Life in the 'Deen: Letters From America: New York New York

Hello Everyone,

I am so excited for this post. It's been in my plans for so long, and then it finally came, and I get to write about it. I went for a weekend to New York, where I met my Mum, Dad and Sister. So this was set up to be a pretty perfect weekend.

I stumbled off the plane at about 6.00am Saturday morning, with just over 4 hours of sleep, and headed to the subway. It was all going swimmingly until I got off a couple of stops early for my change and had to find my way back again. Luckily, I managed that (and those who know me, that sounds like a miracle), and got out at Columbus Circle just in time to see the sun rise over Central Park, and my parents smiling at me from across the road. After a quick stop to pick up my sister, we went for a breakfast at Donut Shack, and then a shopping trip to Macy's. Although, pointing out to myself how I poor I was is not as fun as it sounds.

I will have to point out here that I am a huge Friends fan. So naturally, when you go for a walk around Greenwich Village, you stop to see Bedford and Grove St. And have lunch right next door as well. I loved this area of town, it went from very high street to completely residential in just one street. It was lovely. If I was going to live anywhere in New York, that would probably be the sort of place I would choose.

So on with the light speed tour of the Big Apple. We passed by the World Trade Centre, and went straight onto a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge. I loved it. It allowed me to see a little more of the New York from the movies. I can just imagine Spider-man swinging through the urban jungle. It was like a wondrous dream. Everything was so new and exciting, but also really familiar from all the movies and TV shows. Although, it was much busier than you would expect from the movies. As we were walking it felt like we were running against the tide. I was a little worried about being jostled and dropping my phone down one of the cracks, never to be seen again. But the views were worth it.

It just got better as we walked around Brooklyn and had a glance in some of the shops there. I liked Brooklyn, it was a bit like Manhattan's older, grungier, edgier sibling. It was just as pretty as Manhattan, but in a different way. I really want to go back and explore it more. But, the best part was finding this little spot by the river where I could take photos of both the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge to my heart's content. It wasn't a clear day. The light of the sun through the clouds created a more dramatic skyline for photo taking. Of course, passing a ice cream shop meant my sister and I just had to buy each other an ice cream and have a sit down to eat it.

Grand Central Station was next, with its infamous 'Whispering Corners'. You stand in one corner of this square, someone else stands in the diagonally opposite corner, you whisper to one another and the other person can hear it perfectly. It is one of the weirdest things ever. You can hear each other perfectly, like they're behind you, but there still is all the hustle and bustle around you. It is a bit like being on a bad telephone line, they're slightly disconnected and quiet, and still sound like they are right next to you.

If you like train stations and amazing architecture, then Grand Central is for you. A beautiful atrium with lots of platforms and shops and corridors and stairwells leading off it. It is so much bigger than you would expect. Much bigger than Central Station back home in Glasgow.

After a quick tour of Times Square, where my mum and I got separated from my sister and my dad, we had a short pit stop back at the apartment where we were staying (thanks Uncle Dave!) before heading back out again. Ignoring the exhaustion slipping into my system at this point, we went to visit a lit up Lincoln Centre, watching all the people in their finery attend a ballet or opera. For dinner we went to the Hell's Kitchen district, and had Cajun food. I had a seafood gumbo, which was amazing. Finally, we headed back to the apartment to sleep, ready for it all again the next day.