New York Day One: My Feet are starting to hurt.

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Well I have never written a travel blog, or any other type of blog come to think of it, so I don't really know where to begin. I am an average 27 year old Canadian woman, from Vancouver, with a good sense of adventure and a desire to explore the world. I grew up traveling on a sailboat in Central America and the Caribbean and have spent time abroad before when I went to Southeast Asia and England for a year in 2003. I have just embarked on a year or more long journey around the world, starting in New York and heading to Panama, South America, Europe and then Australia to give a rough idea of my path. I am traveling with my friend Siobhan, who I have know since we were both 6. I start this first entry with the first part of my trip; five days of fun in New York.

New York is the stuff of legends. We see it in movies, hear about it in songs, and watch protesters occupy it on the news. It is the Big Apple, the "city that never sleeps" and I have never had so much fun or seen so much on vacation as I did in the 4 and bit days that I was there.

It all started with a very early flight leaving Vancouver, Canada at 7:30 am. My friends Siobhan and Cara and I got to the airport with plenty of time to check in and get through all the security that is needed in this post 9/11 world but apparently the pilots of our plane did not. They were late for our flight by 30 minutes, causing us to miss our connecting flight in Toronto and subsequently getting put on another flight, which incidently was also late leaving.

We finally got to the place we were staying in Spanish Harlem, found on airbnb.com (see bottom for more info on place) , and dropped off our stuff before heading out to Times Square to pick up our New York Passes (see bottom for more info on passes). We were getting a little bit hungry at this point and thought it would be easy to find food in such a vibrant city. Wrong! In New York it's all about what neighbourhood you are in and apparently in the area around Times Square no one eats after 11pm, unless it's pizza which is what we ended getting before heading home to get some shut eye.

The next day we woke bright and early to a beautiful sunny day. We headed out to explore the city coffee and spinach pastry in hand. The first stop...a walk along the fame Central Park. The autumn weather was perfect and we walked the whole length of the park to the MoMA, with a quick stop to check out the window dressings at Burgdorf Goodman, which is close to the museum. The MoMa is a fantastic art gallery with much to see including paintings by Picasso, Monet, Dali, Kahlo, Lichtenstein and Warhol, modern photography, installations and a beautiful outdoor garden. There are 6 floors and it can take more than a couple hours to get through but it is well worth it.

After so much culture we had to get some food so we went to a great Chinese restaurant in Chelsea, Sammy's Noodlehouse. The food was good and cheap and there was lots of it so it was a win, win, win situation.

Next was the ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands. We headed downtown on the green metro line and walked to Battery Park, where you get the ferry. The only problem was that it was too late to go to the immigration museum so the ferry left to go to Liberty Island and then headed back to Manhattan. This was not told to us in the long security line so we were a bit disappointed but the view of Lady Liberty and Manhattan was great so we got over it and enjoyed the ride. Warning: to be successful in this trip go as early as possible as the lines get very long!

The next top was the top of the Empire State Building, after dark. The view was spectacular. Lights as far as the eye can see. The Chrysler Building, Rockafeller Center, Times Square, Lady Liberty, New Jersey...it's all there lit up bellow. The coolest part though may have been the birds flying around as they looked like they were glowing blue because of the light coming off the building. All very surreal.

After the cold windy weather at the top of the tallest building in Manhattan it was time to head to the Museum of Sex. Not the best known museum but a very interesting experience. Lots of info on the history of sexual information and taboos. Small and quick to get through and not nearly as cultured as the MoMA so a good balance.

The only thing left to do that night was to get some food and drink. We popped into a small pub for a beer which was fine except for the lack of seats and super loud TV coverage of the World Series. We left for pasta and wine at a little place in Chelsea called Lamarca. Great food, good for sharing and bottles of wine for $17. My kind of place.

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