35 Days around the Sun: New York, USA

Hope you enjoyed my first bucket list destination last week. It was so exciting writing again and what a country to start with! Next up is another special place in my heart, and somewhere I have longed to visit. New York, USA!! As a kid I have always wanted to visit, especially in the colder months and think going at Christmas would be a magical experience. So this post is dedicated to another fantastic city which made Home Alone famous! 

Credit: Forbes.com

How to get here: 

There are a few ways to get to New York from London, Virgin Atlantic have some really good deals on at the moment to (JFK) from (LHR) if you book for June you can get there starting from as low as £363.00 return within 2 weeks in Economy. Price based on 1 person. (If you are a frequent flyer with Virgin you can also use your Virgin points- starting from 12,000 points & if you pay an extra £274). 

Once you land at JFK you will want to get around the city to your accommodation, most people take one of the cities famous Yellow Taxi's which will cost you the flat rate of $70 plus Toll charges from the airport straight to the heart of Manhattan. As a cheaper alternative option & a great one if you are travelling light with hand luggage why not give their infamous Subway a try.

Credit: cityguideny.com

Where to stay: 

NYC is such a large city and there is endless possibilities when it comes to picking a place to stay, If I were to plan my bucket list trip here I would definitely opt for a hotel in the Central Park area. I believe this is one of the most magical parts of the city, and its got great transport links & is easily accessible to walk around to other parts of the city. I have two options for you: 

I have found a stunning 5 star boutique hotel situated on the classy 6th Avenue. The hotel is adjacent to Central Park (pond end of the park) and is surrounded by so many luxury hotels including The Ritz & loads of amazing restaurants. 

Rooms start from £634.00 per night based on 2 people room share. Rooms are spacious yet cosy, very contemporary & in keeping with the natural surroundings of Central park. They come with open plan seating areas, massive super king beds and gorgeous views of Manhattan & the park in particular.  For a full run down of facilities check out their website where you can also check out their facilities inside the hotel including restaurant/bar & wellness facilities.  

Credit: 1Hotels.com

Places to visit, eat & drink: 

There are so many amazing places to visit, eat & drink and you really could stay here for months to be able to even see everything. I am going to give you a small round up of top attractions, restaurant's and bars by district. 

Central Park- Why not take a stroll around the park take a picnic or visit one of the many amazing food trucks on offer whilst you are there? This part of town is the best for nature lovers & the adventure type.

Top restaurant- Tavern on the Green- offering authentic American food within the park with amazing views. Big outside courtyard. Booking & menu can be found here.

Place for a drink- Bemelmans Bar located in The Carlyle hotel- Come for sophisticated cocktails with a view of the park & piano player/jazz nights. 

Credit: Trip Advisor

Other famous attractions- You need to put these misc attractions on your bucket list too! Climb to the top of the Empire State building for photos across the NYC skyline. Statue of Liberty & Liberty island is a must!! (you could probably combine the two in one day!) 

So there we have a little guide on NYC- focusing on one of the places I want to visit the most- Central Park. Have you got any other recco's for NYC? if so let me know in the comments....

Next month I will be posting my third country/city on the bucket list let me know if you can guess what it is.