Last few days of NYC

In the last days we rushed around making sure we had seen everything we had wanted and bought all the things we had wanted to take home.

We walked the High Line, which is a park built on the elevated train lines that used to cover manhattan.

I spent about an hour picking converse and debating over a Marc Jacobs bag.

We went back to our favourite food places. Sian went to Tiffanys to buy herself a bracelet. We went to the Palace, a hotel used in Gossip Girl. We'd also seen Christina Perri, she was fantastic.

We came home.

I still feel like I've not done everything there I want to and want to go back.

Philly

Sian and I had planned to do two day trips, Philadelphia and Washington, but after losing two days to illness we decided just to do Philly as I've been to Washington once before.

We caught a mega bus which took about 2 hours and was a bargain!

Once there though, we didn't really know what to do, so did their hop on-hop off bus tour.

We learnt so much American history, so felt a bit geeky! Also saw the Liberty Bell.

We inevitably went to a Starbucks, we needed a Philadelphia mug of course (Sian also collects these from places she's been)!

We also spent the day singing the Fresh Prince theme tune. So cool.

Sex and the City

I love SATC as you may have guessed from other posts. I'd dragged my poor boy around the SATC tour when I went before, but knew it was something I had to do with Sian.

The guides running this tour are hilarious, though ours was a comedienne in her other job.
So we saw where Charlotte buys her rabbit from and had about 20 minutes to walk around the shop. We saw the church where Samantha meets Friar Fuck, the shoe shop where Carrie's bank card is declined and her friend's lover buys the shoes!

We stopped at Magnolia bakery where Carrie admits she has 'a little crush' (on Aiden).

Another stop is the restaurant where Carrie and Big have the meal before the wedding and she has her 'last single girl kiss'!

The final and favourite stop is Aiden's bar. Not only because its beautiful, but it is also a chance to have a Cosmo!

It was great fun, though there is pots you don't see, I'd already shown Sian some of the other sites.

Controversially I don't really like the four women in Sex and the City and I'm an Aiden not a Big fan, but that's really for another day!!!

Top of the Rock

Sian, experienced with vomiting in NYC bounced back the next morning, but I couldn't even hold my water. With a boat trip planned around the good weather, I opted to stay in bed. I've done it before and do recommend it.

I stayed in bed until mid afternoon. Feeling a bit better, well I held my water and felt hungry, Sian and I headed to the Top of the Rock. We had to do it in this small window of time as the weather was expected to change the next day.

Top of the Rock is one of my most favourite views. Getting there just before sunset and as NYC lights up is incredible.

New York Foody Delights

Much of our trip to New York was planned around food. There were so many places we wanted to go and eat and NYC has some incredible food.

Over the next few days we discovered a cute place for south american food, they did these fabulous corn on the cobs and great margaritas. We went to Rice to Riches to sample the wide variety of flavours of rice pudding.

We went to Chipotle, a burrito fast food chain, we do have them in London, but much more expensive. We went to Whole Foods Supermarket,  and I love, love, love foreign supermarkets! We also have a few of these in London, I try to go whenever I'm there, the food is yummy.

We went to a bar that was also a salon, you could get your nails done and a cocktail for $10 and sit under an old fashioned hairdryer sipping on a cocktail named after a hairstyle or colour! And we also ate the most amazing crepe, they blow torched the crepe to caramelise the sugar! We went to the Shake Shack, they do scrummy dirty american burgers, crinkled fries and milkshakes made with custard.

 We went to a cowgirl bar (also in SATC) that did margaritas in a slushy machine and served it in a jam jar. And we also went to my favourite restaurant, but Sian vommed again, so we had to leave. I made it back to the hotel before I vommed too.

NYC Sweetness

Cocktails at Dylan's

With my girl back in action, we spent a day heading up 5th Avenue. Our evening was the most fun, we went to Dylan' Candy Bar. Dylan's is the most amazing sweet shop ever and now they do cocktails. There was a Strawberry Nerd Mojito, I had this amazing drink that you drop candy floss into and it dissolves.



We then went to Serendipity for dinner, which is used in several films and the food there is so good, but they don't serve alcohol and the portions were so big there was no room for a sundae which is what you go to Serendipity for. They do a sundae called Golden Opulence, its only $1,000.

We walked past a very stunning Bloomingdales on our way back to the subway.

Bloomingdales at night

Brooklyn Bridge

The following day, things did not go to plan! We walked over Brooklyn Bridge with intentions to go to the Botanical Gardens to see the cherry blossom, but when we got to Brooklyn we were so wet, we abandoned the idea and went back to Manhattan and up to the Natural History Museum, the perfect place to spend a wet afternoon! I'd been before but had not seen the big whale.


After this we went looking for food and drink, on the verge of giving up, we found a street full of bars and restaurants. So we hit a bar in time for happy hour, which was a little too happy, we then had paella and too much sangria. Probably the drunkest we got in NYC.

But instead of heading to bed, we jumped on the subway and decided to go up the Empire State Building. It was about 11pm and really quiet. Though Sian did fall out of hotel and sprain her ankle on the way there.

On the Subway

A trip up the Empire State is a must. Whenever I'm in a foreign city, I love 'going up' something. You're spoilt for choice in New York, I actually prefer Top of the Rock, but because you get the view with the Empire State in it (those photos will follow). But do both, because its great seeing the city at different times of the day (and night). 

Times Square to the left, Rockefeller to the right

Looking Downtown

Times Square

Looking West towards New Jersey

Alone Time in NYC

The next day, Sian was still not feeling good so she stayed at the hotel and being unsure about what she had, was it breakfast, the motion sickness of the bus or sitting in a greenhouse or a bug? We decided she wanted sleep and I didn't want to chance catching anything, so I headed out. I didn't want to do anything touristy that Sian would want to do, so I had little choice but to go shopping. 

 I head downtown to Soho, and straight to Dean and Deluca for breakfast. Dean and Deluca do the best latte I have ever had (yes, reader, more than Starbucks and I'm sure by now you know how much I love Starbucks!), I also had a pistachio and chocolate swirl, it was so so good!

Breakfast

I did some good shopping and then needed food again, at which point Sian decided she was feeling well enough to leave the hotel, so she came and met me.

To cheer her up, I took Sian on a tour of the West Village, which was a little tour of our favourite tv series, we saw the Friends Building, Carrie's Stoop and we stopped at Magnolia Bakery (Another SATC sight), and where Sian was feeling well enough for food!

The Friends Building

Carrie's Stoop

Cupcakes from Magnolia

The first few days in New York

The first day in New York was reasonably uneventful, we did the downtown bus loop to help Sian get her bearings and to see some of the sights, and then we did the uptown one. You can do too many bus tours, but generally they're entertaining. Sian may not agree...stay posted...and we ended the day with a carpet picnic from the deli across the road from our hotel.

The Flat Iron

The Empire State

The Freedom Tower

 The second day was reasonably eventful. I had previously booked to go to Pastis for brunch. I had eggs benedict and it was lovely, I can't remember what Sian had, except I know there was maple syrup in it, more on that later. We wandered around the Meatpacking and Chelsea areas, went to Chelsea Market which was gorgeous, I'd never been before. 

Chelsea Market

Then we caught the bus that did the loop over and around Brooklyn. Now, I should tell you that it was a very warm, sunny day and the bus we were on had a clear, perspex roof, it was like a greenhouse. It was somewhere in Brooklyn where Sian started to feel unwell, it was the longest bus journey ever. When we eventually were returned to Manhattan, Sian vomed in Battery Park. A peruvian doctor took great interest in this and stayed with us until we decided to return to the hotel. 

New York, New York

My Bestie and I went to Belgium together last Christmas and had a great time, which was just as well as it was practice for spending two weeks in New York together. Siân had never been to New York before, this was my fourth time. 

We flew on American Airlines (never again), I've flown Continential before and was more luxurious. I don't mind flying, it is the boredom that I hate, American Airlines showed one film, on one screen for every five rows (crooked neck). But its one of those things you just have to deal with to get there.

Our bus dropped us at Grand Central from here, it's a short walk to our hotel, once checked in and showered we did what was inevitable. We went to Starbucks. We got Iced Caramel Macs and sat in Bryant Park, which I have to say is one of my favourites in New York. 

After this, we went for a little wonder around our local area to help Siân become familiar with it. So the other inevitability was we ended up with a cocktail in our hands! 

With a some food and too many cocktails in our bellies, we went to Times Square. I cannot recommend this enough, if you have never been to New York before, do not rush to Times Square, wait until night fall. At this time the lights are spectacular and the atmosphere will blow you away, it's how it is meant to be seen!