At the end of March, to celebrate my cousin’s birthday; me, my mum and 2 of my aunts and 2 of my cousins travelled across the Atlantic to my favourite place in the world, New York City! Since going with my school back in 2011, I have been ridiculously desperate to go back, so it is safe to say I was pretty excited. After a long day travelling, I was excited to see what the next 4 days had in store for us!
Day 1 – 31st March
We got to our hotel, The Roosevelt, at about 7pm the night before so technically this was our second day in the city but the first full day. We all woke up super early at about 6am (thanks jet lag) but to be honest, I didn’t mind because it meant we would be getting the most of our day. Now, seeing as I am a massive Gossip Girl fan, and planned on spending the whole trip waltzing down the upper east side pretending I was Serena van der Woodsen, I had to go to the New York Palace hotel, which my mum kindly walked with me too on the first morning. It was just as amazing as I thought it was going to be and I definitely felt like I was part of Manhattan’s Elite. We continued our day, with a downtown open bus tour, which would take us all the way down Broadway toward the 9/11 memorial and Battery Park. This was great because not only were we getting around the City, but the tour guide was pointing out and giving us information about some of the most famous landmarks. We made it to the 9/11 memorial which was more moving than I thought it was going to be; seeing where the towers stood made it all so real, it wasn’t a documentary on TV or a picture online, we were there, where it all happened. It was quite an emotional experience. We continued walking towards Battery Park where we got a Ferry to the Statue of Liberty. I forgot how magnificent and beautiful Lady Liberty is and it was so amazing to come out of the hustle and bustle and appreciate that incredible skyline. After walking back through Canal Street, Little Italy and China Town to get to Times Square, we had some dinner and then boarded another tour bus. This tour was a nighttime tour which went over the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn and stopped off down by the Hudson River so we could see the whole city lit up. This was such a highlight for me because not only had I never been to Brooklyn before, but I have never seen such a beautiful view in my whole life and I think that is what made me completely fall in love with the big apple.
Day 2 – 1st April
Again, another early start but we had even more planned for our second full day. We got our final bus tour which took us all over uptown Manhattan, through Harlem, and back down the Upper East Side to Central Park. It was such a beautiful day so we took the opportunity to walk through the park to see Strawberry Fields. After a little while of people watching and soaking up the sun, we headed to the Rockefeller Centre to get tickets to go to the top. I’ve been up the Empire State but given the choice, I’d pick The Top of the Rock anyway. The views are just as breath taking at the top of both but you get to see the whole Empire State from the Rockefeller Centre, so that wins bonus points. We knew we all wanted to see a show, so we made our way back to Times Square to see what deals they had on tickets. Luckily, we were able to get 6 tickets to Matilda, which wasn’t originally on my list of ‘must see shows’ but, I am so happy we saw it. It was absolutely incredible and I’ve been obsessed with the soundtrack ever since. Definitely go see it if you ever get the chance where you are.
Day 3 – 2nd April
Today was shopping day! We decided to all split off into families so me and mum headed straight to Macy’s. I knew I wanted to get a Designer bag but wasn’t sure what one/brand; so after spotting a gorgeous Michael Kors one, mum actually suggested to go to Century 21 to see if they had any there and if not, we would go back to Macy’s to get that one. We decided to get the Subway which was super easy to navigate and in no time we are in Century 21! After a little hunting around, I found a stunning Grey, leather Michael Kors bag, which I knew I had to own, so of course I decided it was mine. I actually think I walked around with in in my hands because I was so scared someone was going to go in the basket and pick it out haha. We stayed in C21 was a few hours and picked up so many bargains before getting the Subway back to Times Square so we could walk to 5th Avenue and continue our shopping. From the minute I knew we were going to NY, I knew I wanted a Tiffany bracelet and after searing the website and finding the one I wanted, I bit the bullet and went in to get it, I mean if you’re going to get a Tiffany bracelet, it has to be from actual Tiffany’s New York, right? I’m so in love with it, sometimes I open the box just to have a peak. We all met back at the lobby and headed out for our last dinner together. We all got so many recommendations to go to Ellen’s Stardust Diner so we kept this for the last night so it would be extra special. I loved Ellen’s, the food was great and I loved singing along to all the musical songs the waiters were singing. It was unlike anything I had experience before but I loved it!
Day 4 – 3rd April
Sadly we were going home later today 😦 but we wanted to get the most out of our last few hours. With a cab coming to pick us up at 4, we did some last minute shopping on 5th Ave. and had a big lunch at an Irish pub. I was so sad to be going home so I made sure that in the cab to the airport I took in the last sights of the beautiful city.
I can’t begin to tell you how said I am to be back in England, still 2 weeks later. New York definitely has my heart and I am sure I will be back in no time!
-Hannah X
Hannah's Little Corner 