Five New York Highlights

The Big Apple, the city so good they named it twice, New York City. I'm writing this post on the final night of my stay in the city - and what a week it's been! New York is a place I've always wanted to visit so when Dad suggested that he'd like to go to celebrate his fiftieth I jumped at the chance. I haven't been disappointed and, although not everything met my expectations, I am really sad to be packing my bags and heading back to Blighty. Before I leave, though, I want to take a brief moment to look back on a few of my highlights of the trip - with high being the operative word! These are in no particular order... 

1) The Top Of The Rock - I was lucky enough to do both Top of the Rock and The Empire State during my time in New York and if you ever visit I strongly recommend you do both too! We did Empire State and night and Top of the Rock in the day and, to be honest, I struggled over which to include in this highlights post as I didn't want to use up two slots with 'amazing views' items! Top of the Rock just pipped Empire State for me because of its glass panelling along the observation decks. Not only does this shelter you from the wind but it gives almost uninterrupted views across the city. I'd really recommend doing this in the day time - particularly if it's a nice day or if you can get up just before sunset - as the views you get really are spectacular and it can help you find your bearings a little too!

The view over Central Park from Top of the Rock.

2) The High Line and Chelsea Market - I'm cheating a little by pairing these two but it seams silly to do one without the other. We gave ourselves half a day to do the pair and ended up rushing both, so I'd really recommend giving yourself a full day to properly explore the area. The High Line stretches further than you'd think and it has loads of places for you to stop, sit, and enjoy the view. I'd recommend picking some food up from

Chelsea Market and walking a little way north or south along the High Line to enjoy it. I actually picked up a delicious 'Japanese inspired Mexican' dish from a stall in the Market and it was one of the most enjoyable dishes I had over the week.

The food from Takumi Taco - it was delicious!

3) Central Park - I loved the little of Central Park I got to see and I can really see the appeal of it for someone who lives in the city. Although it's only the 5th biggest park in New York it is really surrounded by skyscrapers, which makes it feel much larger than it is. We did a cycling tour of the park which was a nice quick way to explore a reasonable amount of the park - including the Stuart Little boat lake and the John Lennon Strawberry Fields memorial.

One of the many performers in the park. 

The memorial in Strawberry Fields.

4) The View Restaurant - our very lovely neighbours gave us a voucher for this restaurant which slowly revolves as you eat. We were there for just over two hours and experienced one-and-a-half rotations - you really do get great views of the city! We went for Sunday brunch, which was a huge buffet with mimosas - it was absolutely delicious. If you want a fine dining experience in the city I really recommend it!

Dad and Becca with one of our many courses!

5) Clipper City - this is one of the most unique boat tours of the Statue of Liberty. The clipper boat is a traditional sail boat that takes you out to the island and down to the Brooklyn Bridge. The boat has a bar and good music and a really fun crew - and it's one of the few tours that is unguided. Simply sit back (or wander around) and enjoy the view!

The captain making notes in his log.

Mum pointing out the sights.

Becca and I in front of the lady herself!

It was really hard whittling this list down and I know I've missed out so much! You can definitely expect a few more posts from me about my time in the city that never sleeps!