NYC Part One

Despite scoring the worst taxi driver in the world for our very slow journey from JFK to Manhattan, I couldn't contain my excitement as that familiar skyline came into view. We spent eight nights in NYC and stayed at the The Pod Hotel on 51st Street. It's a pretty hip hotel with basic modern rooms and an awesome rooftop (first pic). 

Ever since I left NYC after my short stint living there a few years ago, I've been wanting to take Ben with me to show him why I love it so much. To be honest I think he was a bit overwhelmed to begin with and couldn't quite get his bearings but by the end of the trip he was feeling more comfortable and starting to know his way around (or at least the difference between Uptown and Downtown hehe). We both agreed that the next time we go we'll stay in an apartment and not worry about doing the touristy things.

The afternoon we arrived we took a walk from our hotel to 42nd Street, past my old office and into Grand Central Terminal to watch the comings and goings for a little while. From there we made a mandatory visit to Times Square (never again! haha) and had dessert at Ellen's Stardust Diner where the waiters and waitresses are aspiring Broadway stars and sing to you while they serve. Lotsa fun!

The next morning we had breakfast around the corner from our hotel at a diner called the Morningstar Cafe. It's just your standard American diner but it has a special place in my heart as I stayed at the same hotel when I first moved to NYC and my Dad (who accompanied me for the first week or so) and I would go there every morning. The food is cheap and the servings are huge.

From there we walked up 5th Avenue to Central Park and spent a few hours wandering around and admiring the Spring blooms (okay, maybe that was just me). Exiting the park we walked down Central Park West to Columbus Circle and had lunch at Whole Foods. Oh how I miss that place! We then took the subway to the Meatpacking District and walked the High Line. It was super chilly that day so we were stoked to find a Blue Bottle Coffee stand along the way. I've now experienced the High Line in Winter, Summer and Spring with the latter being my favourite for sure.

There's me navigating the busy NYC streets and a family of tracksuit enthusiasts. 

The next day Ben and my brother and I went down to the East Village in search of pizza and pizza we found. I enjoyed being back in the East Village as that's where my friend Jess and I stayed when we visited last year. We wound up at Artichoke where we grabbed a slice (or two in Ben's case) and ate it out the front. SO GOOD. After wandering the leafy East Village streets for a little while we decided to head further downtown to the World Trade Center memorial. I hadn't done this before and I'm glad I did. The memorial is really beautiful and standing underneath the new One World Trader Center building is just awe inspiring. That evening we had dinner near out hotel then grabbed a few beverages to enjoy on the rooftop.

More to come!

Photos by me, my brother and my sister.