New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do
Why is this so true
I am no travel blogger at all, I don't know the top places to visit or best places for value of money in this beautiful city, but I can share an experience.
Earlier this year, a group of about 40 from my school jumped on a virgin airways flight and headed to The Big Apple, the king of all cities - NYC
Ever since I was a child, I'd dreamed of New York (who doesn't right?). I'd watched Breakfast at Tiffany's on repeat and longed to capture the obligatory pictures of Grand Central Station and Central Park. I'd envisioned myself living like Serena Van Der Woodsen and strolling through the streets with a smile on my face and not a care in the world.
When the opportunity came to visit my dreams, I ran home with the trip letter, logged the date in my countdown calendar and month by month, I handed in envelopes of money to school that would help me tick 'Visit New York City' off my bucket list.
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| A wild Caitlin takes NYC |
I Imagine I became annoying to anyone who spoke to me in the weeks leading up to the big day, plans of what to buy, what to photograph... I couldn't wait! Slowly but surely, the day to wake up at 4am came, I was up before my alarm, ready to take on the day of travelling! (A rare occurrence, usually you don't see me until at least 10am)
Upon arriving at JFK airport, all 40 of us loaded our luggage into a bus (very quickly as this was New York and the cars behind the bus weren't too happy). Our tour guide was called Lyn and on our way to our hotel, she made sure we were aware of everything that surrounded us (queens, the houses, rent, The bridges, politics... really the girl didn't stop at anything), Lyn was the first New Yorker I'd speak to and she'll have a place in my heart forever, love you Lyn<3
The bus trip was very cliche in my eyes, have you ever seen those films where they're driving into a new place or when a kid enters a toy store? That's probably what my face resembled, I was in awe. I was in New York City!!
The first thing we did when we stepped off that bus (other than run across the road to avoid death, welcome to New York) was collect our room keys, cry about the rooms (ill talk more about that later) and head straight away to the all famous Times Square to eat at Bubba Gump.
Let me tell you, after over 24 hours of being conscious, and eating only a Pret-A-Manger sandwich because the plane food was inedible, I wasn't too chuffed to find out that I'd previously pre ordered a salad. A salad. That's what Caitlin of the past wanted for Caitlin of the future, a salad.
My first moments in NY consisted of an old hotel room, a salad, and nearly dying of tiredness. But that was never gonna get me down!! Here's a breakdown of what we did:
•Ellis island and Liberty island
•an hour or 2 in Century 21
• a visit to Wall Street
•Empire State Building
•9/11 memorial and museum
•A walk down Fifth Avenue
•lunch at the Rockefeller
•Central Park
•a walk from Central Park to our hotel (I died)
•Madison Square Garden Rangers vs Coyotes ice hockey game
•Grand Central Station at night
•United Nations tour
•Broadway, School of Rock
•One World observatory
•Ice Skating at Rockefeller
•Planet Hollywood restaurant
•Shopping!! (Macy's, avenue of the Americas, Bloomingdales)
•Hard Rock Cafe
By far the most incredible experiences were MSG, 9/11 museum and One World, or even just the buzz of the city! If you ever take a trip to the city, please please go and see a game at Madison Square Garden! The experience is like nothing else, it's on another level to our games in the UK! The enthusiasm of the fans is one you can't miss!
9/11... this museum has to be up there with the most heart breaking places. the museum is full of remenants and dedications, belongings and the history of others. The atmosphere is so quiet and unforgettable. Everyone is in shock, you truly see the devastation on another level. I adore the admiration and respect that everyone has towards the museum, memorial and the victims, it's like everyone comes together and learns the respect, young or old, you truly realise the devastation this event caused America.
One World is fairly new to the city, and I have to admit I felt abit eerie while looking and standing in the fascinating building. One World Trade Center. It is a representation and a symbol of how America has moved on in my eyes! The observatory is jaw dropping! A 360 degree, 104 story, 1776 ft high view of the famous city through glass, I could've spent hours just examining! there are many places in NYC where you can 'look down' on th city, however One World definitely supplies one worth living!
Our hotel:
Let me tell you this now, if you ever book to stay at Hotel Pennsylvania, don't expect a 5 star, super clean up to date hotel. I hardly slept if I'm honest...
The 1920s hotel, is exactly what it says on the tin, 1920s.
The hotel is very surreal and appears as if it could be in a horror movie quite frankly:)
Although if you're willing to look past that it is literally just a bed to sleep in and not much else (not even a hot shower if you decide to have a late one) then this hotel isn't that bad! Its always busy because of it's low prices and amazing location, that's pretty much all in my eyes... located on 7th Avenue this hotel is directly opposite MSG, about a 5 minute walk down to Times Square, right next to a subway station and also a couple blocks from the shops (macy's, VS, Shopping at times square). Theres also a shop in the lobby if you don't want to leave the hotel but you're hungry.
Due to our hotel being so close to Times Square, I found myself running out of money quicker than usual as I was literally shopping at 2-3am!!
If you decide to stay here, you may be lucky to land in one of the renovated rooms, although unfortunately, if you have the same luck as me, it could end up looking like this:
Best of all, the hotel is right around the corner from my favourite deli Speedy's who eventually gave us 10% off because we went there every morning for breakfast, real Speedy's love!!
There is sooo much more I could write about for New York, but this post would probably go on forever, if you have any questions then feel free to ask in the comments!! I'm so grateful to have had the chance to visit this city and I thank you for taking the time to read and support my blog :-)
Picture spam!!
Happy New Year everyone!!!
(if youd like to see a New York haul, let me know in the comments, or Instagram!)
Caitlin
xxx
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