Our First Day in New York - By Lady K

For those of you who don’t know me, I have recently been on my first trip outside Europe. My first long distance flight. My first trip to America! New York specifically. Hence I am writing about it on a blog I created specifically to plan and chart this trip.

Where to begin? I went to New York with my bff, D. She and I had been planning the trip (she says) since we were 13. That’s a whopping 17 years in the making. I’ve been a film fan for as long as I can remember and as a heck of a lot of films are set in New York I’ve wanted to go there for a very long time.

I was starting to think it wouldn’t come to fruition. Simply because I work in a relatively low paid job and my rent is ridiculously high considering I have a relatively low paid job. Saving seemed impossible. But somehow I managed to scrape together enough cash to go.

So go we did. We flew to New York on a Saturday evening flight, reaching our hotel at around 11pm NY time – 4am UK time. Boy were we tired. Although I’d glimpsed the famous Silvercup Studios sign (famous if you’ve seen Highlander or are a fan of the rock band Queen), The Empire State Building and The Chrysler Building, I was more tired than buzzing and had to admit defeat as I crawled into my waiting and very inviting bunk bed.

Yes you read that right. Bunk Beds. We stayed at a funky little place on East 51st Street calledThe Pod Hotel which has bunk beds in some of the rooms. We requested a bunk as we thought it might be fun. It was, just not if you need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night!

On our first day in New York we walked through the streets in our neighbourhood to familiarise ourselves with where we were. On our way to have breakfast at Ellen’s Stardust Diner we passed Lexington Avenue, Park Avenue, Madison Avenue, Fifth Avenue, The Avenue of the America’s and finally reached Broadway.

After being serenaded at Breakfast we walked through Times Square before embarking on a Tour of Manhattan via the Circle Line Cruise. The Cruise was amazing as it allowed us to see everything from a distance as we steamed along the Hudson River. We took in Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty,

The Financial District including the new World Trade Center which is being built – Freedom Tower,

The Brooklyn Bridge,

The Empire State Building, Bank of America Building, Metlife Building and Chrysler Building. And many other recognisable and famous landmarks.

After the Cruise we went for a bite to eat and then headed for The Highline. A park that has been built on a disused freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. It was a gorgeous day to take a stroll in a park and as the Highline is such a sun-trap we had a very pleasant walk along it.

We finished the day by visiting the Magnolia Bakery - made famous by Sex And The City as Miranda and Carrie ate cupcakes outside their Bleecker Street store (the same one we visited)

stopping to take a photo outside the house used as the exterior for Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment on the show

and taking a trip to the Strand Bookstore, New York City’s legendary home of 18 Miles of new, used and rare books since 1927.

Where I picked up a copy of Susanna Moore’s In The Cut. A review of which may shortly be appearing on Book Club for the Girls, my NY companion D’s Book Review Blog.

Well I hope you enjoyed reading about the first part of my New York adventure. Depending on the response you may be treated to more…

Day 1 - Sort of Planned

D and I have just spent the last 2 hours on skype trying to plan our itinerary. We have 6 days in New York and while that may sound like a lot, I am very aware of what we need to fit into these 6 days.

We now have a rough idea of what we'll be doing on Day 1 of our trip which just happens to be a Sunday.

We arrive late on Saturday night and unless we're feeling particularly wired we'll probably just want to get a drink, maybe something to eat and then crash. So the trip really starts on Sunday.

To get our bearings we've been advised to take in a river cruise around the island. We thought it might be a good idea to have a hearty breakfast to start the day (don't worry, we both have sea legs so the breakfast should not be seen again) so we're going to take a walk to Ellen's Stardust Diner on Broadway:

Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, the home to Broadways theatres and the biggest New Years Eve party in the world, is also home to the future stars of stage and screen at Ellens Stardust Diner THE home of the singing waiters and some of the best Diner food in the country. Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for tour groups and locals alike since 1987!
Our retro 1950s theme diner is filled with nostalgic memorabilia. Watch the best videos of the 1950s on authentic 1956 Predicta televisions & our “drive-in theatre” screen. So, sit back and relax as you will be taken back in time to a never forgotten era as you enjoy the best in classic American cuisine (complemented with updated food items for the 2000s).

We've then opted for the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise which is a 3 hour full island cruise. It takes in the following sights:

After the cruise we're going to take a leisurely stroll along The Highline, maybe with a picnic or maybe just to stroll.

At the end of The Highline we might stop into The Magnolia Bakery for a sweet treat or head over to The Strand Bookstore for a rare book. All this sounds like thirsty work to me so we may also head to Pete's Tavern while we're in the neighbourhood, one of the oldest bars in New York and also the location where Miranda proposed to Steve on Sex And The City.

So with Day 1 mostly fleshed out and initerised (I know it's not a word) I felt that we should celebrate by watching the opening scene of Woody Allen's Manhattan. Enjoy.