New York New York! Take 1

About time I got around to sharing a few more pictures from my recent trip to New York. In the week I spent there I did an insane amount of sight seeing and for the benefit of not over loading you guys with a ton of information I'm going to split this post in two.

On our first night we went for dinner at our local diner Jackson Hole and ate enormous burgers. Mine was so big that it looked like I'd barely touched it but trust me I ate a lot. This was a common thing with meals, my word were they big. After the burgers we went out to buy beers, Lucky Charms for breakfast and plenty of American snack food like Snapple and potato crisps. We rented an apartment (Stay the Night) on the Upper East Side between 5th and Madison, right next to Central Park. Because it was on 93rd street it was a fairly quite area, which was perfect for out late night excursions and early morning starts.

Our first full day was spent wondering around Midtown and getting a feel for the city. A lot of museums and tourists spots are closed on a Monday, which meant the queues at the Empire State Building were insane. Instead of wasting time in queues we checked out some less busy places such as Grand Central Station, the Chrysler Building lobby and several shops including HBO where I bought far too much True Blood merchandise. We also checked out Times Square, the Rockefeller Plaza and Barneys where Lady Gaga's Workshop was based. That evening we ate at the delicious Turkish restaurant Sip Sak and ventured to the Lower East Side to check out some bars. Whiskey Ward and the rock n' roll karaoke at Arlene's Grocery were definitely two of my favourites.

On Tuesday morning I braced the cold for a quick run around Central Park. It was incredible and I wish I could go running there every day. After walking through the park we made it up the Empire State Building without a single queue for the most perfect view of the city. We also went on an extremely interesting (and free) tour of the NY Public Library which I'd definitely recommend. After a deliciously cheap Mexican at Ariba Ariba in Hell's Kitchen we spent several hours at the American Museum of Natural History which was incredible; dinosaurs, whales and elephants oh my. Dinner included cupcakes from the amazing Crumbs Bakery (it's best to ignore the calories on the labels) followed by fantastic stand up comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade and cocktails at Nurse Bettie.

Wednesday was a busy day, first thing we did was to take the free Staten Island ferry to get a view of the Statue of Liberty. I was gutted that the statue was closed for renovation because I was really looking forward to going inside. After we got back on Manhattan we wondered around Wall Street and made our way over to Ground Zero. The first time I'd been to New York it was only a year or so after 9/11 so the place was extremely different from back then. When I first visited I remember it being very quiet and empty, it was basically an area of empty land surrounded by chicken wire. Now it's a busy construction site, but with the memorial in place it will always be an area to reflect and remember what happened even if it's in the heart of the busy financial district.

We popped our heads into Century 21 for cheap Converse but left disappointed. I really wouldn't recommend this shop, despite the bargains. To me it's a cross between Primark and TK Maxx but amplified to hideous levels and I vowed to never go back, but if you like yourself a bargain and can put up with the mess it's probably worth checking out. We headed west to the restaurant Little Owl for a delicious lunch which also happens to be underneath the building used for the outside shots of the Friends apartment and definitely worth visiting. After walking through Washington Square Gardens we spent almost an hour in the Strand book store which claims to contain over 18 miles of books so if you like books you must check out this place. They also sell lovely merchandise... Before heading back to the apartment we went to see the Maurizio Cattelan exhibition at the Guggenheim. I love this gallery, the architecture is inspired which make the exhibitions a really special experience. I really loved the Kandinsky painting that were also on show and if you only get to visit one museum in New York I'd definitely recommend this one.

That evening I went for a run across Williamsburg Bridge with Bridge Runners. This was a magical experience as I love running through London at night so wanted to experience the same thing in New York. The run was hardcore but I met some lovely people doing it plus I got to see the city at night with all it's lights on, stunning! After the run we headed to China Town (Great NY Noodletown) for my only disappointing meal of the week before finishing the evening at the slightly peculiar bar Home Sweet Home where an amazing band (can't remember the name) were playing and the bar was covered in taxidermy.

I think that's enough for now but I will be updating with a second post soon x

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