The Boeing Tour - Seattle

This was one (of 3 highlights) of my trip. It pays to know the right people and I'm lucky to manage the Boeing contract because this was something I got to tick off my bucket list that has been on it since I was a kid; a tour of the Boeing factory in Seattle but not just any tour a proper behinds the scene 'Customer Tour'.

It still amazes me that they can assemble and complete a brand new B737 in 7 days!.

It began with Boeing taking us to lunch, we tried 5 Guys for the first time and it was pretty damn good!

Once at the factory, the tour went through each day and what was done to get it ready for the next stage and at the end of each day the whole aircraft rolled along. 

We weren't allowed to take any photos unfortunately and its really hard to explain it all in a few sentences. 

One of the best parts of the tour was being able to explain to Joel all the bits, how they work and what they do and give him an insight in to a part of my job. 

The last part of the tour allowed me to show Joel inside the cockpit of a fully built functional aircraft and some photos (he still gives me shit for the time we came back from his parents and i got the jump seat in the cockpit and he had to sit in economy).

Air and Space Museum

The air and space museum at Dulles airport in Washington is pretty damn amazing!! So many things to see and interactive displays. It has the Discovery Space Shuttle and a Concord!. It's a bit out of town but not impossible, we were lucky to get a lift with some friends. I could have spent more time there but my legs were tired and battling a cold I was running out of energy.

National Mall

the first full day in DC we walked around the National Mall and checked out some of the monuments. Its amazing to see all the memorials and statues that are just everywhere. We checked out the Washington memorial, the world war 2 memorial, the reflecting pool, the Lincoln Memorial and finally walked to the Arlington Cemetery. It was so much walking, luckily it was a nice day.

First Night in Washington DC

We arrived in DC on Tuesday and made plans to meet up with some friends of friends who live here. It started with a crash course in navigating the DC subway which was a breeze; so simple, efficient and clean (but dated).

We were treated to a private tour of the Fox News station that had an awesome view the Capitol building. Joel and I got to see the inner workings and also see what it would be like to be interviewed. It was a great experience.

Our new friends suggested a nice pub around the corner, like all meals while we've been away we ate way too much but still had room for dessert hehe.

It was a nice quiet start to our DC experience.

Boxing Day

Boxing day we went and checked out times square and central park, we went on a carriage ride through central and ate lunch at a chain restaurant called olive garden, that everyone bashes but we thought it was ok. It rained a bit and central park was freezing,

Christmas Day

Christmas morning we ventured down to Battery Park as the sun was shinning. We could see the Statue of Liberty from the shore. The park was very busy with holiday makers. We struggled to find somewhere for lunch and eventually retreated tot he hotel.

Later in the afternoon we met up with friends who were also in New York, we exchanged secret Santa gifts, drank bubbles, beer and harder stuff while watching Love Actually.

We had booked a fancy dinner at Tavern on the Green, the service wasn't that good and the food was a little ordinary for the high price. At the end of the day the main thing is we were in New York for Christmas.

Neighbourhood Walking Tour - Brooklyn

Our first full day in New York began after breakfast with a neighbourhood walking tour, you get paired up with a 'greeter', we had an awesome lady who spent the next 4 or 5 hours guiding us around Brooklyn. We got to see it from a local's perspective rather than just all the normal PC tourist things that regular tour guides give.

The tour included a ride on a carousel.

One of the best things was lunch at one of New Yorks best pizza places (voted #1 by Tripadvisor) and walking over the Brooklyn bridge. So much history to be told and can be easily missed.

The weather had been rather miserable in the morning but stopped raining long enough for us to be able to see the city in all its glory.

If you're ever in New York I would definitely recommend a big apple greeter and to also check out some of the boroughs of NYC, not just Manhattan.