As the bright lights from the towering buildings above shine
down on Times Square, it’s easy to
see why New York is called the city that never sleeps.
Touching down in JFK the buzz of the erratic city instantly hit me, however taking a coach out of the airport and through the streets of Queens, the New York we're all so used to seeing in American TV shows was not the one to greet me. No Statue of Liberty? No Central Park? No Empire State Building? However, traveling further down the highway and approaching Brooklyn Bridge, the sights before me were the ones that epitomised the famous city.
Crossing the Hudson River, I was in awe of the twinkling skyline that shone in the distance before me. I couldn't wait to explore.
However, after a long day of traveling and finally arriving at the hotel at 7:30pm (New York time), the jet lag was beginning to hit me. Easing into what was set out to be a frantic week, we finished the day with a relaxing meal at Hard Rock Café in Times Square, fully preparing ourselves for the days to come.
The first day in the city was kick started with a trip down the street to Dunkin' Donuts for a hot chocolate and three donut breakfast; very nutritious and also incredibly delicious! Heading straight for 5th avenue we started the day the best way we knew how, shopping. Stopping only briefly for a bite to eat, the whole day was spend down New York's most famous street and as daylight turned to dusk we headed up one of the state's most iconic landmarks, the Empire State Building.
Watching the whole of New York turn from day to night from 84 stories high was an incredible experience and one that I won't forget in a hurry.
Concluding a perfect first day, we returned back to the hotel in a more lavish way than the way we had left that morning. Managing to charm our way into a limousine we toured some of the city's most famous spots before getting chauffeured back to the hotel, all for the small price of $5.
Waking up at the crack of down, the second day brought a lot more shopping accompanied by a tour of NBC studios. Home to some of America's most famous TV shows including Saturday Night Live (SNL), a programme that sees a different celebrity play host each week, The Today Show and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, the first stop on the tour was the NBC history theatre where the history of NBC radio and how the network transitioned into television was explained. This was followed by a tour through the studios that play host to SNL and the newsrooms of NBC Nightly News; a must for any media fan.
Of course any visit to NYC wouldn't be complete without boarding the ferry at Staten Island to visit Lady Liberty herself. Traveling slowly across the river and as the ice cold February winds pierced the face of every passenger on board I started to wonder whether the journey would be worth it at all. However, once we'd arrived at the island and were stood at the foot of The Statue of Liberty standing proud, I knew instantly that braving the cold was definitely worth it.
The final afternoon of the trip was spent browsing the streets of SOHO after taking a walk around the infamous Central Park. Filled with snow, and saxophone and guitar players on every corner, it's easy to see why it's one of the world's most famous parks. Taking a calming walk through the park, the hustle and bustle of New York City is forgotten, and with the option of a horse and carriage to take you around all 843 acres, Central Park is one of my favourite things about the beautiful city.
Hailing a cab back to the hotel (which is a lot harder in reality than is perceived on TV), it was time to collect our suitcases and catch a coach back to the airport. No Statue of Liberty. No Central Park. Definitely no Empire State Building.
New York, New York, the city that really is so nice, they named it twice.
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