DAY 25 AND 26 -
Maybe I'm being ungrateful with all my amazing journeys but I feel as though I ought to have rejoiced upon entering NYC... At 5am, I couldn't even muster up a single 'YAY!' cos I was too friggin' dead to the world. Does my life seem at all ridiculous? Taxied straight to my abode for the next 10 days (HI NYC) and quickly realised it is a hell hole compared to its sister in Boston. The corridors are prison-like, with no cozy nooks/corners or welcoming warmth at the reception area. As expected, my room was not ready so I slept.. I say slept, more like led bleary-eyed and migrainey, with my face underneath my dressing gown, while a group of 50+ noisy teens came in around 6.30am preparing to leave for a dance contest. I hated that I only managed the smallest amount of shut-eye before showering and changing.
NYC AND ME ARE GONNA HAVE SOME PRETTY CRAZY TIMES - The underground is dirty, dirty, DIRTY but not at all scary as police are patrolling everywhere, so I won't be having big panic attacks based on feeling unsafe. There's no need to take deep, cleansing breaths either. Haha, that my first tourist venue visited was M and M World -- are they not pieces of heaven? Move over, skittles - M & M's have more rainbow to taste! The Colour Mood Analyser was spot on with my chocolate aura that I am - Peanut Butter Mix. 'You may be nutty, but you pull it off very smoothly!' Btw whose butt does one have to kick for some freebies?
At Planet Hollywood, I really got my teeth into my vegetable bolognese, eating away like it's going out of style. I defy you not to do the same with such a delicious dinner. Is the Pretty in Pink smoothie, the happiest smoothie ever or what? With every delicate sip, I felt prettier ;) and started to smell like strawberries which was odd as it only contained - coconut, cranberry, orange and pineapple! Curse me for having an appetite the size of Jupiter!
A SLAM DUNK OF A WINDOW DISPLAY - The twinkly transfiguration of Saks 5th avenue Christmas showcase into Winter Wonders of the World was never going to be a regular affair of tinsel and festive doodads. As ever, the whimsical imaginations of this yearly tradition have outdone themselves with the great wintery wall (of China), ice-cold Colosseum and frozen Great Barrier Reef. The beautiful hallelujahs coming from inside the palatial St Patricks Cathedral led me in to listen to the choir. Norwegian/Ukrainian carols were somehow comforting and haunting all at the same time in this Neo-Gothic church which spans an entire city block.
Just loving you, Central Park! More than a million Lindor truffles wrapped into one -- okay, that might be taking my extreme love too far but it's easy to get swept up in the romance of the park. Inhaling in what is known as The Lungs of New York City, gives the feeling that many a wish has come true here in a place of calm amidst chaos. 3 months after my trip, I find myself missing all 846 of its acres and the fairytales that are 'sold' there.
ZOOS NO LONGER AMUSE ME - It's ridiculous that a squad of sea lions splash around in the teeniest pond at Central Park Zoo. The snow leopards are magnificent as they tower over onlookers but I felt guilt that they were not in the wild where they belong. On top of that, I disgust myself that I handed over an entrance fee only to see a Grizzly Bear looking miserably suicidal :( incarcerated and punished for its feral being. Apparently they were taken in as rescues after growing 'too comfortable with people' in the wild! It was only good to see the nimble, lively lemurs, red panda asleep on a stump, as well as Nubian goats and llama/alpacas at the petting part of Tisch Children's zoo.
FYI, Subway performers are often misunderstood geniuses. To the band of brothers who brought some soul to the underground singing 'This Little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine' - you keep on rockin'! Thanks for bringing your shiny light into my day :) A hungering for Caribbean cuisine took me to Stella's for jerk chicken, rice and peas, fried plantain and curried potato and chickpeas. I declare these spicy little dishes cheekier than a Nandos and I'm gonna get FATTTTTTT! Before putting myself to bed at a reasonable hour, I had my nightly gab with a fellow traveller from Sweden, sharing tales from the day.
BOOM: I'M IN BLOOMINGDALES - My first full day in NYC was not unlike out of Confessions of a Shopaholic, for it was to start with a morning of shopping til I'm droppin'! I was itching to get my Gotham grubby hands on a little brown bag so bought the cheapest item I could find in the department store. Settling on a teeny brown mug and saucer set which only set me back 6 bucks - far out!
Cupcakes will always be fun to eat, even in the earliest of my 30's so where else should a voracious woman go but Magnolia Bakery? I followed the scent of sweetness in Bloomers (rather than trying to find the original location as seen in The Devil Wears Prada) right to the pretty, pretty cupcakes. The purple icing with white sprinkles was picked and yo, check it my mouth's about to wreck it! Bless the Jacques Torres, wicked hot chocolate that succeeded the sprinkles, which was pretty much everything I love in life. Life forms on other planets should KNOW how thoroughly blissful these beverages are. Additionally, they make truffles like birds sing as my white chocolate and key lime ganache love bug truffle and I shared a very pleasant moment together ;)
BREAKFASTED BEFORE TIFFANY'S NOT A LA AUDREY HEPBURN - Soooo wished I was rich enough to purchase anything from the happiest store on earth but nope I couldn't afford diddly squat! A mint ladybird charm caught my eye but that was a cool $165 alone; out of curiosity I inquired the price of the least costly items and gasped that even the key chains were $150! The sparkles encircling shoppers betwixt the Christmas pines festooned in silver and Tiffany's turquoize was all a very pretty picture. Trying on a bit of bling and staring lovingly at jewels I could never afford was a rite of passage all ladies ought to experience. It's not like gentlemen callers are pounding down my door to wed me but at the subway I was told 'you're beautiful, miss!' I simply blushed, aww-ed and thought 'this is SO going in my blog!'
Lotte New York Palace understandably filled the Gossip Girl geek within me with joy, for it is the home of Manhattan's elite - Serena van der Woodsen and her family. The darling doorman, Maurice whisked me around the filming locations on a short, free tour out of his own kindness. He's used to a gaggle of GG crazy groupies lurking the courtyard so was able to fill me in on all the details of scenes in each room of great goldness. Maurice was my personal photographer as he snapped away images of me where Nate and Serena made out at the bar, the grilled cheese toastie with truffle oil kitchen, Chuck's office, the drug confrontation site and the swanky staircase. Christmas has come to the courtyard with the gorgeous opulence of the triangular tree dotted with gold, red and silver baubles.
CHRISTMAS-SING NEVER RESTS IN THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS - Macy's paid homage to Miracle on 34th Street with their Yes Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus displays. Other cheesy sentiments of peace and hope were presented with Charlie Brown and that rosy-cheeked, snowy white bearded bloke with the twinkle in his eye. I am that loser who photographs all the festive holiday window wonders but the kids reactions of awe, make it so much sweeter. This store sure had Christmas on the brain what with the green glittery reindeer, Santa mail giant mailbox, Santa land junction and train and the believe o'meter. Sorry to anyone who didn't like it but that's how Manhattan Yuletide works! J'adore the message which was conveyed with scintillecent lettering 'believe' on the exterior of the world's largest store.
The streets of NY were not decked with boughs of holly; instead oversized ruby, sparkly baubles (like Dorothy's there's no place like home slippers) protrude as if to announce 'Christmas has come to the Empire State!' I love that there's a new surprise round every block - particularly the gigantic twinkle lights; nobody hates a fairy light at the most wonderful time of the year. There are no limits to the crazy and I have a butterflies-in-my-belly amour for it.
ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY TRAVEL DIARY - This isn't just any old view from Top of the Rock, it is regarded as the greatest panoramic view of New York City and beyond. This is *the* place to see the whole of Manhattan laid out below, as if just for you and not to mention, you'll see 13,437 taxis (give or take!) Twilight is my preference for optimal and glitzy viewing and not only that but from this perspective you're able to see The Empire State Building illumined. It is the 70th floor which has the 360 degree scope of NYC but there are a couple of other decks to check out too. When I see couples together in settings like this, I do get envious and pledge that my future hubby owes me a kiss here! Let's not dwell on the loved up, kissy couples with their smoochy romances in full blossom and go back down to earth.
I am nothing if not full of suggestions and one of the supreme recommendations is to watch the skaters, skating it all up at Rockefeller rink at nightfall. The scene of pretty friends under the backdrop of the pretty, 78ft Norway Spruce, rainbow bright Christmas tree isn't something Walt Disney himself could have dreamed up. Tree lighting ceremonies have marked the commencement of the holidays year after year since 1933 and as always this is a maniacally magical sight. Expectations are huge but this tradition surpasses the one before everlastingly; the 2015 tree was topped with a Swarovski star consisting of 25,000 crystals!
DIZZYING DELIGHTS - Taking in the Main Concourse and bustling crowds of commuters dashing back and forth at Grand Central Station, must be beheld if but once in your lifetime. Insanely, 750000 people pass through the terminal in any one day and up to a million during the Christmas season. Gazing at the suburbanites going about their daily travels is a strangely, satisfying experience as the bodies become blurs before your eyes. With everything else so wacky crazy going on, the inaccuracies of the astronomical star constellation ceiling above may not be noticed; these have not been corrected but it is thought that it was painted backwards on purpose. And duh, I had to pay a visit to see where my Gossip Girl homie, Serena was spotted descending down the staircase to once more reign over the Upper East Side in the first episode. Great night, I say again GREAT night :D
