I (Heart) New York

Curious to see what all the fuss over New York was about, I headed off for a (admittedly very environmentally-unfriendly) long weekend in the Big Apple.

And now I understand the fuss. What a city! The sykscrapers crowd out the clouds, everywhere billboards flash and steam bursts through the pavement grates as yellow cabs whizz by- it really does feel like you're on a film set.

My friend Michelle and I threw ourselves into the New Yorker lifestyle, lazing away mornings at The Cupcake Cafe and Amy's Bread (both on Ninth Avenue - definitely worth a visit) with melt-in-your-mouth muffins and cupcakes. We maxed out our credit cards at swanky Saks on Fifth and a shop called Desire in the Meatpacking District. We marvelled at the view from the top of the Rockefeller Tower (the one place from which the city looked peaceful), were blinded by the lights on Broadway around Times Square, took advantage of free Friday nights at MoMA (which has the most impressive modern art collection I've ever seen), caught the Staten Island ferry past the Statue of Liberty, and wandered for as long as the cold would let us through a frost-bitten Central Park. There was more to see (and eat) than we could possibly fit in - but we tried.

I hadn't really expected to like New York - being all fast-paced and American, but everywhere we went the people were so friendly and enthusiastic, telling us all the reasons why they love their city. And now I do too.

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