TRAVEL // Visiting New York (with an iPhone) #1

Hello everybody!

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to visit New York for the first time. It was last minute and I just found a good deal so booked it. Even on the plane I didn't feel like it had sunk in that I was finally visiting the city I dreamed of seeing as a kid. If I'm honest, now that I have been and come back it still hasn't sunk in. Weird huh? 

Anyway, with the cold weather and massive number of steps I was expecting to do I decided to leave my DSLR at home. It's pretty old now (probably close to 10 years) so whilst it works well it is big, bulky and a pain to lug around. Following a few discussions with lovely people on twitter, I was convinced that a DSLR isn't really necessary and with my new-ish XR I walked out of my flat and left my fully charged on my desk and didn't go back for it. 

So, we landed in New York at 4:30 pm and had made it across to Manhattan by 6:30 to book into our hotel - Doubletree by Hilton Times Square West. Unfortunately, we were messed around at check in and made to wait over 90 minutes for our key because at 7pm our room still hadn't been finished and they asked us to wait 'seconds' which turned into over an hour. We got a free drink and breakfast for the inconvenience but we essentially lost the first night of our trip as a result. Instead, we got a pizza from the place next door (which was very good) and went to bed. It meant we could wake up early the next morning and hopefully see more than we would otherwise. Still very disappointing though.

One good thing about the hotel was the location - It is opposite Port Authority Bus Station, less than 10 minutes from Penn Station and less than 10 minutes from Times Square so really central and perfect for travelling all over the city. The first morning we had a quick breakfast at the hotel (it was free) before walking through Times Square and towards Central Park. I'll be honest, I really enjoyed Times Square first thing in the morning (9-ish). I could walk freely, no one was in the way and I could get some lovely photos. The billboards are impressive and and I love how all of the signs are so fancy but I am happy if I get the chance to go back I can stay in a different part of the city far from the hustle and bustle and closer to great food.

After a wander around a couple of the shops (I love Old Navy okay) we started walking towards Central Park. We were interested in the ice skating, and of course walking around Central Park, so tried to find an efficient way there whilst seeing some things along the way - we failed on both accounts.

Before I went I was obsessed with going ice skating in Central Park because I was told it is really something special. The rink is massive but it costs round $25 a person which seemed like a bit much for me. It would have been enjoyable but $50 for an hour of ice skating? It seemed a bit steep. Fortunately walking around Central Park is free and we spent about 3 hours wandering around and finding some of those iconic spots. We came across one of the information desks and I'm so glad we visited it. We got a map and were told the best way to see some of the most memorable spots. We'd have just wandered aimlessly and missed so much otherwise so I'd really recommend getting a little help if you're on a time push.

Thankfully the park was essentially empty because it was so cold outside (felt like -1) so we didn't have to deal with too many people getting in our way. We found the Alice in Wonderland statue, that fountain and lake, some gorgeous steps (which I immediately recognised once I watched Isn't It Beautiful on Netflix - would recommend) and the walkway covered in trees that I bet would be stunning in Spring once all the leaves are back. I bet Central Park is beautiful when it's a bit warmer outside  and there is so much I missed - I'll have to go back!

Our plan at that point was to go get some Broadway Tickets so had to head back to Broadway. We got to the box office to find that the website had lied and there were no shows that day so rush tickets could not be bought. In the end we got some tickets for the next day with quite a hefty discount (50%!) so it wasn't all so bad. It was then time for some lunch and a coffee at Frission Espresso. They had amazing reviews and it didn't disappoint. The latte art was great and food not too bad either. It's a really small place and full of locals so we knew we were onto a winner there. 10/10 would recommend.

From back where we started, we then wandered towards The Rockerfeller Center to visit Top of the Rock. I had looked at getting the CityPass and in the end, the only tourist attraction we definitely wanted to do was Top of the Rock. I wanted to do others but we were around for such a short time, we'd have found it difficult to fit even 3 things in alongside everything else I wanted to do. I almost went ice skating again managed to avoid it - just. The building is stunning inside with plenty of shops, marble floors and gold accents. I didn't want to leave. Tickets were just under $40 on the day which I thought was reasonable considering how well organised the entire operation was. I went from buying a ticket to being in the museum in less than 5 minutes. I love efficiency - and pay money for it.

The views were absolutely stunning and it was great to have the Empire State Building in the photos (rather than going to the pricier building itself). It was really fun to point out buildings I knew, take typical touristy photos and get a panoramic view. We were lucky the skies were clear - it had been threatening to snow all day but held off.

Considering I have a shopping addiction it would have been criminal for me to visit New York and not visit those famous department stores that are always mentioned in TV and films. Wandering down 5th and Madison avenues was crazy. I loved Saks, was very disappointed with Barneys and got loads of unusual Lindt flavours because they have about 30 varieties. Blueberry is the best. 

We then went home for a nap - we'd done 20,000 steps at this point and thought we'd go back to the hotel and get ready to go out for a nice meal. Open Table allowed us to book at table at Hard Rock Cafe - which Jack had never visited before - so we didn't have to wait. We could have gone to somewhere a bit fancier but considering the price of food (and it being our first real night) I wanted to make sure we'd get good food at a reasonable price. I also wanted a Hard Rock glass - let's be honest. 

As expected, the music was great, the food was good and the cocktails were strong. These were actually the only drinks we had during our trip because everything was so expensive and we had so much we wanted to do that getting hungover wasn't an option. I got to wear this gorgeous F&F dress (which I ordered through Next! Hello free next day delivery!) and feel fancy for an evening. 

We finally made it back to our hotel at about 11pm and went straight to bed ready for an even busier day after. I feel like we saw a lot in one day - and definitely spent a lot of money - but it was worth it. I was also incredibly impressed with the photos came out on my phone. It was much easier to just snap a quick shot then lug around my DSLR - that's for sure!

So that's a not-so-quick round up of my first day in New York. Have you been to any of these places or plan on seeing them soon? Let me know!

Rachael