This summer I was able to tick a major trip off the bucket list and visit New York City for the first time. I must have had this dream of going ever since watching Home Alone 2 when Kevin gets chased around central park in the snow by Marv and Harry. Everything about New York looked so glamorous and exciting to me, so seeing it for myself last month was a huge deal.
Instead of staying in a hotel, we rented a small apartment in Chelsea; a quieter, trendy part of lower Manhattan. We were surrounded by little boutiques, artisan bakeries and grocers, and the Chelsea Market (as seen on MIC NYC!). I spent my first, jetlagged evening people-watching out the window. As I watched the commuters walking past, I experienced some major lifestyle envy. It’s impossible to stare at the crowds of yuppies without suddenly wanting to strive to be one of those green tea-drinking, piercing-sporting, quinoa-eating, cab-hailing, high-flying New Yorkers.
Our first full day we got fresh bagels and orange juice from Murray’s for breakfast. Obviously bagels are readily available back home, but I can assure you that once you try authentic NYC bagels you will never go back. I am now an utter bagel snob after 3 incredible Murray’s breakfasts.
We caught the ferry to Liberty Island in the morning. It was a gorgeous, clear day so we had a great view from across the harbour. I was very impressed with myself for climbing to the crown, as I can still recall getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower in March and almost passing out. I also try to eschew spiral staircases whenever possible. I wish I could say it was worth it but for the most part my irrational fear of heights kept me pretty far away from the window, and my total unfitness had me sat downing bottles of water and fanning myself.
After Liberty, we went across to Ellis Island and the immigration museum. There were some pretty interesting exhibits about immigration into the USA through New York, and the island had a great view of the statue and the rest of the harbour.
That evening we ate at home and then went to visit Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial Museum. This was just as eerie and harrowing as I expected it to be, but a really tasteful memorial and interesting museum.
We headed to Times Square after this, just as it was getting dark. It was like a way more impressive Piccadilly Circus, and we happened to catch a huge protest through the centre over the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson. After taking in all the sights we went for ice cream at Ellen’s Stardust Diner, which is famous for its retro décor and singing waiting staff. It was probably the loudest and craziest restaurant ever, but if you like eating your sundae whilst the staff run around singing Macklemore and throwing till roll at nonplussed customers then it’s definitely for you.
Day 2 we got bikes in Central Park for the day. This was probably my favourite part of the city. There was no way you could have seen the whole thing in a day, but we managed to do a loop around the outside of the park, and see some of the nicest gardens and monuments. There were plenty of buskers, entertainers, artists and even a boathouse set up for a huge public proposal (which we unfortunately didn’t catch-hopefully she said yes).
As my brother and Mum went off to watch the Yankees game, my Dad and I visited the MoMA. I’m not hugely into art but I actually really enjoyed the exhibits and found that I recognised loads of the works on display.
After MoMA we headed to a small music venue in Brooklyn called the Knitting Factory where Frances Cone were playing. They were great, though I actually found myself enjoying their support, a country band called The Novel Ideas, a whole lot more. They played a fun, sing-a-long set and were a really chatty band. I also fell in love with the voice of Danica Dora, who played first that evening.
We began our final day with an early morning walk on the High Line, a disused freight rail line over West Manhattan. This provided great views of the streets below, as well as the opportunity to nose into the expensive apartments on either side.
After a picnic lunch in Grand Central, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, and then back to visit Little Italy. This was a really nice part of the city, and it was especially lovely to see a pair of really glamorous newlyweds waving from their balcony above a pizza place.
We had dinner at the Grey Dog in Chelsea. I chose mac and cheese, obviously. It was incredible, but somehow still not quite on a par with Kraft’s packet mix (which I was sure to stock up on when we went to K-mart). After this we went to the top of the Empire State. The views were spectacular, but we were soon sent down due to lightning bolts getting a little too close-fun! Still, it was the best way to spend the last night.
The trip was amazing, and I feel like we got a lot in considering we were there for just three days. I’ll just have to go back at some point to see the rest!
