There is the inevitable jet lag when you arrive, but you have to dig deep and power through… Arriving at 1pm local time, my body clock was already at 6pm, and I had the whole day in front of me. The first day being a 24-hour stint is pretty unavoidable, but totally worth it. The best thing to do is to get your energy from the endless food places all around the city. I found New York to be the absolute hub of all-things-American when it came to food; the staple pizza shops on every block are unbeatable, and the classic New York bagels were something I never knew I needed in my life. However, I must say that after a week of typical diner food had me deeply craving a vegetable on my return to the UK! Just one piece of broccoli, please…
The sightseeing in the city that never sleeps was phenomenal. There is so much to do that your trip will be non-stop; the highlights for me were a cruise around the downtown Manhattan skyline and to the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the 9/11 memorial, and the observation decks. I would recommend doing one observation deck in the daylight, and one at night-time, since the city is completely dazzling in the dark, whilst it’s amazing to see the layout of New York more precisely in the light. Two things that are on the expensive side but made my trip to New York were a Yankees game (with the chicken buckets and iconic Yankees hat to accompany) and a Broadway show. I saw ‘Moulin Rouge’ and was entirely awed by the talent of the actors but also the spectacle that the show itself was, right down to the stewards in the stalls.
Another trope that New York fabulously exceeded for me was the celebrity presence. We managed to spy the Jonas brothers at the Yankee stadium before the game kicked off, followed by them throwing the first pitch of the game. While myself and my sister were totally starstruck, I don’t think my Dad had a clue who the trio was. What’s more, starring in Moulin Rouge was Aaron Tviet, a Gossip Girl star and part of the original Broadway cast… Again, we were impressed, but my Dad clearly should’ve done his Gossip Girl revision before our trip!
All in all, New York is one of the best places I’ve ever been to, wholly unique from other American states and a tourist trap that I loved being caught in.
