The City That Never Sleeps… New York!

My most recent trip took me to the city that never sleeps…. New York! I visited 2 years ago and stayed with a friend I met whilst interrailing, but this was my first time being rostered the flight with work so I was very excited to be going back.

After a tough 13 hour flight we finally arrived and made our way to the hotel. A few of us arranged to meet for some dinner, and strolled along eventually deciding on a diner not too far from our hotel. I thought I was ordering something small and light, but it was the most enormous sandwich I’ve ever seen! American portions are just ridiculous ๐Ÿ˜›

After dinner we walked down to Times Square for a look around. After having been on our feet for about 24 hours by this time we couldn’t manage much more and walked back to the hotel, straight to bed!DSCN7016 DSCN7020 DSCN7022 DSCN7024Early the next morning 7 of us met to do some sightseeing.

Our first stop of the day was the Staten Island ferry, which takes you across for free, all whilst giving you a great view of the Statue of Liberty!DSCN7030Unfortunately the weather turned pretty suddenly and as we got on the ferry it started to rain. Luckily we were under cover and we still had a great view.DSCN7035 DSCN7038 DSCN7040 DSCN7042 DSCN7047 DSCN7048 DSCN7053 DSCN7059 DSCN7074The ferry drops you off and then you go straight through the terminal and back onto another ferry (unless of course you want to stay on the island).

Luckily the weather cleared up a bit on the way back and we got some great views of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline!DSCN7077 DSCN7081 DSCN7088After the ferry a few of the girls decided to head back to the hotel (it was 11:30 by this time and our wake-up call was 19:30…I can’t understand what was wrong with them!). The three of us left hopped on the subway to go to the High Line, which is a park converted from old train tracks, elevated above the city.DSCN7095 DSCN7096 DSCN7099It’s a really nice green escape in the middle of the city.

We strolled along enjoying all of the greenery that we don’t get in Dubai, and soaking up the sunshine. There are lots of little stalls selling all sorts of food, so of course we had to stop for an ice-cream! ๐Ÿ˜‰DSCN7103 DSCN7104 DSCN7107 DSCN7111 DSCN7113 DSCN7116 DSCN7120 DSCN7125 DSCN7132There’s a hotel called The Standard which is right at the beginning of the High Line, and I’d heard about a rooftop bar there which supposedly has great views of the city. We took the lift up but unfortunately it didn’t open til 2pm, so I’ll have to save that for next time.DSCN7135Our next stop was Grand Central Terminal. I keep calling it Grand Central Station, but it’s actually Terminal. Not sure how much difference it makes though! ๐Ÿ˜‰DSCN7141 DSCN7142 DSCN7150DSCN7163We then walked all the way up to Central Park. One of the girls had never been so she really wanted to see it!DSCN7165 DSCN7172 DSCN7173 DSCN7175 DSCN7180 DSCN7182 DSCN7183 DSCN7186Unfortunately I stupidly forgot to charge my camera the night before and at this point it decided not to cooperate any more so this was the last picture I got!

By this time we’d been out all day, so we decided to get some sushi to have for lunch/dinner.

Of course I managed to squeeze in a little bit of shopping as well…it wouldn’t be a trip to New York without some shopping!

All too soon my time in NYC was over and it was back to work and another 12 hour flight home!

 

P.s. If you want to follow more day-to-day updates of my life, follow me on Twitter and Instagram @rachelwwilson!

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8 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    July 22, 2014 / 10:34 pm

    Rachel, can you tell me how many hours of your free time did you have in NY? ๐Ÿ™‚

    • July 26, 2014 / 7:44 pm

      We had about 30 hours, that’s including getting to and from the airport as well!

  2. July 22, 2014 / 1:44 pm

    Love NYC – and your super cute high waist shorts – enjoy!

    • July 26, 2014 / 7:44 pm

      Thanks Abby! NYC is definitely one of my favourite cities! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. July 18, 2014 / 5:41 am

    Just ran into your blog for first time tonight, and let’s say that I’ll keep an eye on your blog! Need to get myself on an Emirates flight sometime soon – its been 2 years and counting since last one in 2012 :(.. Which jetliner you like better, A380 or B777? Cheers!

    • July 20, 2014 / 9:32 pm

      Glad you found it! ๐Ÿ™‚ B777 by a million miles! It’s so much more crew-friendly, if I could choose I wouldn’t fly on the A380 at all!

  4. July 16, 2014 / 8:38 pm

    Ah, home sweet home! I love Central Park, and the Highline is cool once in a while but way too crowded for me. Great pics ๐Ÿ™‚

    • July 20, 2014 / 9:36 pm

      Central Park is awesome! ๐Ÿ™‚ Yeah it was super crowded when I went, I guess because it’s summer as well!

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