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Published: April 13th 2010
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The only word I can use to describe this city is 'crazy!'. It is the most manic place I have ever been to but at the same time...it is absolutly awesome. Everything is just larger than life and there is so so much to see and do...only problem is this city does tackle your wallet some what! My last night in Killington was fun...I met up with a few people I had met during my time there and we went for a drink and it was all good. The next morning I then headed down to New York on the coach. The best bit about arriving in NYC was not only the stunning views of Manhatten and the fact that I was on a big, comfy and clean coach...as opposed to the Greyhound..(which by the way, I will be delightfully reunited with for one last journey down to Washnigton DC). So after dumping my bag in my room in the Comfort Inn in Chealsea I was heading out with a group to Planet Hollywood for dinner. As we pulled into Times Square I was literally amazed at how busy it was. There are lights and billboards everywhere and more yellow taxis than you know what to do with. There was such an intense vibe to the place I loved it. Dinner at Planet Hollywood was good and exactly what I needed after only managing to blag a small lunch from the breakfast left overs! After dinner I then headed over to the Empire State Building to go up to the 86th floor observatory. The lift took a while and my ears popped on the way up it was that high. We got to the 80th floor then walked up to the 86th then outside. The views were amazing. Just so many lights everywhere and all the buildings were lit up and luckily night mode was found on my camera so I managed to get some good phtos from the top of the building looking down over Manhatten. It was windy up there and I stuck my head out the railing to look over the edge and I can safely say we were extremely high up! I could also see the Empire State Building from my hotel room (courtesy of James). When we got back down we headed out for a few drinks and this turned out to be a fun, but internesting experience. First was a cool bar just off Times Square with a live band, good atmosphere and drinks prices that were steep to say the least! Then we headed over to the other side of Broadway to a quiter part of the city...that pretty much turned out to be gangster area. Not sure of the name of the street but it was definatly a 'local' area. Trying to act normal we grabbed a beer and chilled out but it wasn't long before we quickly slipped out and caught a cab back. All good fun and another slightly dodgy experience to add to the list. On Saturday morning I joined a trip round the city that took me through Chelsea, Greenwich Village, Soho, passed Columbia Univeristy, the Rockafella Centre (with the ice rink) through the financial district and down to ground zero where the World Trade Centre towers once stood. The area has now been cleared and is the building site for the new towers that are quickly taking shape. Ground Zero had a wierd feeling to it...everyone was looking around almost trying to imagine what it would have been like on the morning of 9/11. I just struggled to comprehend what it must have been like for everyone there and the effect it had on the city. We headed back passed Madison Square Garden and headed back to the hotel for a serious power nap (realsing I had only had four hours sleep in the best part of three days was making me a little grouchy!) Later that night I met Dad and took my second trip up the Emprie State Buliding (a lot less windy this time) and we got a good photo of both of us with the Crysler Building in the background. On the walk back through the city we stopped off at a cornor shop and grabbed a much needed bowl of fruit salad...my diet of two weeks of hotel food needed to be broken up a bit! Saturday morning we took the tude down to Bowling Green and looked out over to the Statue of Liberty. We boarded the Statten Island ferry (the free alternative to a the other boat) and cruised out over the water allowing us to take in the views of Manhatten and get some close up photos of the statue. It was however freezing cold as the wind was super strong! Later we walked back up Broadway (dropping down to the tube after realsiing we still ahd a long way to walk) and arrived at Speedy's...and awesome little takeaway sandwich bar. We both grabbed a huge salad each and sat out in the small seating area inbetween 6th and Broadway. It was crazy to see such a peacful little area in the middle of one of the world's busiest cities. Dinner on Saturday night was at the Hard Rock cafe...and this place is cool! Beatles outfits everywhere, Ramonnes leather jackets and George Harrisson guitars. Awesome. The food was good too! Then, after purchasing a final sticker for my guitar, Dad and I took the hire car back out to JFK airport, passing the huge United Nations building on the way. We took the subway back and I was asleep for the whole way. Luckily Dad stayed awake (just) so we didn't miss our stop. Sunday morning we both headed out to Central Park (this time with with me feeling a lot better after getting more than 4 hours sleep!) and we had a wonder around, got some good photos, had an ice cream and then a pretzel and generally wondered the streets of New York. A pretty cool way to end an aweosme few days. It has been great to see Dad the last two weeks and expeience this part of my trip with him. But, as ever, time to move on and after Dad headed out to the airport Sunday evening I packed up my back and by 9am this morning I was back on the good old Greyhound bus (oh how I have missed it....) on my way out to Washington DC to check out Mr Obama's crib. New York, in conclusion, was great. I was half asleep for a couple of days so it all seems like a bit of a blur but it was aweosme. So much to see and do and everything about it amazes me...from the massive skyscrapers right down to the man playing the guitar in the small park by the hotel. An interesting, vibrant, manic yet unforgettable city...one I will definaltly visit again.
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Nicole
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Isn't it amazing!!!! Love the city, and yes it does tend to suck your sleeping time to less than half... Check out my video of my holiday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcuEgQu0bI4