NYC|| Main NYC trip, Manhattan, part 1

During the end of last month you may all remember I went to New York City.  Oh my god I don't even know where to begin in telling you just how amazing New York City really is. It really is one of those places you have to see to believe!  Forget Rome, forget Vienna, this city knocks them all out of the water, It was like the whole city had transformed into this magical, Christmas wonderland. I am already looking at flights to take us back!! 4 days were just not enough time at all.. I need at least a year! 

There is honestly just so much to share with you guys, I have been racking my brains trying to figure out how I am going to actually document my entire 4 days in the City and the only way I can think to cover it all, is by writing separate blog posts of all the things we got up to in each borough (we managed to visit all 5 in 4 days). 

So without further ado I am going to kick things off with all the main highlights from our stay in Manhattan- arguably the most popular and famous borough out of them all. This is certainly where all the action happened on our trip you don't want to miss this! 

Flight

We flew out from London Heathrow Airport on the morning of the 28th November (around 8 am), we booked our return flight with British Airways and managed to get an upgrade from our premium economy cabin for a few hundred quid more each way. So luckily for us we ended up flying in their business class cabin (aka Club World), the flight was very comfortable and service was exceptional (I think we will be flying business class on most long haul trips from now on).  

We were fortunate enough to also have a better menu than what would have been in premium economy. I am usually a bit funny with the breakfasts on flights but was pleasantly surprised this time round. We both opted for the Continental breakfast option of meat cheeses and bread with fresh fruit. It was surprisingly filling and very refreshing. 

We were also complimented with various snacks and free drinks on board during our flight, and everyone also got another meal given to us for free at around 2pm. This time it was sandwiches, wraps and hot toasted bagels. This then filled us up until 4pm when we finally landed. 

Hotel

So you probably all remembered from the post I wrote before we went away that we picked to stay in the Marriott Marquis hotel right on Broadway. Well it was better than I had ever thought possible. When we rode up to the hotel in our little yellow taxi (one of the best feelings ever, I can tell you!) My heart felt so warm, and my adrenaline was going through the roof! I was just that excited (slightly jet lagged too can I add). I think we must have landed our flight and got to the hotel at around 4pm (local time). We had an amazing concierge show us in and a porter who collected our belongings, as soon as I knew it we were all checked in and waiting in the lift to take us up to our very fancy room.  

Myself and my boyfriend I'll admit are usually room snobs, and if our room doesn't feel right we usually try to upgrade to a suite (if there's any left of course) especially if we are not in a luxury 5 star hotel, anyway to cut a long story short, this time we were so impressed with our room in this hotel we didn't even enquire about swapping or upgrading!  So that people is how you know, its an amazing hotel. 

Our room were beautifully decorated, the bed was big and spacious and extremely comfortable (as seen above) and the bathrooms were even more beautiful all ultra modern and well styled! We had two big wardrobes to fit all our winter clothes in (and shopping) and a nice little lounge area by the window to soak up the perfect views of the city skyline. We couldn't have asked for a better stay. We had the most perfect double, with an astounding view of the city! I honestly wish it was my apartment and was a little bit sad when it was time to leave! 

we were way too excited to nap that first afternoon, so we headed straight for Times Square and in search of some of that famous NYC fast food, and to have a little explore of the area. 

The famous sights of NYC

Okay so this next section is dedicated to all of the famous sights we saw in Manhattan, during our 4 day trip. We managed to fit in the main touristy sights, and also a few added extras (mainly because they looked great in a photograph). So read on below to find out more. 

Times Square

We were lucky enough to have a room which over looked the famous square (as seen in all our amazing hotel photo's above) . Of course it was over crowded at most points during the day (and evenings too), but that didn't stop us having a roam and getting a few touristy snaps. If you are someone like me who actually enjoys crowds, and people watching you will really enjoy it here! So many amazing different people, all doing different things. We travelled on the Subway by The Square and this again was also very crowded (not as nice) but a very worth while visit! This should be high on your NYC bucket list's for sure. 

Where to find: Manhattan, NY 10036. Nearest Subway: 42nd Street station

Empire State Building

This was one of our favourite touristy trips (bar the Statue of Liberty of course) we managed to get so many good photos of the New York City skyline. It was probably the only time either of us was silent, we were so busy trying to take the best snaps of the city skyline below. It was a breathtaking moment, a little scary if you don't do heights but a well worthy trip! The best thing about this place is day passes are sold throughout the city, so you can always guarantee a bit of money off! OR failing that can always buy them online here before you even get to New York. 

Where to find: 350 5th avenue, NY 10118. Nearest subway:  34th St- Herald Sq station

Rockefeller Centre

We didn't actually go into the centre, but we did do the standard ice skating on the rink outside! It was great fun, cold (wrap up warm) but we both had a good time. It made us feel really Christmas-y especially taking photos of the massive Christmas tree planted outside. This is one of my favourite buildings in NYC so really pleased I got to see it! You don't need to buy tickets until you get there, as they are sold on a first come first served basis! Make sure you know what times the skating is on by asking members of the team when you arrive. All info and tickets can be found and purchased in the Skate House. 

Adult tickets cost $7.50 , Children 12 and under $4, and skate hire is an additional $6.50 on top. 


Where to find: 45 Rockefeller Plaza, NY 10111.  Nearest subway:  47th-50th St's stations



Shopping (Macy's/Bloomingdale's/Fifth Avenue)

Need I say any more? The title (and I think the photograph above) explains it all doesn't it. There was A LOT if shopping which happened on our trip, some accidental, some not so accidental. We started our week off browsing round the shops on Fifth Avenue & then from there went to the two most well known department stores, Macy's & Bloomingdale's, we we went a little bit crazy.. I had to buy a separate smaller hand luggage case to get everything home in, because I didn't even want to throw any of the bags away, it was well worth the extra money on baggage allowances though! 

Where to find: Macy's-  151 W 34th St, NY 10001. 
Nearest subway: 34th St- Herald Sq.station

Bloomingdale- 1000 Third Avenue 59th St & Lexington Avenue, NY 10022
Nearest subway: Lexington Avenue/59th St station

Fifth Avenue-  all along Fifth Avenue
Nearest subway: Fifth Avenue- 59th St station

9/11 Memorial/ The Museum

One thing I will say about this experience is, you can never be fully prepared for just how overwhelmingly sad you will feel! It is not until you actually visit the memorial ground, that the events of that day become so real to you. I felt so consumed by my feelings here that I really struggled on the day we visited to get a grip on my emotions. I honestly could not stop thinking about what I saw, and how heartbroken I felt all day and evening, (especially in the museum, where you get to see real pieces of the wreckage). Don't let this put you off though because the site where the towers once lay is now so eerily quiet and calming, it really is a beautiful place to come and visit, take a moment and contemplate this massive moment in American history, and how it has shaped the entire world.  If there is once place I recommend on our NYC trip it is here! You get a real perspective when you visit the 9/11 memorial and the museum.

Where to find: Memorial- 180 Greenwich St, NY 10007.

Nearest subway: Fulton St. station

Central Park 

We were so lucky with the weather during our trip that it made visiting Central Park really enjoyable! It wasn't too cold on the day we visited, so we were able to stay out for quite a few hours. We saw loads of amazing things, including the famous Alice in Wonderland statue & we also visited their Zoo which was also really fun! Both of these things as you can imagine really popular with families & tourists so be careful &  prepare to queue/wait to get best views. 

Where to find: New York, NY 10024

Nearest subway: Various from 110th- 59th St & to 5th Avenue

Statue of Liberty

My one piece of main advise for visiting The Statue of Liberty, would be plan your travel route, and make sure you visit this early on. We unfortunately didn't plan our travel route very well and it ended up being quite stressful. One minute we were in a yellow taxi, next minute we found ourselves lost on the underground. Please don't do what we did, allow your self time and plan accordingly. Having said that though we did really enjoy our little trip to the island and managed to get some great shots (even if peoples heads were in the way too!).  

Where to find: New York, NY 10004

Nearest subway: Take the free Ferry to the island 



Wall Street/ Financial District

We made a very short pit stop here to the home of the Wolf of Wall Street, one afternoon. (Luckily before all the city workers were making their busy commute home). It is an especially interesting district to visit in NYC for me, because I work in Canary Wharf, London's financial district, and I have always wondered how the two compare. To be honest they are not that different, both full of big tall sky scrapper offices, lots of important people dashing around trying to make meetings and people generally going about their day. You cannot really spend an entire day here i don't think (without looking a bit lost, or strange), but it makes a great place to visit if you want to see lots of influential financial buildings including the American Stock Exchange building (and if you are a fan of the film Wolf of Wall Street). 

Grand Central Station

Grand Central Station has always been a favourite of mine, I have often dreamt about boarding a train from here and getting lost in my thoughts somewhere new and exciting in the city. Unfortunately on this trip we didn't have much time to waste getting lost in random parts of NYC so we just came here for a quick snoop inside and to get a couple of photos of the iconic station everyone adores. When I return (and hopefully for longer) I will board one of these trains and take a little day trip somewhere exciting, so watch this space!

So that is the hotel & the main sights out the way phew! I am going to be back in the new year with more sights we visited and the most amazing places we eat and drank in! Hope you enjoyed my post so far, and are equally as looking forward to hearing about what else we got up to on our trip to New York!