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Ah New York, it's been many years since I was last in the big apple so when my friend Dan said how about we meet in New York at the start of my holiday to Canada, who was I to say no? I put aside my US ban (it's a personal privacy invasion thing) to spend a couple of days rediscovering this city and seeing what has changed since the mid 90s.

I'd have to say a lot, not the least me. My first visit was a cheap as chips backpacker visit in the 90s where I ran around ticking off the sites so this trip was a little more about exploring and experiencing rather than the list although with the joys of time zone jumping I seemed to fit in a whole lot of sights just by walking the streets of NY before the world woke up.

Having said that, there was a small list, however with only a couple of days it was limited to walking the Brooklyn Bridge, the Highline and a visit the twin towers site, all of which were dutifully ticked off as part of a general ramble in the urban jungle. I actually ended up doing more of the general sites than I expected as changing time zones both makes staying awake for the evening entertainment challenging (but not impossible!) and likewise for sleeping in.

Midtown New York at 6am on a weekend is a slightly different kettle of fish from the usual rush - its nice to stand in the middle of 7th Ave and look both ways at empty streets and not get crushed in Times Square. There is room to breath in the big apple, just get up early (and avoid the joggers in Central Park).

Cracking city and while jet lag may have robbed me of indulging in some of Dan's wilder and very enticing ideas (damn missing the mechanical bull) I guess that's just an excuse to pop back over for another visit!

Jx

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Photos

Rice to Riches
Spring Street