On 25th July, my Mum and I ventured off on a seven hour flight to New York for my 21st birthday - and what an amazing time we had. Here's ten things we got up to:
1. We saw Rock of Ages on Broadway. Four rows from the front, we had such a fun night and listened to the cast sing and dance to various rock songs (my fave genre) throughout history. It was so much fun and so entertaining - the cast were all fabulous and I would definitely recommend this show to anyone who loves rock music and getting involved!
2. We also saw Wicked on my birthday night. Differing from Rock of Ages, this was in a huge theater so we were at the front on the first tier. Again, I'd really recommend this show but Rock of Ages slightly tipped it for me just because of how much fun it was and how hilarious it was. I had wanted to see Wicked for ages though and already knew all the songs (haha loser) and it definitely didn't disappoint.
3. We went to the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building and my god, did my legs know about it. They went to absolute jelly which I do feel slightly stupid about considering how amazing the view was. You could literally see over every skyscraper in Manhatten all the way to the Statue of Liberty. Luckily it was such a clear, beautiful day as well so the view was really breathtaking and something I will always remember. That image is definitely not leaving my head any time soon!
4. We also went to the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) only we did this at around 10pm at night so we got to experience the view of NY lit up for miles and miles. It was such a beautiful view and I really did love seeing what a mad place NY is in terms of how many skyscrapers there are! Again though, legs were absolute Jelly. I guess I've learnt a new fact about myself though - I'm not brilliant with heights!
5. We went to Madame Tussauds. Now you can go here in London but I've never been and the NY version I imagine is very different to the UK one as they had significant people from American history in that famous clay form which was really interesting along with all the pop stars, sport stars and film stars. Half way through the tour there was also a 3D film to watch featuring the likes of batman, the hulk etc which was a lot of fun too! I'd definitely go back here and recommend going!
6. We hopped on a water taxi down to the 9/11 memorial. No words can describe how heartfelt and emotional it was to be there after witnessing it happening on the TV yet I'm really glad we went. It meant we could truly get an insight into what happened on the day by talking to people who were there as it happened and pay our respects to those who lost their lives. It was on my mind for days after and still is now which I see as a good thing - their memory lives on.
7. We saw the Statue of Liberty - a strange experience after seeing it so many times on the TV or online etc. It was really cool to see and of course, hundreds of pictures were taken!
8. We did a touch of shopping on Fifth Avenue! I'm not talking a lot of shopping, after all it's the most expensive Avenue in New York! We did have a little shop in Michael Kors though and I was lucky enough to be bought a watch from there for my birthday. Maybe one day I'll be able to splurge in Tiffany's! A girl can dream!
9. We went to Grand Central Station. This place was so crazy with people rushing all over the place to catch their train! We went in the afternoon so I dread to think how busy it would be in a morning! It was a really interesting place though and we got to learn all about the architecture through an audio tour along with how many people use the station. There was also a market there - in a station! It was a million miles away to the stations I'm used to at home!
10. Last but not least, we went to Central Park. That quieter place away from the madness of rushing people and tooting horns amongst the skyscrapers. It was lovely really with people on bike rides, running, horse and carriages, people on their lunch break and people just watching the world go by! You have to go to Central Park if you go to New York just so you can say you've been - or is that just me?!
So there's ten things we got up to! I certainly had the best week ever and fell in love with this crazy city. I definitely am aiming to go back there in the future.
Here's a few little snaps:
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| Water Taxi on the Hudson River |
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| Grand Central Station at Whispering Gallery |
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| Overlooking Times Square |
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| View from Empire State Building looking slightly nervous! |
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| Hanging out with Lady Gaga |
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| Mammoth breakfast pancakes! |
Love Leah x
