enjoy the ride.

I would also like to thank my wonderful friends Liz (@LadyBowers) and Catherine for exploring the city with me on my trips. Also Hannah for being a complete star and showing us the hidden gems of her city.

New York

Welcome to my whistle stop tour of New York. Before we start I will warn you that a week away in New York will leave your feet aching from walking, and your face aching from smiling so much!

Getting around…

It’s worth investing in a 7-Day Unlimited Ride Metro Card for $27. Bear in mind that the subway isn’t like the tube and so if you need to change lines you may find yourself going back on yourself to be able to change. It’s worth doing a bit of extra walking and seeing the city too. As the week goes on you’ll hopefully find your bearings, walk more and use the subway less.

Sightseeing…

Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty (Battery Park): Ellis Island museum is great. I’ve never got off on Liberty Island because the views are spectacular from the ferry. Now that the statue has reopened the climb to the crown if you can get tickets it might be worth it.

Broadway Show (TKTs Times Square): It wouldn’t be a trip to New York without taking in a show. Get reduced tickets from the TKTs booth in Times Square, if there’s a show you want to see it’s worth the wait.

Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Centre): In my opinion, having done both, Top of the Rock is better than the Empire State Building. The view over Central Park is fantastic. And midweek mornings are virtually queue free.

MoMA (11 W 53 St): A chance to see some of the great works of modern art in real life. Definitely a good choice for a rainy day.

Guggenheim (5^th at 89^th St): For art I prefer the MoMA, but it is worth having a wander past, and even sticking your head inside to take in the impressive architecture. Don’t forget it’s closed on a Thursday (a fact I remember thanks to Sex and the City, Carrie and co do have their uses!)

Central Park: I fell in love with New York the day I first visited Central Park. Hire bikes if you want to see as much of the park as you can, an hour will get you round the south of the park, but you’ll need a couple of hours or more to see the north of it too. Alternatively it’s just as nice having an afternoon wander around the various sights.

Grand Central Station (87 E 42nd St): The first time I walked in it took my breath away. The second time it did it again. This is a truly magnificent building so don’t miss it.

New York Public Library (5^th Ave at 42nd St): For those of you who are librarians, this is an amazing library. For those of you who are SATC fans, this is where Carrie nearly married Big. For those of you who are neither, it is another stunning building in the city.

LOVE sculpture (6th Ave): At W 55 St. 6th Avenue you’ll find the LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana, which is a photo taking moment. (I’ve included the address as some of us spent a week hunting for the damn thing!)

Sex and the City Tour: For the fans of the show this is an absolute must. You see a lot of the city whilst enjoying SATC trivia and get a free Magnolia Bakery Cupcake too!!!

Shopping…

Times Square: My favourites are Toys R Us (I still haven’t been on the ferris wheel though!), M&Ms World (because there is something fab about M&Ms in more colours than you can imagine), Hershey’s (the outside of it is fantastic). I also loved the HUGE Virgin Megastore, but sadly it shut earlier this year. I have fond memories of being asked out for coffee by a cute guy whilst browsing CDs… only in New York!

Department Stores: Top end you have Saks and Bloomingdales. Macy’s is great once you get your bearings, but it takes time. Century 21 is fantastic if you have a clue what you are looking for, but it can be completely chaotic and overwhelming.

Apple: There are Apple stores across Manhattan which are great for checking email and using the internet (but remember to log out of Facebook!). However if you only visit one make it the flagship store on Fifth Avenue. It is a sight to behold.

For the Girls: Tiffany & Co. is a must. Meander round the floors, drooling at the gorgeous jewelry. Whether you like classic and simple, or more diamonds than you can imagine, there will be something to make your jaw drop. Victoria Secret is the other stop. Though I enjoy perusing the lingerie my favourite things are the PINK sweat bottoms, I live in mine when I’m at home, they are so comfy!

For the Labels: Head over to Greenwich Village for the various designer stores (there is also 5^th Ave, but I prefer this end of town). Here I find my favourites of Mulberry, DVF and Louboutin. I also discovered Fresh, and the best lipbalm I have ever owned.

Afternoon Tea…

Magnolia Bakery: These are the best cupcakes in the world. The original shop is in Greenwich Village, but there a couple more now including on in the Empire State Building.

Alice’s Tea Cup: Missing a good old cup of English Tea? Well this is the place to come. There is a bigger selection of tea than you could imagine, as well as the most amazing scones. They do other wonderful food too. You may have to wait an hour or so for a table, but it is worth it. Trust me.

Max Brenner: Apparently this place does more than just chocolate, but it does chocolate best. Again you may have to wait for a table, but the trip to chocolate heaven is more than compensation for the queuing.

Saks Cafe SFA (8th Floor): Get a table next to the window in their café and overlook the roof stunning gardens of the Rockefeller Plaza buildings whilst enjoying traditional afternoon tea.

Food & Drink…

Any Diner: Another New York tradition that can’t be missed. At least one breakfast trip for pancakes, and dinner visit for burgers and a shake. There are a fair few to pick from, so no excuses for missing out.

American Favourites: Dunkin’ Donuts, Tasty D-Lite etc these are the places you’ll immediately recognise but haven’t made it over the pond

Starbucks: Because mid-afternoon you will need a sit down, drink and a toilet break (not necessarily in that order) and they are perfect for all three. The only time you won’t be able to find one is when you are absolutely desperate!!!

Europa Café: You’ll find these dotted around the city and they are great for a reasonably priced delicious lunch. The sandwiches are lovely, and fresh salad is made whilst you wait.

My first major collection was badges. My favourite badge I got for my sixth birthday. It was a silver holographic badge that sparkled rainbow colours in the light with a big ‘6’ on it. I loved it. This was just the first of many things I loved that were colourful and sparkly.

Then came the Trolls. I collected them wherever I could. I had small trolls, big trolls and old trolls (one my grandma had owned for a long time). They had every different colour of hair you could imagine. I must have spent a majority of my pocket money on obtaining trolls. I loved them.

Our local library had a display cabinet you could sign up to occupy for a week. One proud week I got to display my badges and my trolls. Happy times.

I collected stickers for sticker albums. I remember Snow White and Gladiators, though I didn’t complete either. The only one I did complete was my Boyzone sticker album. Which brings me onto that collection, or rather my teen obsession.

Between the ages of eleven and fourteen I adored Boyzone. Despite early on working out that Stephen Gately was gay I still hoped he might marry me, or at least be my best friend. My walls were covered in their posters. At one stage you couldn’t see an inch of wallpaper in my room, they were even on my ceiling.  I spent every last penny on magazines they were in, and I recorded every TV appearance on video. Somewhere in my childhood bedroom there are folders of magazine cuttings and videos a friend and I spent one summer cutting together of all the stuff we had on tape. Thankfully I grew out of it an appropriate age, and even more surprisingly couldn’t care less that they are back together now.

Following that I didn’t collect anything for a while. I loved sunflowers and had lots of those, but it was never a ‘collection’ as such. I suppose I did, and still do, collect leaflets and postcards of art and exhibitions I love (I have a box full) and I have always had lots of books. But that’s because I can’t bear parting with anything I have read and enjoyed.  I suppose the books I have read are a collection, and say more about me than anything else.

Six or seven years ago Boots ran a promotion. Collect vouchers and exchange them for a stuffed toy. My housemate and I put together our vouchers and became the proud owner of our Boots Giraffe. I loved the giraffe, but I am never quite sure how it got from being that one, to how ever many I own now (I have never counted them!). I think I can probably tell people where 90% of my giraffes came from, most of them anchored to specific events and places. I find myself on a giraffe hunt wherever I go.

Finally I started to collect shoes. The first pair of shoes I loved were black strappy sandals from Topshop, bought for my May Ball at the end of GCSEs in 1999. They cost £35, which was a fortune when I was 15, but I had to have them. It is an appreciation, which grew into an obsession. These days I’d say it’s more an affection. Sadly now I’m living up north the opportunities to take my beloved heels out on the town are few and far between. I can’t bear the thought of buying any more beautiful pairs for them to sit in my wardrobe and rarely see the light of day.

There is still one man who can revive my shoe obsession. That is Christian Louboutin. I can’t describe the feeling of being in the Louboutin shop in Greenwich Village, NYC. It was amazing. It was that day I bought my Simple Pump 100 in patent black, and they bring me joy every day.

There are other things I could collect, but I try not to get sucked in. Between giraffes and shoes I have more than enough to spend my money on. If I did have a third collection it would be Doctor Who stuff. But I know if I started with that I wouldn’t stop and would bankrupt myself in the process. As a teenager I dreamed of having a room full of Disney figures and toys, mainly Pixar stuff, as well as the Little Mermaid. Maybe if I have children one day I’ll have an excuse to collect those.

I can’t help but wonder what it is in human nature that makes us collect. Having a group of things that gives us pleasure from looking at or using them, or even just thinking about them and knowing they exist.

I have always been proud of my completely geeky and random interest in the most abstract of things. Even when the thirst for knowledge strikes me in the middle of the night (I once got up at 3am because I HAD to know whether Bournemouth got it name because it was the mouth of the River Bourne. It is.)

Yesterday when I discovered Wolfram Alpha I was far too excited, the excitement lasted longer than my rant about National Express seat charges, though won’t quite beat shopping at DVF in New York last year. Every time I have been on Wolfram Alpha in the past 24 hours (I have probably ramped up their visitor stats!) I have become more and more amazed at the kind of information I can find… things I never thought I needed to know are fascinating. I will never have to go without data and statistics again!

I’ve already discovered that I am 9492 days old today (who’s up for celebrating my 10000th day on Saturday 9th October 2010?) and that Southport has over twice the population of Durham.

Last week I was so annoyed with the over hyped Swine Flu issue I wanted to find out the deaths from Swine Flu vs. Malaria, to make a point about how ridiculous the ‘pandemic’ fear was, but even with the power of Google I couldn’t. Now thanks to Wolfram Alpha I know it’s 910707 per year… that’s 341827 deaths from malaria to date in 2009 compared to 69 deaths from Swine Flu.

I better curb the amount of time I spend on the site otherwise I’ll find myself ditching fiction to entertain people with numbers and facts instead!

I just about survived my leaving parties, though my liver is thanking me for minimal alcohol drinking ever since. The hangovers weren’t pretty, but they were worth it. It was so lovely that people made the effort, and so I better make the effort to keep in touch with them now I’ve gone!

Then it was ‘The Move: Part One’ from London to Southport. Packing my stuff up took so much longer than expected and packing the van was an experience in itself, we packed every last inch of space and used every last minute of the rental!!!

Less than 24 hours later I was off to NYC and surprised myself by being able to keep my eyes open until 10pm on the first day (3am GMT) despite being up at 5.30am – over 21 hours!!!

Friday Liz and I shopped until we dropped, literally. After 10 hours and more dollars than I care to add up, we sat down in the nearest restaurant we could find. We weren’t just there to shop (though you might find that hard to believe!) we also did some sightseeing, and found sometime to catch up with the gorgeous and wonderful Hannah! By far the most giddy moment of the week was when I sat there as The Little Mermaid musical started!

Since I returned to the UK on Friday I have been recovering by sleeping lots. I’ve also started to put together a to-do list. I’m sure that time will fly by, and before I know it I will be in Durham to start my new job! I’m off to the North East next week to house hunt – wish me luck!!!

It’s non-stop at the moment, and I’m far too excitable.

Things are going well with the job hunt (don’t want to say anymore and jinx it, I will inform you all in due course!)

I used strengthsfinder 2.0 this week, quite helpful in the job search. Knowing my strengths helps in narrowing down what I might actually enjoy doing, so I can find a career I am really passionate about! Apparently my top 5 are: Strategic, Positivity, Woo, Activator & Communication. Sounds about right to me!!!

I’m gradually packing things up at work and home, which is a bit of a marathon effort, but I will get there in the end. Today’s effort was emptying out the shed.

Whilst doing this I had to sort out Christmas decorations. I suddenly got very excited that Christmas is only a couple of months away and then made Suzi endure a story about how I used to decorate my room as a teenager (It became “Santa’s Helen’s Grotto” complete with sign on my door!)

This excitement was just after I had been on the phone to Lady B talking about New York, which is only 17 days away… and hugely exciting too! It’s just over four years since I was there last and I can’t wait to go back!

So I am just a little bit hyped up at the moment. I think I need to take a couple of deep breaths, focus and calm down, if only for the sanity of those around me.

Anyway I better get back to job-hunting related activities… as well as eBay selling. I am not a big fan of the part where you actually have to pack things up and send them in the post, far too much effort!

Until the next time!!!

However before I do that, my first week of unemployment (technically my only week, as I will be working with my sister as a ‘freelance design consultant’ after that) will be spent in New York. A very happy coincidence that a holiday booked almost a year ago is now coming at exactly the right time. Plus a very clever Lady B suggested we start changing money early, so we beat the fall in exchange rates! I just hope the buzz of the big apple will see me through one more week of sleep depravation!!!

Whilst in New York I think I will have to invest in a nice thick winter coat. As a friend pointed out, I have made the decision to head back to Northern England just in time for the freezing cold winter. No time to acclimatise to the drop in temperature. Three years in London has got me used to fairly mild winters, especially as the air pollution keeps it a couple of degrees warmer than everywhere else.

Aside from the dreaded cold, I do get more excited as time goes on about returning to the north. Whilst my parents were down the other weekend they showed me a DVD of the giant spider in Liverpool a few weeks ago (I’ve gone all technical and included a picture!) Seeing the honesty and humour of crazy northern people made me realise how much I miss that part of the country, and how proud I am to come from it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved my time in London, and know so many crazy and lovely southerners. But there is something special about the north that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy (and apparently turns me into a big pile of slush!)

I have also been minding my ego. Having finally spread the news at work officially, I have been getting many lovely messages from all the people I’ve worked with (seven jobs in three years means there’s been a fair few). It is great to feel so loved, and also sad that there are some people I will probably never see or speak to again.

The other people I’ll be leaving behind, but definitely will see again, are all my London friends. I have been doing the rounds, and trying to see everyone before I go. Some of my closest friends have never been more than a few minutes away since starting university. Even if we don’t see each other as often now, it’s strange to think that they won’t be a short tube ride away. I will have to be less spontaneous and more organised!

A mixture of emotions in a busy time! I am still very positive and know it’s the right decision for me at this time in my life. And once I am settled I will start on persuading a few southerners to go past the Watford Gap and up to the fabled north to come and say hello to me!