The NYC Diaries: The Trip | Travel By Harrison

It really is the city that never sleeps. 

I'm back! Hello, how are you all? 

Welcome to a week full of blog posts, all dedicated to 'The City Of Dreams'. 

In today's blog post, all it's going to be is me showing you some of the pictures I took and talking you through our trip. These are just 6 out of 403 pictures, so as you can imagine, It was hard to pick the best ones. 

But for now, sit back, grab a tea & some snacks and enjoy this mammoth post all bout my trip to NYC. 

Day 1. A day full of travelling with a 4:00am alarm. We head straight for the airport, check in, mooched in duty free & board the flight. Absolutely no issues, straight forward & easy. 

On the flight, I got through 3 films. Hidden Figures, Moonlight & Jackie. 

We then landed a JFK at 1:00pm, jumped in a taxi for a 45 minute transfer into Manhattan and onto our hotel. Our hotel was call ROW NYC and it was located in Times Square. 

After showering & unpacking, we then hit the streets of NYC. Times Square first, then onto 5th Avenue where I made my first purchase (stay tuned for a NYC haul post) then down to Flatiron which is the building above, passing the Empire State and the New York Public Library on the way. 

After finishing there, we then head back towards Times Square to a restaurant called Virgil's for their famous Train wreck fries, which was a recommendation by a customer at work. Incredible. 

So there it was, a whistle stop day 1. Keep reading for a jam packed day 2. 

I think day 2 was probably my favourite. After a restless night (like I said, It really is the city that never sleeps) we were out the door at 7:00am. We made our way up 6th Avenue, passing Radio City Music Hall and the 21st Century Fox building, then up to Central Park. There was a ladies run going on around the city, so we stopped to watch the TV presenters from GMA, soaked up the atmosphere before heading for breakfast. 

Breakfast was in Sarabeth's at Central Park. After reading countless recommendations about this, I was not disappointed. Beware, it's pricy. It cost us $100 just for breakfast! We then went into Central park for a leisurely stroll. Bare in mind, it's 10km long... it's a big one. 

After Central Park, head down 5th Avenue to the Rockefeller Centre and went right to the top for some incredible views of NYC. 

Then it was on to Grand Central Station where we stopped to take pictures & purchased our first Metro Card. Jumping on the Subway for the first time, I was pretty nervous (I hate the tubes here in London) but actually, it was so easy... and surprisingly clean!! So we got off at Macy's to have a mooch around & obviously I bought something else here before then heading down to the Meatpacking District. 

Once here, we went on The Highline which is an old railway track that has now been transformed into a walkway with water fountains, plants & ice cream stalls. We took a look in Chelsea Market before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. 

Dinner that day was in Red Lobster. 

Day 3 was probably our most chilled day. We woke up early again, grabbed a coffee, then got straight on the subway and went to Greenwich Village. For sure, my favourite part of NYC. Greenwich has a more chilled vibe, quieter streets and boutique style shop. For any of you Sex And The City fans, Carrie Bradshaw's house is here in Greenwich. Number 66 Perry Street. 

After looking round the village, we walked (It was a bloody long walk) to Soho. Again, a bit more of a chilled vibe here, out of the city with unique shops & cafes. Here is the home of the Glossier showroom which saw me go a little crazy and purchase a whole set of products. 

(Keep your eyes peeled for a review). 

We then took a Subway to Brooklyn Bridge. A mile long bridge stretching from NYC to Brooklyn. Amazing sights, but walking that mile in 95 degree heat, wasn't ideal. We stopped over in Brooklyn for a drink, made the mile walk back & head straight for the hotel. 

That evening was spent at the Tony Awards red carpet (ooh fancy), then a Shake Shack, in bed watching the TV. I told you it was a chilled day. 

Day 4 was another hectic one. The 9/11 memorial was first on the list (after breakfast in a typical New York deli). Honestly, it was an incredible memorial and what they have done to remember all those lives lost, is just phenomenal. Warning: some of the voice recordings and images are pretty harrowing. Definitely worth a visit though. 

After that, we head down to Wall Street and then onto the Staten Island Ferry. I have a little tip about getting the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty, so watch out for my 'tips' post to hear all about it. 

The ferry trip was amazing over to Liberty Island, witnessing the typical Manhattan skyline as we go and also seeing the worlds largest, privately owned yacht just sat there in the harbour. 90 million dollars and it has 2 boats, on the boat!! Bloody ridiculous. 

The evening was spent shopping around B&H camera store, spending too much money as always. 

The image above is the view from our hotel room. Pretty cool, right?

The 5th and final day was a morning spent in Greenwich village, Central Park & Times Square, before checking out and heading to the airport. 

Again, the travel back so simple and easy, no hiccups and I managed to sleep for the entire flight. 

As I mentioned, I have plenty of pictures, which means plenty of blog post opportunities. But for now, that was a summing up of the most hectic trip to New York.

Also, check out my first vlog from the trip below!

I'll see you back here tomorrow, for more on NYC. 

| Harrison |