New York City - The Biggest, Cleanest, Safest and Youngest city in the world!

So the first big trip we have done in nearly 2 years is about to start, we leave early on Thursday morning to catch a 9:45am flight to New York City, a place we have always wanted to visit and a place which draws in countless numbers of people from all over the world to marvel in its size, shopping and tourists attractions.

We have a fairly seamless flight with Thomas Cook where we get good leg room, decent food and all delay free for only £400pp return to the UK. The only downside being that the entertainment was lacking and the free bar you normally expect on long haul is no longer the case, paying for movies and drinks not with the meal must be the new way to upsell on a budget flight.

We land and queue for nearly 2 hrs at JFK to get through first time ETSA control, then again queue to leave the airport through customs and again to get a taxi to the hotel. All in all it took us 14hrs door-to-door from leaving our flat in Manchester; the train to the airport, the flight, customs and then a tedious 3hrs 15min from landing at the airport to checking in at the hotel.

The hotel was really nice, our room was situated on the 24th floor with a city view looking Downtown. The room wasn’t the biggest but very clean and comfy with all the required amenities we expected. We settle down, unpack some bits and have a think about what the plan for the next few days should be.

Day 1, we head out early to do the #1 Tripadvisor attraction; a walking tour with a local guide called The Downtown Dozen. The dozen covering walking through Greenwich Village, Soho, Chinatown, Little Italy finishing at the World Trade Centre / City Hall. Our tour guide was extravagant and slightly camp but very welcoming and knowledgable chap called Gregory. The tour was both engaging and interesting as we travelled around various parts of the city. We both liked Greenwich village the best as it reminded us of a larger version of the Northern Quarter in Manchester with a hipster-esque vibe; shops serving good coffee and sandwiches and a general artistic/creative feel. As we walked around each area Gregory gave us good and interesting facts as we past houses and historical landmarks of people from the original immigrants who founded the city in the 1700’s to jazz bars and comedy stores where famous people such as Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon once played. One thing to mention is how new it all felt, with history in Europe and Asia going back many thousands of years, this relatively modern city was basically modern compared to other places we had visited. The day was long and after nearly 4hrs nonstop through the city it was time to part our ways and head on to something new.

The last thing for today was Rockafella where we headed via Wall Street, again think central London Canary Wharf. It being September 11th we headed via Wall Street and to the 9/11 site which was teeming with all types from preachers of all faiths from Jews, Amish and Christian to name a few as well as people protesting and claiming it was a conspiracy, all in all a very strange crowd had gathered many simply to show their respect and ponder the day with people writing on the floor in chalk and on the wall on large white canvases which had been put up to allow people to write on them, a most interesting read however far too busy for it to feel respective in my opinion.

We got to the Rockefeller and had booked to go up to the observation deck before we came and were both slightly annoyed as when we arrived booking was pointless as regardless of the time you booked for you just joined a queue, luckily only a 20-30min wait to travel the 67 floors in less than 30 seconds. Once on the top we were both blown away by the views, the weather was on our side and we could see right to the horizon in all directions. One of the best viewing decks we had been to even if it wasn't as high as some of the observations decks in China.

Day 2 was upon us and we had formulated a plan. Since the weather looked good we headed first thing over to Brooklyn Bridge grabbing a delicious breakfast of bacon, egg, potatoes slices and grits, Isobel having poach eggs on toast. Once we had filled our bellies we headed over the bridge on foot and back into Manhattan. The bridge was good but we both thought the one next to it, Manhattan Bridge, looked better from a far however it's not as iconic and maybe not a pedestrian friendly. However the Brooklyn Bridge was good and we got our first glimpse of Lady Liberty.

After taking the subway downtown to Manhattan harbour we jumped on the FREE Staten island commuter ferry to get a close up of the Statue of Liberty. Overhearing someone talking about how the back of the boat was the best to get the good view, we made a dash for it to get the best spot. Again it was pretty cool to see her up close and we got some good pics, the boat was easy and took about 25mins to cross each way. We joined the many other tourist who simply travel to Staten Island then jump straight back on the return ferry heading back to Manhattan.

Once back on dry land we headed north to the world famous Joe's’ Pizza to grab a few slices which were real good and headed for a walk along the High LIne, an old converted raised subway which takes you through Chelsea and the Meatpacking district. Once we had eaten we headed down to the World Trade Centre memorial park. This consisted of two huge cavernous pits surrounded by water falls symbolising where the old buildings stood, next to The Freedom Town, a huge 110 (I think) storey tower which now stands as a replacement and moment to the the two towers also grabbing the tallest building in NYC spot and one of the tallest in the western hemisphere. A magnificent building really, impressive for its engineering let allow the meaning it should hold. We decided against going in the museum due to crowds deciding to head back the next morning hoping it would be quieter. The jet lag and pace had caught up with us so we headed back, both having an unplanned nap in the room for a few hours.

Following the unplanned nap we needed some food so headed to Hell’s Kitchen where we ate some meatloaf, mash potatoes and sprouts (I know a random combo) and chicken and pasta, both average meals but the first time we had seen vegetables and eaten with a knife and fork in nearly 3 days! We had a few drinks so stayed out late as possible in order to try and combat the remaining jet lag hoping we would not wake at 4am the next day!

The final full day in NYC was here and we had a few last things we wanted to see and do before moving on. First we did as planned and headed to the 9/11 museum which was both interesting and slightly moving if not feeling quite american at the same time. We walked around and well laid out exhibitions and took in the slights and sounds of what happened on that tragic day in history. The only thing I felt which it was missing is more of an explanation as the the reasoning for its fall i.e. structurally, why it fell. After this we headed into NoLita on the hunt for some taste bites and stumbled upon a packed mexican cafe where we waited 10mins for two seats to free up. A delicious meal followed with fish and veggie tacos both packed full of flavour and fresh ingredients, now understanding the wait and pleased we followed our travelling instinct to follow the locals and go where it's busy.

After this we heading to Times Square which was pretty awful, absolutely packed and teaming with tourists and touts, not our scene but again a must see if only once in NYC. We headed to the famous Macy's and the M&M store and got a decent size bag from the massive M&M pick’n’mix station (Vic’s great recommendation!). I got some Levi’s for $49.99 which we thought was a steal at that price however Macys felt disorganised and hectic and not dissimilar to any large department or clothes store in the U.K (think Selfridges or Debenhams).

The afternoon was getting on and we had yet to see Central Park. We arrived and were swapped by touts with varying prices offering everything from bicycles to horse drawn carriages. We opted for a couple of  bikes and proceeded to bomb it round the park. About half way round the heavens opened and we took shelter under some trees for 20 minutes until the rain eased. We once again started but with the recently settled rain both of us were covered in water by the end of the 1hr 30min bike round round the perimeter of the park. We headed back as the weather again once looking good, a real shame as if we had more time the park looked great and really humongous and really a wonder that it's dumped in the middle of Manhattan!

That evening we had arranged to meet up with an very old friend called Myles who we lived with in 1st year university. We headed to central  Brooklyn and met him and his girlfriend Justine, drinking and talking over past stores and travels into the night. They had to leave about 11ish so we headed back over the water to Manhattan both feeling merry after several drinks stopping for a cheeky bite to eat before quickly falling asleep once back at the hotel.

We woke on the last day heading out to grab some last minute gifts and shopping before checking out at 12. As I write this now we are heading to Washington DC on a very comfortable and cheap Amtrak train. Izzi is currently asleep in front of me, we have 1hr 30min before we arrive in a new, different part of the country. It once again feels like we are travelling, moving from place to place even if we are in the same country. I eagerly await the D.C and hope it's different and equally as fun as New York, let's see what it has to offer!