Girlfriends' New York Getaway - New York City, New York, USA

When my friend Barb and I planned our girlfriends' getaway to New York it was with excitement and some trepidation. We had limited experience with the Big Apple and hadn't visited since the Mayor's big clean up. But our visit to Manhattan greatly exceeded our expectations and made our hometown Toronto seem boring and a tad unfriendly by comparison.

After checking in to the Hotel.exe/GetDates?00735_767691&st=NY&htlnm=Sheraton%20Manhattan&chn=Sheraton&mid=N/A&bid=N/A">Sheraton Manhattan, conveniently located in the heart of mid-town Manhattan, we decided to take a Gray Line tour. We planned to pack as much into this adventure as possible and the tour was practical because we could also use it as a mode of transportation, getting off at places we wanted to visit and waiting for the next bus when we were ready to move on. Waiting for the bus at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, I noticed that there were no benches to sit on, perhaps part of the plan to deter loitering.

The tour guides give colourful commentary as you pass Manhattan's famous sites and, depending on their interests and personality, throw in additional tidbits about the city and even their own lives. Our first guide began by announcing that she had a cold, that she and the driver were vastly underpaid and thus would gratefully accept tips and any other stream of consciousness thoughts that came into her head.

As we drove through Harlem, past the famous Apollo theatre, she pointed out that it's dangerous reputation was exaggerated and looking out the window I could see what she meant. At least the parts we were driving through didn't look much different from other Manhattan neighbourhoods. And the stores looked bargain filled. But night was coming and we wanted to get out at the world famous Museum of Art before it closed at 5:30. We split up to absorb as much culture as possible in half an hour and then it was back to midtown to grab a bite before heading out to an enjoyable off-Broadway play 'Over the Mountains and Through the Woods'.

Next morning, we travelled uptown for a taping of the hit television show, 'The View'. We had sent away for tickets six weeks before and had received tickets for the last show before they broke for Christmas. Barbara Walters wasn't there that day, but Jamie Foxx and Jewel were guests. After some dishy debating among the four hosts, we received free books on spirituality.

Shopping at Macy's proved to be exhausting and we fell into our beds early. We planned to see the rest of Manhattan the following day. The friendliness of New Yorkers had impressed us and we'd yet to see anyone living on the street. Our pockets hadn't been picked and we were pretty proud of ourselves.

Our planned luxurious high tea in Greenwich Village was downgraded to a quick coffee and a cannolli because we were behind schedule for our tour of the Lower East Side. We jumped in a cab and drove to Ratners, a ninety-five year old kosher dairy restaurant to meet our guide, Andrew Flamm.

In my rush to pay the cabbie, it happened. Fifteen minutes later I realized that I lost my wallet which contained the ID that would allow me to get on a plane the next day and return to my family, whom I callously abandoned by going off with my girlfriend. What a cliche, lost my wallet in New York, was there even a minute hope of getting it back? I should have been on the phone with the Canadian consulate immediately but I was having too much fun to worry (or at least to stop running around). Andrew took us to Katz's Deli where the movie When Harry Met Sally was filmed. The owner thrilled us with tales of Billy Crystal eating six pastrami sandwiches the day the infamous orgasm scene was taped. He also told us that Clinton had met Gorbachev there once for "the deli summit".

Darkness was coming, so we headed off to the World Trade Centre where I finally phoned the consulate, only to hear a recording that it was closed for the day - I then called the cab company and a nice guy named Charlie told me that the driver was an honest fellow and if it was there he was sure my wallet would be turned in. He offered to search the cab. Later I got a message on my hotel voice mail letting me know that they even pulled out the seats, but alas, no wallet was found. I started to get anxious about getting home and to compound my anxiety we got on the subway to head out to Brooklyn to visit friends of Barb's.

Yes, we braved the subway and only got lost four times. Amazingly, we were not hassled or accosted. In fact, several helpful New Yorkers came up to us just because we looked lost and gave us detailed directions.

After walking several cold, dark blocks we finally reached the warmth of the Orlowek's home. Mrs. Orlowek opened the door and said, "Your husband called. A lady found your wallet." Come again? I hadn't even told my husband that the wallet was lost, so how could he be calling from Toronto to give me the number of Julie in New York who now had the wallet in her possession?

I phoned Julie and it turned out that her boyfriend had picked it up in the cab and brought it home to her. After searching the wallet they found my business card with my home number. Julie then made the extraordinary effort of calling long distance to Toronto and where she reached my hubby who tracked me down. I was flabbergasted.

After all the warnings about hiding my money and wearing my purse around my neck and not taking subways and avoiding those tough, loud New Yorkers, all I can say is that I truly love New York. Compared to its warmth, Toronto felt a bit colder than usual as I stepped off the plane the next morning, wallet firmly in hand.

For help planning your New York trip, contact the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau at (212) 484-1200 or visit their website at www.nycvisit.com.