Ah New York. Everyone knows about the famous city and everyone dreams of going there. But was the trip really worth it? Yes… And no at the same time.

Here is a low down of the details. I spent three night in New Jersey (because it is waaaay cheaper) and we travelled over every day to the city. We stayed in a house which we found on Air bnb. My parents came with myself and partner so it was a two bedroom place and it had plenty room. As well as this, the location was fab as it was a 10 minute walk from the ferry terminal. It’s a known thing for the locals to get the little boats over from New Jersey to New York everyday so this is exactly what we did!

When we finally arrived at our rental place, it was late in the evening so we dumped our bags and headed straight for the ferry port. We bought tickets and hopped over to the city to see Times Square. Boy was that overwhelming and powerful!

That night we explored our new surroundings and I suddenly came to terms with one thing; I’m not in friendly Canada anymore! It was a stupid thing to suddenly realise, considering I had been in the states 48 hours already but it only just occurred to me… This is another world! Cars honking, people walking everywhere and just in general a majorly busy place. Completely different to spacious Ottawa!

Now like any trip to New York, you can’t do it all. So before we got there we made a list and prioritised what we wanted to see. Here is a low down of what we did during our trip:

Evening 1 – Times Square, Rockerfeller Centre

As I said above, we arrived in New York late so we hit Times Square to take in the overpowering screens of advertisements. Oh and you could also see MTV studios which I thought was pretty cool!

We decided to go to the top of the Rock after visiting times square. For anyone who doesn’t know what this is, this is top of the Rockerfeller centre. Now, if you wanna save some money, go to the bar and buy a drink because there is still an observation deck out there! That way you save money and still get to see some pretty spectacular views!

Full first day – Ground Zero, Empire state building and Brooklyn Bridge

There was one thing I always wanted to do when visiting New York; Ground Zero. So on our first full day we headed straight for the World Trade Centre site. The pictures do not do it justice. The two memorials, called reflecting pools, are situated in the same spots as where both the towers used to be. I think what I admired most about the memorial is the staff there. There are clear signs all around the memorials that you cannot smoke, lean or sit on the memorial. Plus, there are armed guards around to watch you at all time. But if a staff member saw someone violating these rules, they would tell them and ask them to leave. I found this deeply respectful and it showed me that these memorials were really special to these New Yorker’s.

To get around New York effectively, we bought a two day pass for the Big Bus tours. Although it can be costly, we managed to get ours through Costco as we have an account with them. This allowed us to see Times Square from above, the Empire state building, trump towers and the New York public library!

We used the bus so many times and they also have a night tour which goes over Manhatten bridge, which allows you to get great views of the Brooklyn Bridge. I honestly cannot say anymore words than wow! As the photos do not do it justice. The view as amazing! I thoroughly recommend seeing Brooklyn Bridge at night. If you have time to see it in both day and night then great, but if you don’t, defo pick the evening!

Full second day – Statue of Liberty, Central park, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Saks off fifth Av and Grand Central Terminal

Our second full day started off with a trip on the Statten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty! You can pay for special trips to see the Statue but if you’re happy to see her from a distance, take the ferry! It’s free and they are every half an hour! Just remember to get on and stand outside so you can get a good glimse of her! Also, make sure you exit the boat quickly so you can leave the terminal and jump back on the boat again to go back across! Otherwise you’ll have to wait another half hour for a boat.

Central Park is huge! I know that is a stupid thing to say because everyone knows that but I was really shocked just how big it really is! We decided to get off the bus at Strawberry Fields which is between 71st and 74th Streets. This area was 2.5 acres dedicated to paying tribute to the late Beatles’ member John Lennon. They have a little mosaic with the words “imagine” right in the middle and it’s something we just had to see and take in. I’m personally not a huge fan of the Beatles (it was before my time) but I’m glad we went as my parents really appreciated it more than myself.

After we finished walking through the park, we visited St Patrick’s Cathedral and Saks off fifth Avenue as these two things were something I really wanted to do during our trip. They are both on the same street so made sense to do them both at the same time! The Cathedral is a roman catholic neo-gothic styled building and I find it amazing that this beautiful place situates next to so many other modern buildings! Likewise with Saks, we did not go into the Cathedral as we did not have time. Besides… Was it really a good idea if I went into Saks? I think I’d be checking in another suitcase to go home if I stepped one foot in the place! You know I love shopping!

When we finished up on Fifth Av, we made our way over to Grand Central Terminal. Yes, this train station is EXACTLY like in the movies and definitely lives up to it’s name of being Grand. The architecture in the building is amazing and the best part of this place is to just stand and people watch. You can watch the world go by as you see people rush for their train or watch others wait for their loved ones! Oh and bonus points, toilets are free and clean! Woohoo!

Last day – Carlo’s Bakery, Hoboken

On our last day, we had to be at the airport for around 2 so we didn’t venture into NYC. Instead we drove to Hoboken and visited Carlo’s Bakery. The bakery has gained significant attention since it’s feature on TLC’s show, Cake Boss. Now the owner, Buddy Valentino, has two shops in New York but I really wanted to visit his original shop, which was of course was the one in Hoboken. It wasn’t as busy as the New York shops and we got served pretty quick! So it was a win/win really! I was just pretty gutted that the big man was not there at the time!

Now, Would I go again?

That’s something I really cannot answer right now. I did enjoy the trip and I enjoyed everything we did like Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge, but, I really didn’t like the people and culture! It really is fast paced and if you don’t know what you want and there’s a line behind you waiting to pay their hot drink and bagel, then get out of the way! It’s a completely different world to Canada or the UK so maybe one day I’ll come back, but just not right now!

Love, Sweet 2 the Cheeks x