On the 16th Feb 2018 I found out I was going to NYC!

It was a big surprise and I had no clue about it but I had always said I wanted to go for my 21st birthday. When I opened the silver box it was full of surprises including the booking reference for flights dated 20th September – 26th September 2018.

Day 1

We arrived in NYC quite late at night but that didn’t matter as the city was alive! We dropped our bags in our hotel and went straight out. It was just unreal! 

Day 2

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Day 2 was all about the Empire State Building. We went to the very top of the viewing platform and it was one of the best experiences! The view was indescribable; you see it on films and pictures every day and when it’s in front of you it just doesn’t seem real.

The Empire State was right by our hotel so we had the best view all the time. For the rest of the day we went to see Central Park. The park is absolutely huge so we knew we would have to go back and spend a whole other day just going around it.

Day 3

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Day 3 was the busiest day! We got up really early and went to Top of the Rock which I would recommend on doing as it gets really busy the later you go. We didn’t have to queue for long and the viewing points weren’t too overcrowded. I preferred this view to the Empire State only because you could see the Empire State Building which looked amazing!

In the afternoon we went to Central Park and rented boats on the lake. This was my favourite part of the whole trip as it was so hot and everything was so pretty. We went right round the lake and even saw turtles in the water.

Strawberry fields is in Central Park and was high on my list of things to do. We visited the John Lennon memorial were buskers stood all around belting out Beatles anthems.

The World History Museum is the BEST museum I’ve ever been to and is so worth going even if it’s something you’re a bit hesitant about! To me it will always be the museum that comes to life. It’s right next to the park which is the reason we went and I’m glad we did.

Day 4

Day 4 was my favourite day. The reason we were able to do so much every day was because of the Hop-on Hop-off bus tours which took us around the city. We seen places like Wall Street and were free to just hop off at anytime to have a look at some of the city’s most famous spots. We eventually decided to get off so we could board the Staten Island Ferry.

If there is one thing to know it is this. Be sure to stand on the left side of the ferry. Otherwise you are missing out on all the views. They are amazing, you get to see a skyline view of the city, the Brooklyn Bridge and also get to pass the Statue of Liberty. We decided that just passing the statue was enough for us but you can get a separate ferry to Liberty Island.

When we got to Staten Island we had too much to do to wait around for a return ferry so if you run through the terminal quick enough you can take the same boat back. I would recommend doing this if you’ve got a busy schedule.

We then went into Greenwich village which has the best cafe’s and restaurants including a cafe under the ‘Friends’ apartment block which I was a fan of.

Day 5

The last day in NYC was spent at the 9\11 memorial and museum. This was such an emotional day. We spent about three hours in the museum before we went to the World Trade Centre. We waited until it was dark so we could see all the lights in the buildings. I would definitely recommend doing this because the views are unreal.

Below there is a quick time-lapse took. https://videos.files.wordpress.com/7F1gzBz8/img_3920.mov

New York City is the best place I have ever been and I would go back tomorrow! If I had to sum it up…