My 21st birthday was approaching and we had planned a trip to the states, our first stop was New York City. We flew from Manchester via Dublin which was really good as it meant we could pre-clear customers at Dublin Airport. After we finally arrived into JFK we got through the airport really quickly and picked up our luggage. Our transfer was pre-booked but we had to wait over 40 minutes for the shuttle to arrive. The transfer then took 3 hours to get to our hotel in the area of Hell's Kitchen. If you are not taking a lot of luggage I would suggest using public transport to avoid the traffic.
After checking in at the hotel it was around 5pm so we headed out for an early dinner. We made our way through Times Square (overrated or what?) to the Hard Rock Café. Not the nicest one we've been to but it had to be ticked off and the local legendary pizza burger was quite good. A stroll back to our hotel and we called it a night.
The following morning we woke up early (jet lag woo) but this benefited us as it meant we could get up the Top Of The Rock before the crowds. It was quiet enough that you could walk round and take as many photos as you wanted without feeling you were in someone's way. The views were good but similar to any tall building in other cities yet considerably more expensive. I guess that's New York for you. A quick look around the Rockefeller centre and to observe the ice rink then we walked over to Fifth Avenue. SAKS had their Christmas window display which was Snow White themed and a crowd of people were forming to view the different scenes. As we were passing the shop we happened to meet Jay and Siva from the Wanted so we took a photo with them before looking in St Patricks Cathedral. There was a mass on so the Church was busy and there was singing taking place which led for a nice atmosphere. The interior was impressive and there was some pretty stained glass windows. A short walk and we made in to Grand Central Terminal for some breakfast. As we walked through I admired the art deco style and could picture so many things that had been filmed here! The food court on the bottom floor had an array of choice but we went for bacon and egg burgers from the popular Shake Shack. Upon leaving the terminal we walked past the Chrysler building and the Empire state until we arrived at Macy's. After a little shop and a few purchased decorations later on the stores dedicated Christmas floor we left Macy's and headed towards the New York public library. Unfortunately we were too early for its opening hours so we mooched around Bryant Park's Christmas market where there was another skating rink. After a stroll through the heavily overpriced food stalls (more expensive than restaurants?) we could finally get in to the library. Another well decorated building with beautiful ceiling frescos, chandeliers and art deco detail. I would recommend visiting here to see the wonderful interior and exterior of the building. After many miles walked, we had a slice of pizza each then had an early night.
The next day was my birthday and we walked from our hotel in the direction of Central Park. Our first stop was Bouchon bakery for breakfast where I had the best French toast I have ever tasted! Delicious! A walk past Trump tower and we were in Central Park. It was fairly quiet for a Monday morning but the Autumn leaves were out in incredible colours. We spent a good few hours and after quite a long walk (we underestimated how big the park was!) we finally found the American museum of natural history. As featured of course in the Night at the Museum movies, it was understandably busy. We went first to the canteen for a quick snack and to have a rest after a few miles walk and to wait for the 3D show to start. Excellent mac and cheese by the way for anyone visiting... The show we picked was the Earthflight which was a BBC documentary with some incredible footage mainly of birds. They had actually attached cameras to birds wings which led to some fantastic views made even better by the fact it was in 3D. Once the show had finished we could explore the museum including a huge whale, an origami Christmas tree, an Easter island head and a dinosaur skeleton. We spent a good three hours exploring the massive museum which has thousands of exhibits. There really is something that everyone would enjoy. After leaving the museum we walked back towards our hotel stopping off at a restaurant I had read about called The Meatball Shop. After a quick change at the hotel we headed out for the evening. A short walk from Hell's Kitchen took us to Radio City where we were going to watch the Rockette's Christmas spectacular. The building was incredible, it was the most Christmassy thing I have ever seen. Outside there was a huge light t
ree as well as inside where there was chandeliers in the shape of a tree. There was also light wreaths around the lobby and every audience member was given a Santa hat to wear throughout the show. The show was heavily over-the-top but was very enjoyable. I would recommend anyone who is in New York while the show is on to go and see it. It was fairly inexpensive but really got me into the Christmas mood. They even had real animals on the stage and a 3D part during the show. It was very festive and a great experience. After a quick stop for a slice of Oreo cheesecake then we called it a night.
The next day we headed out for brunch at a little place called Rustic Table. The food was overpriced but it was very nice with an unusual but tasty menu. The rest of the morning was spent walking the High Line which used to be a train line but has now been turned into a park. It looks down
onto the meat packing district and there are great skyline views. We walked through Chelsea until we got to Washington Square park before catching the subway down to the 9/11 memorial. It was interesting but harrowing to see where the towers stood and to think about what happened on that awful day and the consequences its had since. After a look around the Oculus shops and another mall near Battery park we watched the sun set over the river with the Statue of Liberty in the distance. Another visit to the Meatball shop before heading to our show for the night. Anastasia was one of my favourite films as a child so when I saw it was on Broadway I had to go and see it. The show was excellent, the theatre was old which let it down a little but otherwise it was fantastic. The story is so good anyway and the actors were really good. I thoroughly enjoyed it but because the theatre was dated it meant the seat layout didn't allow for the best viewing. Another slice of cheesecake and it was bedtime.
Our final morning in New York started with a walk to see Times Square one last time. A quick look around the shops before transferring to the airport for our onward flight to Vegas.
After checking in at the hotel it was around 5pm so we headed out for an early dinner. We made our way through Times Square (overrated or what?) to the Hard Rock Café. Not the nicest one we've been to but it had to be ticked off and the local legendary pizza burger was quite good. A stroll back to our hotel and we called it a night.
The following morning we woke up early (jet lag woo) but this benefited us as it meant we could get up the Top Of The Rock before the crowds. It was quiet enough that you could walk round and take as many photos as you wanted without feeling you were in someone's way. The views were good but similar to any tall building in other cities yet considerably more expensive. I guess that's New York for you. A quick look around the Rockefeller centre and to observe the ice rink then we walked over to Fifth Avenue. SAKS had their Christmas window display which was Snow White themed and a crowd of people were forming to view the different scenes. As we were passing the shop we happened to meet Jay and Siva from the Wanted so we took a photo with them before looking in St Patricks Cathedral. There was a mass on so the Church was busy and there was singing taking place which led for a nice atmosphere. The interior was impressive and there was some pretty stained glass windows. A short walk and we made in to Grand Central Terminal for some breakfast. As we walked through I admired the art deco style and could picture so many things that had been filmed here! The food court on the bottom floor had an array of choice but we went for bacon and egg burgers from the popular Shake Shack. Upon leaving the terminal we walked past the Chrysler building and the Empire state until we arrived at Macy's. After a little shop and a few purchased decorations later on the stores dedicated Christmas floor we left Macy's and headed towards the New York public library. Unfortunately we were too early for its opening hours so we mooched around Bryant Park's Christmas market where there was another skating rink. After a stroll through the heavily overpriced food stalls (more expensive than restaurants?) we could finally get in to the library. Another well decorated building with beautiful ceiling frescos, chandeliers and art deco detail. I would recommend visiting here to see the wonderful interior and exterior of the building. After many miles walked, we had a slice of pizza each then had an early night.
The next day was my birthday and we walked from our hotel in the direction of Central Park. Our first stop was Bouchon bakery for breakfast where I had the best French toast I have ever tasted! Delicious! A walk past Trump tower and we were in Central Park. It was fairly quiet for a Monday morning but the Autumn leaves were out in incredible colours. We spent a good few hours and after quite a long walk (we underestimated how big the park was!) we finally found the American museum of natural history. As featured of course in the Night at the Museum movies, it was understandably busy. We went first to the canteen for a quick snack and to have a rest after a few miles walk and to wait for the 3D show to start. Excellent mac and cheese by the way for anyone visiting... The show we picked was the Earthflight which was a BBC documentary with some incredible footage mainly of birds. They had actually attached cameras to birds wings which led to some fantastic views made even better by the fact it was in 3D. Once the show had finished we could explore the museum including a huge whale, an origami Christmas tree, an Easter island head and a dinosaur skeleton. We spent a good three hours exploring the massive museum which has thousands of exhibits. There really is something that everyone would enjoy. After leaving the museum we walked back towards our hotel stopping off at a restaurant I had read about called The Meatball Shop. After a quick change at the hotel we headed out for the evening. A short walk from Hell's Kitchen took us to Radio City where we were going to watch the Rockette's Christmas spectacular. The building was incredible, it was the most Christmassy thing I have ever seen. Outside there was a huge light t
ree as well as inside where there was chandeliers in the shape of a tree. There was also light wreaths around the lobby and every audience member was given a Santa hat to wear throughout the show. The show was heavily over-the-top but was very enjoyable. I would recommend anyone who is in New York while the show is on to go and see it. It was fairly inexpensive but really got me into the Christmas mood. They even had real animals on the stage and a 3D part during the show. It was very festive and a great experience. After a quick stop for a slice of Oreo cheesecake then we called it a night.The next day we headed out for brunch at a little place called Rustic Table. The food was overpriced but it was very nice with an unusual but tasty menu. The rest of the morning was spent walking the High Line which used to be a train line but has now been turned into a park. It looks down
onto the meat packing district and there are great skyline views. We walked through Chelsea until we got to Washington Square park before catching the subway down to the 9/11 memorial. It was interesting but harrowing to see where the towers stood and to think about what happened on that awful day and the consequences its had since. After a look around the Oculus shops and another mall near Battery park we watched the sun set over the river with the Statue of Liberty in the distance. Another visit to the Meatball shop before heading to our show for the night. Anastasia was one of my favourite films as a child so when I saw it was on Broadway I had to go and see it. The show was excellent, the theatre was old which let it down a little but otherwise it was fantastic. The story is so good anyway and the actors were really good. I thoroughly enjoyed it but because the theatre was dated it meant the seat layout didn't allow for the best viewing. Another slice of cheesecake and it was bedtime.Our final morning in New York started with a walk to see Times Square one last time. A quick look around the shops before transferring to the airport for our onward flight to Vegas.
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