This last Saturday i have just gotten back from the most exciting trip of my life and so i thought i'd better do a blog post on it!
So this rather exciting adventure started on 25TH December 2015, yes christmas day, my twin sister and i found out that we were going to be going to NEW YORK CITY. Now those of you who are friends & family may possibly have seen the most embarrassing video of me opening up the box which contained the New York surprise in it where i sobbed and sobbed of happiness. I was genuinely so shocked my family had managed to keep it so quiet from us. I knew that one day i would 100% go to new york but i never had imagined it to be quite so soon. Both my other siblings had already been and my parents went a few years ago for their wedding anniversary, therefore, i had been longing to go so this surprise was extremely special for me and my twin sister as it was our first time going.
So on Monday 22nd August 2016 my parents , my sister and i embarked on our New York journey. My older sister was meant to be coming but unfortunately could not come due to an amazing job opportunity however, each of us are itching to go back so Its just a really good excuse to go back !
After a 7/8 hour plane journey we had finally arrived at JFK airport, we waited for just under an hour for my friend's plane to arrive who stayed with us for one night and explored the city with us for a day before embarking on her own American adventure. So on the way to our hotel i had my first ever ride in a yellow taxicab and soon found out that the driving over there is just a little manic!
We soon arrived at our hotel and found that we were situated just two streets away from times square! However, we didn't actually explore times square on the first night as we decided to go up the empire state building. My parents really wanted my sister and i to view New York the from up high the first night so we could immediately make sense of it all. I couldn't be more happy that we did this because it suddenly made all the hectic chaos that we had initially seen down on the streets below seem so small and it definitely made me feel calm about the place. Plus, it was really exciting to see all the lights of the high rise buildings turn on as the sun went down and darkness started to loom. It was so incredibly pretty.
It was soo delicious.. my mouth is just watering thinking about it now. Although, i may have been defeated my the huge proportion size!
The rest of the day we spent SHOPPING IN TIMES SQUARE!!! Of course i spent way to much money in Sephora, the employees were so helpful and far more pleasant then what i had experienced in the Paris sephora so that pleased me a lot! I'm gonna be doing a mini haul/ first impression review on what i brought later on in the week.
For lunch we stopped at this really cute sandwich and soup place called Hale and Hearty where i had the nicest chicken tikka sandwich and some lemonade. Im not a massive sandwich fan but it was honestly so incredible, I'm obsessed! We decided we would eat this in the near by park and it was just the best thing ever. Just such a lovely environment to be in and i loved people watching imagining what job they do and what kind of apartment they live in.
Wednesday we decided to go the 9/11 memorial where we went to the original museum and had a walking tour of the grounds, which was taken by a fire fighter who was off duty the day of 9/11 but heard something had happened ( at this point they weren't sure what had happened) and rushed straight over to offer his services. Six days later he still hadn't left the scene and unfortunately had found out that he had lost two of his nephews who had been working that day. It was such a tragic event to hear about and it really drilled in how horrendous it must have been for everyone involved, but it also highlighted how inspirational and honourable the servicemen and everyone who came to help was, its unimaginable the amount of strength everybody must of needed. However, i really do recommend anyone who finds themselves in new york to attend this memorial. The amount of thought and deep meaningful symbolism that had gone in to putting the memorial together is so precious. For example, a white rose will be placed on a name of the memorial on their birthday for a sign of respect.
Later on that day, we headed over to Elis Island to see the statue of Liberty. But before we got on the boat we had an extremely long walk to get to the right pier and i fell in love with he surroundings.
Once we got to Elis Island, we walked round the whole island and saw the iconic statue of liberty, and then went for an ice cream!
On Thursday we decided to go on the Best of New York cruise. I didn't get any photos but it was really interesting to see all the landmarks and to get tonnes of information on the different buildings and reminders of events that had happened in the past. It was also so surprising to see the amount of greenery/ forest/ coastal areas you wouldn't think that being in such a large city with so many man made objects and high rise buildings there would be so so so much parks and greenery. But New york has the perfect balance of city and nature!
We then decided to go to central park !!!I was soooooooo excited to go to central park, it so beautiful. I loved it so so much and i could literally spend every single day there. I can just imagine little me in the future going for my daily run (jog) around central park, i'd be so content in life! It wasn't until we got home that i saw a birds-eye view picture that i realised how massive central park is! insane ... i have to go back one day and walk the whole thing.. thats going on my bucket list!
We spent our last night going to Eat in Ellens stardust diner ! This may have been the highlight of my trip. I would 100% recommend it. Its a diner where the waitresses and waiters are extremely talented singers who have dreams of broadway. So they sing while they serve you! This may sound slightly cheesy but it was not at all. The atmosphere was incredible, i even ordered a dessert, even though i didn't need one, so we could stay longer. Going out to eat will never be the same again!
Friday was our last day so of course we did some more shopping!
I hope you enjoyed reading my week with in the city ! we did so much during the week so i've given just a tiny snapshot of each day and missed so much out so be sure to follow me on instagram - livimarsh22 to see many more photos of what we got up too!
I was so sad to leave and can't wait to one day go back. I couldn't believe how safe and calm New York made me feel, i thought i'd find it a bit overwhelming but i couldn't love it more. I love how everybody had different quirky styles. People weren't afraid to be themselves and be a unique individual rather then be a groupie of the same styles and passion. I loved the beautiful graffiti that was so artistic on the out door car park walls and the cute ivy covered manhattan homes.
Thank you mum and dad for taking me there! Im sure ill be returning very soon.
Thank
you
and
hope
this
helps
love
Liv xxx
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