Happy May everyone! This time last week I spent my birthday stuck in the departure lounge at Heathrow airport, after our flight was delayed for over 6 1/2 hours :( Not the best way to start our trip to New York but what can you do in these situations...except wait and wait, we finally made it to JFK at 1 in the morning. Feeling tired and restless, we managed to get some sleep before exploring New Yorkkkk!
Nothing can prepare you for such an iconic City, it's vast, energetic with an epic skyline no photos can do justice. FYI my research for our trip included guide books, Pinterest and re-watching Gossip Girl of course ;) After 4 whirlwind days pounding the streets of Manhattan, sightseeing, eating and experiencing the energy of such an amazing City, we left the Big Apple tired but on a high.
New York in the Spring is fresh and pretty with the tree lined streets and not as hectic as I thought. I can imagine it's heaving in the Summer! I enjoyed playing tourist and my most common line to Hang was 'It's just like in the movies!!' No matter how many times you've seen the landmarks on TV or in photos, nothing beats seeing the real thing. Anyway hope you guys enjoy the photos :)
Some of my highlights was seeing the sunset over the Empire State Building, the beauty of Grand Central Station and walking over Brooklyn bridge on a glorious sunny day with my friend Wendy, who came down to visit from upstate New York. I loved the energy of the City, the super wide pavements (!) and that feeling of being immerse amongst such tall buildings! We also purchased the City Pass, which allows you discount tickets on some of the landmarks.
We stayed at the Roger New York hotel
in Midtown, which was a super stylish boutique hotel, comfy beds,
complimentary happy hour and close to Flatiron District, Empire State
Building and Korea Town. It was the perfect place for us to recuperate each day, away from the madness of uptown.
PLACES WE VISITED
Empire State Building - Long queues but well worth it
New York Public Library - Stunning architecture and interiors
Byrant Park - Lovely area to sit and relax, great cake shops nearby too
Times Square - Busy but there's a big Sephora nearby!
Grand Central Station - Absolutely beautiful
9/11 Memorial - A lovely memorial
Top of the Rock - Book a time slot ahead and go at dusk
Brooklyn/DUMBO - Get the metro over and walk back, the view is so good
Nolita - grab a pizza and stroll around Soho
Christie's - fab and unusual ART
Central Park - So big and vast, allow time
230th Fifth - Rooftop bar overlooking The Empire State Building