Stop number three on our north-east coast adventure was the one and only New York City. I visited the Big Apple for the first time three years ago, to celebrate my twenty first birthday in style, and I have been dying to go back ever since.
It’s safe to say that neither my boyfriend nor I needed much persuading to book a three night stay in one of the most exciting cities in the world!
***
Day 1 (Saturday)
The train journey up from Philadelphia was incredibly quick and painless, bringing us straight into the centre of the city – arriving into the busy hub of Penn Station. Our hotel was a bit of a trek away, due to its location by the Queensborough Bridge – Manhattan side – but eventually we arrived, checked in and were then ready to head out to explore Manhattan.
From our hotel we made it across to 5th, passing the iconic glass cuboid which houses the Apple Store on the way and then set off down 5th, doing a spot of window shopping as we went. We also popped into St Patrick’s Cathedral which somehow we had missed on our previous visit, and spent a short amount of time admiring its bright and lovely interior.
Making our way further down 5th we had a quick peep inside the New York Public Library before changing tack and leaving the shops behind. Zigzagging across the various avenues we eventually made it to Grand Central Station.
Despite this being my second visit, I still had to pinch myself – the place is just spectacular and there were so many features to appreciate – the ornate ticket booths with their brass grilles, the impressive information desk with its polished brass clock (which doubles as a compass), as well as the beautiful ceiling, painted in blue with gold tracings of the constellations – I had definitely missed the complexity of the decorations on my previous visit.
A quick walk through the station’s market brought us out onto E 42nd where we could see the art-nouveau giant, the Chrysler building, towering over us. From there we then made our way further south into the Flatiron district, popping into a cafe for a refuelling macaroon and cold drink and visiting the neighbouring sample sale as we went.
As the weather was so lovely outside we made the most of it and spent a while sitting in the sunshine in Madison Square Park, the location of the very first Shake Shack.
We couldn’t leave the area without a few snaps of the Flatiron building itself, which despite claiming the title of the world’s first skyscraper, is today rather minute in comparison to its modern counterparts.
Our next destination was Broadway, which runs diagonally across Manhattan, where we discovered at each intersection with a major avenue a pretty park or square – perfect for a short sit down on our way. Along the way, we opted to bear left into the Garment District, without any real sense of route, and eventually emerged on to 8th Avenue which we then walked along, passing Madison Square Gardens/ Penn Station as we went.
After a few more diversions, we made it to the bright lights of Times Square. As expected it was heaving with people, especially with what seemed to be groups of school kids.. I would not have liked to be the teachers in charge!!
From Times Square, we continued to walk up Broadway, theatre-spotting as we went, until we reached Columbus Circle. Crossing over the junction we made our way into the green and leafy oasis that is Central Park, offering some peace and tranquillity away from the busy streets. We skirted around the southern edge of the park, and couldn’t help but contrast between the majestic trees in the foreground and the imposing skyscrapers that tower over the park.
Crossing the pretty Bow Bridge (another thing to tick off my bucket list) we made our way around the pond before heading out of the park and back to the hotel for a quick outfit change.
Once we were suited and booted, we made for Molyvos on 7th, where we enjoyed a delicious Greek feast before we headed off to the day’s finale, our show of the night – Jersey Boys. Guys, it was a-mazing!
Stay tuned for Part 2 – coming soon …
