okaybee

No better place to kick off my 2016 travels than New York City.

I’ve been to New York a few times before, but there’s always other things I want to do when I book a trip. Safe to say, I’ve done a lot of the touristy things before, including a helicopter trip over Manhattan! This time I was going to visit a friend who just moved over and I really just wanted to soak up the city, have some amazing food, and catch up with my friend, Creina.

Day One

So it was gross when I landed in NYC. I’m talking, pouring rain, cold and miserable. Not ideal for lugging a big heavy case around! I freshened up and met up with a friend from when I studied in France, it was so crazy seeing each other after five years! After having a few drinks in this little locals bar called Junction, and some Red Bull to combat the jet lag, we met with my friend Creina and headed to Vezzo for pizza. If you’re ever in NYC, you need to go here! Light, thin pizza with incredible toppings, you can’t miss it!

Afterwards we headed to Middle Branch for some drinks and then to Cask for a nightcap, not that it was needed at that stage! I’m happy to say I survived to about 1.30am NYC time, before I had to crash!

Day Two

Despite a slight hangover and lack of sleep, my body was wide awake at 6am. Don’t you just love when that happens?! Seeing as I was up, I decided to head downtown, get some breakfast and do some shopping and sight seeing. It was only later that day that I realised I literally walked the length of Manhattan. Starting in Midtown, I walked West towards Times Square, cut up to Central Park, walked to the Met, got a subway down to Union Square, walked down to Soho, back to Greenwich Village, up the Westside, and back to Midtown. Obviously there were pit stops along the way but that was way more walking than I expected to do!

So I know I said I’ve done a lot of the touristy things in New York before, and I have, but there’s always more to do. Having a mom who is an artist means that I usually try to get some culture in when I visit a new city. The fact that I’ve been to New York so many times and not set foot inside a museum really annoys my mom, until now! My first full day in New York, I headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Any fashion fans out there will know it is where the iconic Met Gala is held every year. It is an incredible museum, honestly you could spent hours in there wandering around. Entrance is a suggested fee of $25.

I also did a little window shopping while wandering around the city that day, but I was in the touristy mood so didn’t really want to be trying on clothes. So unlike me! That night, after making a quick trip to a rooftop bar called Spyglass, we ordered sushi and sat around drinking wine before heading out for the night.

Day Three

I headed to the American Museum of Natural History the following day. To be honest, the best part about that for me was the dinosaurs, they were absolutely incredible! I wasn’t that interested in all the birds and that kind of thing, but that’s just personal preference. Entrance is a suggested fee of $22. Afterwards, we grabbed lunch in Isabella’s, which is right around the corner from the museum. It was pretty nice although it wasn’t the best place I went to for food on my trip.

Later that afternoon, I treated myself to something I’ve wanted for a while. A GoPro. I have some really great trips planned already this year and I wanted something that I would be able to capture everything on. I started recording straight away, which you’ll see more of below!

Despite it being Friday night, Creina and I were so tired! I really feel like such an old lady saying this but I was happy to have a night in. We went out for a few drinks in East Village, before deciding that all we wanted in life was a slab of cookie dough, a bottle of wine, and our pyjamas. It was such a lovely night getting to catch up and chill out.

Day Four

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned a thousand times, how much I hate jet lag, so I won’t go on about it again. However, there are some benefits. Getting up at 6am to see the sun rise over New York, getting to wander around the city while it’s quiet and calm, and, believe it or not, getting to see Times Square. One of my least favourite places in New York is Times Square. I think anyone who’s been here will agree with me. It’s crowded, noisy, and there’s all those people dressed up as Super Mario and Olaf trying to get you to take photos with them. However, it is one of those places you need to see. If you’re like me and suffer from major jet lag, then I suggest you should head over to Times Square early. A lot of the shops are open at 8am, it’s not crowded and you get to see all the crazy bright lights. Win win.

One of my favourite things to do in New York is to walk the Brooklyn Bridge. The last time I was in NY, I walked the bridge at night with my friends, this time I really wanted to see it in the day time. Luckily at this stage the weather was incredible, we literally had the best possible weather to walk the bridge. We wandered around Brooklyn for a bit before heading to Yerba Buena for brunch and my favourite meal of the whole trip. You need to go there for brunch, it’s incredible! You will leave drunk and dying for a nap, and it’s worth it.

That night, we headed out, after our drunken naps, to meet another friend of mine from college in France. I just got really lucky that the weekend I was in New York, they also happened to be in town! We went out to 310 Bowery first and then ended up in Arlene’s Grocery. Don’t ask me how we went from one to the other, I have no recollection. What I do remember is ending my night in Katz Deli with the biggest turkey sandwich ever. It is the best end of the night food ever!

Day Five

My last day in New York and we went to one of Creina’s favourite brunch places, Penelope. My only advice to you is arrive early! The wait was an hour and a half for us. No joke. For some people it was two hours. Luckily we were slightly hungover and happy to sit on the bench outside, laughing about the night before and waiting for our friends to arrive. It was also totally worth it for the Nutella french toast. 100% worth it.

Afterwards we went strolling downtown, did a little shopping before deciding to do the last touristy thing. I had wanted to go to Top of the Rock ever since my first visit to New York, but it never seemed to happen for one reason or another. Again, we had the perfect weather so we had to go. The views are breathtaking. You can see for miles. I’m so glad we dragged our hungover asses there! By the time we got back, it was time to head to the airport.

As I mentioned earlier, I got a GoPro while I was away. I tried a bit of filming and put it all together a few days ago. Needless to say, it’s an obvious learners first attempt, but I really enjoyed making it! Check it out below and let me know what you think! If you like what you see, you can subscribe to my channel where there will be lots more travel videos coming your way!

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