New York

SPOILER ALERT; this post is going to have a lot of me talking about how I felt like I was in a movie. Haha.

Every song you've ever heard about New York - catchy, contagious, infectious, swanky, passionate... That's New York. Okay - our first day in NY was a total write off, because I had a virus which turned into an infection which turned into pink eye which turned into YAAARRGGHHH IM A KYRKON FROM THE SEEEAAAAAAAA!!!!!! No, seriously, I scared small children when I took off my glasses; we're talking crusty, red, swollen eyes, and an attitude to match how I felt. It was not a pretty sight folks. So, we spent pretty much an entire day watching American TV in the comfort of our Roosevelt Hotel bed... BUT - even this deterioration of my immune system function could not dampen our spirits! We set off the next day ready to TAKE THE CITY ON!!!!

Let me start with one of my favourite things in the entire world: a list. 

Steam, lights, people, hotdogs, Starbucks, apples (metaphorical and souvenirical), buildings taller than tall, parks, pigeons, Starbucks, taxis, honking horns, did I mention Starbucks?! 

Now, just add to that list some kind of magic. Can't explain it really. Walking the streets was like walking in a movie instead of real life. It was surreal and it was awesome; I wouldn't want to live there (too much honking for no reason: someone stops - honk - someone takes off - honk - someone turns - honk - someone exists - HOOOOONNKKK) but I am super glad we went, and here is what we did. 

Our travel agent kindly booked us some hop-on-hop-off tours, so we did an Uptown Tour, a Down Town Tour, and (my personal favourite) a Night Tour. We saw all the sights to cross off the bucket list (Chrystler Building, Empire State Building, etc) and we saw some extra beautiful scenes, plus a few other "take for granted" things that we only ever see in movies (like people playing basketball on a public court in the middle of the city - our tour guide couldn't figure out everyone's fascination, but it was like watching one of those passionate "never give up" American basketball movies!!) 

New York at night: OMG. Something a little bit magic about that. Not sure what it was. It was just as magic as it looks in the movies. Our hotel was located right near Times Square, so pretty much every time we went "home" we would walk right through Times Square. Sometimes it felt claustrophobic because of how many people were crowding the streets, but mostly it just felt alive. Sometimes cities can feel sterile and void of life - not this city. It's constantly buzzing - no matter what time! (We did take a trip to Brooklyn, which is equally awesome but slightly more dozed and quiet, which was nice in contrast). 

We HAD to have lunch at Planet Hollywood at some point, right!? Our waiter was very friendly (considering they expect tips, most waiters are friendly, haha) and thoroughly embarrassed us by announcing to the entire of the restaurant that we were on our honeymoon, and then proceeded to serve us some free champagne (woohoo!) which was mortifying and yet lovely at the same time. 

We paid a visit to Grand Central Station - which was also just around the corner - and almost got lost in there. Shops, markets, cupcake stalls, and people people people! The markets were awesome - we found ourselves feeling sorry for the fact that we didn't have a kitchen we could use so that we could take advantage of the amazing spices and produce on offer there. And it's in a train station!!! Haha. So weird. I also found the BEST HANDBAG IN THE ENTIRE WORLD (pictured below) but sadly it was out of our price range. It was like the Porsche of handbags. Yeah. 

The streets of New York are seriously sensational though - even the street art is somehow glamorous?! New York, have you cast a spell on me?! Well, we knew it wouldn't be a real trip to NY unless we sampled the local cuisine, so obviously we had to get a GIANT SLICE OF PIZZA!!!! (Actually, we bought two, but our eyes were bigger than our stomachs...) On top of the pizza, I am unashamed to say that... Well.... Hello, my name is Bonnie, and I'm. Starbucks-a-holic. Yeah - I had one a day, sometimes two. Eep! I swear they put something in them so that when you drink them, you feel amazing, and then when you haven't had one in 24hrs you start having withdrawals!!! (Oh yeah...... it's called sugar, d'uh) 

In case you're ever in New York yourself, here's a tip. In the window of each cafe, restaurant, or food serving establishment, there is a letter. The letters are part of a grading system, based on the hygienic standards of that particular establishment. It goes like this: A = Awesome, B = Bad, C = Crap, and D = Die. We were told, in complete seriousness, that if we went somewhere with a B rating, we would most certainly be eating with rats. *nods*

We also did a seriously cool walking tour through Central Park, where our guide took us to all the places in and around Central Park where movies and TV shows have been filmed! All the faves: Sex & the City, Friends, How I met your mother, Home Alone, Serendipity... The list goes on and on. It's the most filmed place in the entire world apparently! Not surprising though - it's amazingly beautiful, and completely man made! A seriously great thing to have in the middle of the hustle and bustle of New York. What a great escape from cement and taxis... and it's SO HUGE!! 

We walked through Strawberry Fields, saw the building where John Lennon lived with Yoko and where he was shot dead, and even had a man serenading us "Let it Be" while we walked through the park. A very nice memory for this die hard Beatles fan. 

After that, we saw a few squirrels, and Michael sampled some more local cuisine. The "corner stall hot dog" was a MUST, but apparently it was definitely not delicious. Nevertheless, something to tick off the bucket list. We also ventured in to the very toy store where BIG filmed the floor piano scene!!!! I didn't have a go on the piano, but the kids were having a lot of fun, and it was awesome just to be standing there. 

Of course, we HAD to take a trip to Ellis Island to see the green lady. No, Mum, not that green lady.... The Statue of Liberty! Wow, that is one powerful looking lady, and after hearing the stories and testimonials of people who arrived on boats all those years ago to see this great big symbol of freedom and hope as they drifted in the waters, it's easy to imagine how this has become one of the most visited tourist attractions for America. It was really amazing... and SO BIG!!!! Did you know that it's only two pennies thick? It's also made of copper, which is why it has turned green - but it used to be copper coloured!! It took 20 years to reach the colour it is now. 

Well, I could probably go on and on about this city... but really the best thing I can say is "go visit it yourself" because you won't regret it. The lights, the colours, the sounds, the smells... Yep. Do it.