New York New York!

From now on I am going to pick a random place that I have been to and write about it. I think this will add a bit more variety to my page. This week I have chosen New York City. I visited NYC with one of my good friends Gemma (I must add she did fall asleep in the bath for two hours in the hotel). Make sure you also go and check out her travel blogs here: https://steemit.com/@vegoutt-travel

Below are a few photos of Gemma and I in NYC.

As most people know, NYC is a concrete jungle ready to explore. My favourite part of New York City is most definitely Central Park. The man made Park that was built to help increase house prices looks gorgeous in the snow, as you can see below. From it’s gorgeous castles, bridges, lakes, statues and gardens there is something for everyone. There is also a golf course and a zoo too! Gemma and I took a ride around on a bicycle rickshaw. We had a very knowledgeable guide but I certainly didn’t envy him peddling around in the snow with us on the back in the freezing cold. We did give him a good tip though. I definitely would love to go back in another season when the flowers are blossoming or when the autumn leaves start falling.

Below are some photos of Central Park

A trip to NYC would not be complete without a trip to the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty, a gift from the French and an icon of freedom sits on a small island, Liberty Island, situated in the Hudson River. I must admit the Statue is much smaller than what I thought but never the less, still beautiful particularly when taking a helicopter ride along southern Manhattan. You also get a wonderful view of the Manhattan sky scrappers from the island as well. One day I may go back and visit the crown as I hear it is a rewarding experience and I could imagine the view being epic.

Getting Ready for the helicopter ride.

As I went to NYC at the beginning of February I was privileged to experience a Super Bowl party at the Edison Ball Room. The two teams in the final were the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos. As my friend Gemma (who is an American football fanatic) went for the Broncos, I of course decided to go for the Seahawks. Although it was a close game, the Seattle Seahawks won and are now the team I support solely based on this experience.

Me with some Seattle Hawks fans in Times Square.

Most people would be well aware of the catastrophic event that took place in NYC on September 11, 2001. 2,996 innocent people lost their lives when the twin towers collapsed. What a humbling feeling it was to visit the 9/11 memorial. I had a distant cousin who died in the Bali bombing attacks in 2005. Although I never knew her personally, it really is heartbreaking to know how these 2,996 people’s families feel losing their loved ones in such an unnecessary, cruel and vengeful attack.

Me at the 9/11 memorial

Other sites visited were Wall Street, which is really small; Brooklyn Bridge which I really loved as I am a fan of architecture; the Empire State Building and how can you forget good old Bright and shiny Times Square. Make sure you visit this place at night as it doesn’t have the same effect during the day due to the over sensory load of lights. One of my favourite places, however was the National History museum. I absolutely loved how the animal displays looked real life and made you feel that you were actually there.

Brooklyn Bridge

Times Square

Times Square

Me at the top of the Empire State Building.

You cannot go to New York City without going to at least one Broadway show. This is where I saw my favourite childhood movie on the stage, Matilda and the not so childhood movie, but just as great, Mamma Mia. As a big theatre fan I definitely would have seen a play every night if my funds allowed it. We also visited Madam Tussauds, the wax museum. We definitely got some cool photographs as you can see below.

As you may have gathered from previous posts, I do like to wander off to unknown little gems. I did enjoy wandering around and looking at the brownstones in the upper east and west sides, while stopping off and eating an ice cream (yes I know in the cold) from the world famous Serendipity 3. Unfortunately I could not afford the $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae, so had to settle for something just as delicious without the gold flakes.

At Serendipity 3.

America always does things bigger, brighter and better. So I could not say no to the giant m&m store that prints customised coloured m&ms. For someone who does not like m&ms I found the store amazing and brought back souvenirs for my m&m crazy friends. I also managed to find a lolly store that had every lolly imaginable and last but not least we decided to go into a toy store. Not only were there thousands of toys, but there was a massive Ferris wheel that adults could ride built with LEGO inside. We could not say no to taking a ride on that too!

I must say my trip to New York City was amazing and I would love to go back one day. The next time I go however I will see things at a much slower pace. You never know if you can get to somewhere again, so it was an action packed and on the go holiday. I definitely came back feeling like I needed a holiday from my holiday. I really hope you have enjoyed reading my blog, feel free to share your NYC experiences as I’d love to get some ideas on what to do next when I do go back.

The first flight over. At the time it was the longest in the world at roughly 15-16 hours.