First time visiting the Big Apple - New York
The second post in my American holiday.
We woke up early to catch the coach from Boston to New York which was about four hours journey time. Once we arrived, we went to the hotel to leave our bags so we can be hands free to explore. As we were only staying for the one night, we had all packed light with a rucksack/backpack each.
We had stayed in the Hilton in Times Square. It was a great location being right in the centre of the square with all the attractions and restaurants within walking distance. We also got free hot cookies at the hotel as a welcome gift which went down a treat with the group.
Most of our day was spent walking round Central Park, and as you can see it was a beautiful sunny day. Being a big Gossip Girl fan and as the show was filmed in New York it was the perfect opportunity for me to spot the locations, my favourite being the fountain where Blair and Chuck got married. AAAhhhh! Ironically, we saw a couple having their wedding photos taken!
Next we went past the Guggenheim Museum. We didn't go inside as we didn't have much time and wanted to see more places.
Rockefeller Centre
Grand Central Terminal
Dinner time at Shake Shack.
Think we went a little crazy but there were six of us eating dinner. I'm not going to lie but it was really, really tasty!
To finish our first night in New York, we went to the Empire State Building. It was pretty seeing the neon lights lit up against the dark night sky but it was extremely windy so we were holding onto our cameras tightly!
Day 2
The next day, we travelled on the subway to South Ferry station, then walked to Battery park where we got the ferry to Liberty Island. Travelling on the ferry to Liberty Island was fine however I would advise if you do have motion sickness to make sure you bring travel sickness tablets. At one point, I did have to go beneath deck to catch my stomach. It felt surreal seeing the famous Statue of Liberty up close. The monument is so iconic and features in so many films, I was totally in awe and couldn't stop taking photo after photo. We couldn't get tickets to the Crown on the day so its worth booking in advance if you do want to go inside the crown.
Statue of Liberty
Ellis island
We were fortunate to be entering the Museum when a tour had just started so we were able to join the guide around the museum. Ellis Island was the gateway for immigrants to the United States between 1892 - 1954 and it was here where inspections take place and people were told if they could stay or not. If you love history then this is a great place to visit, it was interesting to learn what it must have felt like for an immigrant arriving in the United States looking for a better life. The guide had told us that the inspection takes place when they walk up the stairs where they were judged on there strength and whether they would need support.
Great Hall
The trip to America was amazing, we got to see so many places, try different foods and made some fantastic friends along the way. We also got to spend time with the family and attend a beautiful wedding with a special couple! A big thank you to Ste and Jessy for inviting us and for the rest of their families for making us feel so welcome and at home.
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