New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of…

… There’s nothin’ you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
Big lights will inspire you,
Let’s hear it for New York, New York, New York!

I think you guys can guess where one of my most recent layovers was spent!

I didn’t manage to swap my 24 hour layover in the Big Apple, so after a couple of hours sleep I was up at 1am ready to serve a full cabin of hungry passengers for the next 14 hours.

Luckily, they were hungry but even more than that, they were sleepy! I guess the one good thing about a departure at 3 o’clock in the morning is that everybody wants one thing – sleep!

The flight flew by with great crew, and so many laughs in the galley whilst everybody slept.

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We’re lucky enough to fly over some beautiful places on our way around the world, and I always take time to appreciate the beautiful views out of the window. I even popped up to the cockpit to admire a bit more of Greenland and the gorgeous snowy peaks visible for a while.

Just as the passengers were starting to wake up, it was time for my break! We have a little crew rest compartment (located in the cabin on the A380 behind a locked door!) which sleeps 9, plus a separate area for the flight deck with 2 bunk beds. They are a bit of a squeeze and I’m pretty sure some of the tall guys barely even manage to fit in the bunk beds, but once you’re in it’s hard not to fall into a deep sleep!

After a short but sweet slumber, it was time to serve some breakfast, and then….land into the concrete jungle!

Being Saturday morning, the city was so busy and it took us forever to get to the hotel. Half of the roads were closed due to some market or other so we drove around for what felt like hours before we finally reached the hotel. By this time it was already lunchtime, and although I’d already eaten on the plane, I was suddenly absolute starving!

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After a quick bite to eat, I knew I needed some sleep before being able to do anything.

A few hours later, feeling much more refreshed and awake, I was ready to hit the shops! Our hotel is located right by Times Square, so even if you’ve only got a 24 hour layover you haven’t got far to go for all the essential retail therapy.

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I love wandering around Times Square; it never gets old, no matter how many times you’ve been before!

I browsed a few shops, enjoying the gorgeous sunny warm weather that I’m sure won’t be around for much longer.

A sneaky new pair of sunglasses may or may not have been purchased …. ๐Ÿ˜‰

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I decided to walk up to Central Park for a stroll around. My plan had been to hire a bike with one of the other crew, but she went out without sleeping so I knew I’d be too exhausted to enjoy it if I went with her! Instead I wandered up the streets, along 5th Ave, and towards Central Park.

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One day I’d love to take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage, but I think they’re a bit of a rip off at about 5 dollars per minute!

By the time I reached Central Park it was already dusk, and starting to get dark. The park was still alive with people, especially as it was Saturday evening.

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Everywhere I looked there were dance groups practicing salsa, people out rollerblading, or couples enjoying an evening stroll.

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I wandered on down towards the Bethesda Terrance and Fountain, which overlook the lake in Central Park. If any of you watched Gossip Girl, you might recognise this as where Chuck & Blair got married!

Unfortunately it was already getting pretty dark by this time, so I couldn’t see too much of the fountain or the lake. I’ll have to come and hire a bike next time, and explore some more of the park!

As my early wake-up call was looming, I wandered slowly back towards the hotel. Thankfully I have a great offline map, without which I undoubtedly would have walked even further!

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As i got tucked up into bed, I decided to check the “health” app on my iPhone, which automatically tracks how far you’ve walked. I’d done almost 15 kilometres, in less than 5 hours, without even realising! It’s no surprise that my feet were aching the next day!

The layover came to an end far too quickly, and it was time to head back to the airport ready for another flight home.

This was most certainly a short but sweet visit to one of my favourite cities – I’ll be back!

P.s. Follow me on Instagram & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world!

14 Comments

  1. Jana
    September 11, 2015 / 12:15 am

    Rachel, wow, I simply love your blog…. so well written and easy to read!
    It gives a very good picture about the job as a cabin crew with Emirates ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank you for that.
    I would love to work for Emirates and I have been thinking about applying for years. My only worry is my boyfriend in Australia. Are there many flight attedants having a boyfriend somewhere in the world? We are both pretty positive and we would like to make anything work. Only the first 6 months probationary period would be probably tough, as I understand that I wouldn’t be able to see him, unless I accidentally receive a roster with a destination to Australia, right? Sorry, for all those questions…

    I hope to read much for of you. Keep writing.

    & always happy landings

    • September 24, 2015 / 8:00 am

      Thank you so much for reading! In my opinion I do think it’s tough to keep a long distance relationship going, however it is possible! My ex-flatmate was in a long distance relationship for 2 years and now she is married and has moved to Hong Kong to be with her husband! I think you both have to be willing to make it work. Good luck ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Anonymous
    September 7, 2015 / 11:28 am

    Hello! I’m new to your blog, and so far I’m loving every post. How did you knew you wanted to be a flight attendant? how did you got started?

    • September 24, 2015 / 7:56 am

      Hi there, thanks for reading ๐Ÿ™‚ My dad is a pilot so aviation runs in the family, but I actually saw an advert in a magazine for my airline and just decided to go for it and apply!

      • Anonymous
        October 7, 2015 / 8:37 am

        Thanks for answering!! =)

  3. September 2, 2015 / 9:45 pm

    I’m going to NY soon for a holiday! Any tips on what to see/do/places to eat and shop!? X

    • September 24, 2015 / 7:50 am

      Ooh amazing, you’ll love it! You’ll have to do all of the normal touristy things, definitely go up to the top of the Rockefeller Centre, the view out over NYC and the Empire State Building is amazing! As for places to eat I don’t really have any recommendations, I always end up grabbing something on the go!

  4. September 2, 2015 / 6:22 pm

    Beautiful pictures! Love NYC ๐Ÿ˜€ xx

    • September 24, 2015 / 7:48 am

      Thank you! Me too, if only the flight wasn’t so horrible haha!

  5. gabrielseed
    September 2, 2015 / 4:57 am

    Always love reading your posts (and great pictures), especially about my hometown :). Would love to hear about your September roster as well.

    • September 24, 2015 / 7:45 am

      Thank you so much! Hope you enjoyed reading my September roster ๐Ÿ™‚

      • gabrielseed
        September 24, 2015 / 1:30 pm

        I did indeed ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Quin
    September 2, 2015 / 4:52 am

    My most favourite city EVER, its literally the capital of the world. Such a lovely relaxed post, oh by the way damn the horse carriage rides are a total rip off. The big apple is everything!!!!

  7. Tom
    September 2, 2015 / 2:59 am

    Hi Rachel! Canยดt wait to see your september roster ๐Ÿ˜‰ Tschรผs

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