That Big New York Trip (Part 2 of 5)

Most mornings in New York, I woke up at around 9 to 10am English time which of course meant that it was 4 - 5am New York time.  I'm quite the lark anyway so getting up early didn't really bother me.  In fact I didn't suffer from jet lag at all until I got home.  It took me 11 days to get over it and every morning was absolute agony!  

Sunrise and sunset during my stay

The only real issue for me was that the local shops don't open until 10am so there is nothing to do until then. Whilst walking around Queens one morning, I was told by a local paramedic that I had a random breakfast with that 'Round here we like our late starts'.  For me (on a weekend) 10am is almost afternoon nap time so I found the idea of only starting my day then quite unsettling.

Another unexpected discovery was that in NY the sun (although way warmer than England) doesn't rise until after 6am and sets before 8pm - something to note if you're trying to avoid staying out past dark like I was.

Day 3 - Rockaway Beach, Queens

After my super long exploration of the city the previous day, I was absolutely exhausted and decided to take a time-out-day on another iconic beach, Rockaway in Queens.

Rockaway was a lot closer than Coney Island and was only 2 short train journeys from where I was staying.  The interesting thing about the train journey is that the train goes over the sea on a rail road track - not in a tunnel or a bridge, but just a little railroad track right through the water.  I'm not sure if this is something you see commonly, but it's certainly not something I've experienced before and I made a total unashamed tourist of myself making this video to enable me to fully explain this concept later.

Rockaway was absolutely beautiful and the white sands and blue skies would easily fool you into thinking you were on some Balearic island rather than in one of the world's busiest cities. In fact the more I travel the more I am amused by how completely wrong the stereotypes and preconceived ideas we have spawned about cities and countries end up being.  I don't think I've ever known that New York had beaches - beautiful ones too, let alone that the city of New York is surrounded by sea and rivers and is made up of several islands rather than one land mass.

Rockaway Beach boardwalk.  Look at that perfect blue sky.

It was around this point that I sent this selfie home and said I was never coming back to England!  It seems there is nothing that New York does in half measures.

This sun is definitely as hot as it looks.  Something else I learnt the hard way about the city is that it feels and though it's contending be one of the warmest places on earth! Jeepers it was hot and the humidity was a killer! I don't think the temperature dropped below 30c during any single day I was there.

After a day in the crazy hot sunshine, I had to stop off for some Ben and Jerry's on the way home.  I tried to sample all the flavours that I haven't seen in England, but there were just too many amazing things to eat.

It's so hot in the city that even the local cat where I was staying was taking strain and lay in front of the high powered fan the entire time I was home.

Day 4 - Fifth Avenue, Times Square, more stunning architecture, Madison Square Gardens, the Empire State Building, Macy's and a giant inflatable rat

Another one of those absolutely gorgeous NYC architectural things

A friend of mine (thanks, Zea!) saw this place on television and said to me on Facebook that I should visit there. Not sure why this guy thought that his bum should be in my photo but anyway.

It was a little pricey for a bagel at over $11 but it was 100% amazingly good (and besides it's NYC prices, right!).

A beautiful shop front I just couldn't get over - I liked it so much that I walked past it twice just to get a second look.

Real life police cars just like in the movies! Eek! This excited me greatly.

New York goths - cute.

Another 'just like in the movies' moment - a NY ambulance.

This was a strange find.  While I was searching for places to stay in NY prior to my trip, I came across this place. I wanted to stay there but the website said I'd have to share a bathroom which I wasn't 100% keen on.  It made me sad because I really thought it looked amazing.  Then I realised I didn't have to stay there to see it but I could just go there!  

When I asked the guys at reception if I could take photos they replied 'Sure.  Where do you want me?'.  It only reiterated how much I love the people of NY. I love their openness and friendliness. 

What a quirky but beautiful hotel.  The internet tells me that every room looks completely different. If this is how awesome the lobby is, imagine how the rooms must look!

I couldn't figure out what this building was but isn't it gorgeous? If my memory serves me correctly, it was just across from that massive Sony building outside Madison Square Park. Anybody know what it is? 

A view of the NYC skyscrapers from Madison Square Park where the suits come to enjoy a lunch in the picturesque surroundings of nature.  I got a couple of sideways looks from some of the mums here so moved on swiftly!

This is so NYC for me.  They had these hot dog stands on every other corner of Manhattan.

While walking towards the Empire State Building I came across this giant inflatable rat attacking a building! I have no idea why and he wasn't very successful.  They tied him to this vehicle in order to subdue him, I suppose.

And more 'just like in the movies'! The really abrasive traffic controllers with the white gloves genuinely exist.  They really shout at people and motorists too! I love it.

Madison Square Gardens where they show all the basketball games in the movies.

The iconic Empire State Building.

New York City streets - sometimes I was just so overwhelmed that I had to just stop and stare.

New York City streets - there were many of those overwhelming moments as you can probably tell!

Macy's - calm down, shopohalics! 

Inside Macy's. Very shiny.

I love this photo.  I was surprised to see that steam really does come up from the ground in the streets of NYC! Does that mean it's built on hell? :P  I think it's because they have open sewers across the pavements.  Sometimes it smells a bit funky but makes for a cool photo!

Times Square -this was possibly one of the most breathtaking things I have ever experienced.  I don't know why it's such a sight to behold and when you explain it to someone 'a few blocks of lights and big signs and moving images' it doesn't sound like much, but the atmosphere here is incredible.  It was definitely one of my favourite things about the city and I really want to come back here for New Years Eve one year. 

Back towards Fifth Avenue outside the Rockefeller Centre (more photos of that later)

St Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.  Building took seven years because work had to be halted during the Civil War.  It was eventually completed in 1878. As beautiful as it is, it's another one of those weird New York 'This building looks superimposed against the back drop of modern architecture' moments. New York is full of those!

I've never been a fan of TGI Friday's in England so I thought I'd try the American one instead to see what the fuss is about.

I have to say I was definitely fussed! The food was incredible, the service was second-to-none and the whole experience was wonderful.  I spent almost 2 hours in there.

This was my amazing candy floss cocktail! The waitress came over with the shaker and the glass full of cotton candy.  She then poured the alcohol over the cotton candy and it melted.  It was absolutely fantastic.

This almost killed me. This vanilla cheese cake (selected by Ethan back home who I was having a cyber meal with) contained 980 calories.  I can tell you that (a) it was the biggest slice of cheesecake I'd ever seen (b) it was probably the most delicious cheesecake I've ever had (c) I didn't even die of sugar overload - I sure was buzzing though!  To put the size of that slice into perspective, that is a dessertspoon dwarfed next to it, not a teaspoon.