New York - you are crazy but I do love you

A year of living in London has gone by way faster than I thought it would, and so I've finally experienced my first proper winter, ever in my life. Now initially it started off great, November wasn't too bad and Christmas decorations were already covering the streets of London, making everyone feel nice and jolly. December of course is the holiday season and flies by, I even managed to make a proper winter holiday with Christsmas in Amsterdam, New Years in Paris and Skiing in Switzerland, so yes it doesn't get better than this.

But...then you get to January, and its still dark and grey and colder and soon you forget the fun holiday season but still you hang on, but once you're in February my goodnees, now I know the true meaning of February blues, and if this isn't a saying, it most definitely should be! February is dull. It's the hardest month there is, there's no light at the end of the tunnel. So...when an old friend sent a message to say he was in New York and I should come for a long weekend, it was a super tempting offer.

The last time I was in New York was as a teenager with my parents and it was time to go back. In a span of 4 days I got my online ESTA, booked my tickets (thanks to my boss being super nice) and jumped on a plane to New York City which turned out to be one of the best, most impromptu trips, I have ever made.

I arrive at midnight and am staying in Times Square (not my choice but hey I won't say no to free accommodation), the most mental place ever. It's exactly as you see in the movies, crazy. There are lights everywhere, music, noise, hundreds and hundreds of people walking the streets lined with advertising splashed sky scrapers. The Skyscrapers, they're everywhere, I haven't been in a city with so many skyscrapers ever I think, but despite all of this, its enthralling. Its a busy, full of life, never sleeping city. All the cliches you hear about, all the stories people tell you about New York, its all true. This city never sleeps. The first night was a long one, catching up with my friend, drinking till the wee hours of the morning having met up after 4 long years.

Despite the late night, I'm up and about at 7am thanks to the jet lag and so its time to hit Manhattan. First stop, good coffee and there are a fair few spots to hit. Event though Grumpy's is now famous thanks to Girls apparently, its still was on my walk down to Soho. Checking through my Wallpaper guide I hit a store called The Apartment by The Line, amazing cool space where you literally have an apartment laid out with a dinning table, bed room, bathroom etc. all filled with things you want to buy, I say want cause I would need very deep pockets to afford things there, but totally worth a visit to check out the space. Then a block around the corner you have 101 Spring Street - Judd Foundation, a great building and gallery space with some very cool exhibits that you need to make a booking in advance.

So after a fair bit of retail therapy, it was time for refuelling with a nice meal at Charlie Bird for some yummy italian and of course a glass of prosecco. Rested and fed, I'm off again walking back towards Chelsea and making my way to one end of The High Line park. Its an old train track that was going to be demolished until two neighbourhood folks decided to save it and turn it into a very cool park, running all the way from the Meat Packing district to Hudson Yards. It was a gorgeous walk on a cold, clear winters day with the sun in your face giving you that slight warmth as the New York chilly breeze hits you. I couldn't help but imagine it in summer as I walked past the pool beds and benches. Lined with great street art and installations, this was the highlight of the day.

Still a bit jet lagged and exhausted by the walking, it was an early night for me but only after catching up with another one of my oldest friends who I hadn't seen in 8 years. We ended up in a small vine bar in Hell's Kitchen and there we made friends with a bouncer who thought we were too pretty to be alone on a Friday night, celebrated a locals birthday in the bar and got invited out to a party later. Ah the New York way. This is when you really can tell the difference between people in London and New York, everyone talks to you, no one is shy of walking up to you and paying you a compliment, I literally love the randomness of the people that make it such a cool city.

So early night in for yet another early start to the day and with milder temperatures and blue skies, I decided it was the day to walk the Brooklyn Bridge but as usual I can't function without my coffee fix so I decide to take the Subway there and walk back. Wow, the subway is well quite a shock after the Tubes in London, honestly there is no way I can side with the New York Subway over the London Tube, London is a clear winner here. Anyway, some good research got me to a cafe in Brooklyn Heights called Iris, a quaint, beautiful cafe, in the very nice streets of Brooklyn Heights. Great coffee and delicious breakfast had me ready for another good walk along Brooklyn Heights Promenade and Brooklyn Bridge Park. Honestly the best views of Manhattan can be seen from here and you can actually feel the sun on your skin since your free from all the skyscrapers blocking it away. Its a great site though and once again I'm sure summer here with all the bustling outdoor bars would be a treat. I clearly need to go back when its warmer :)

I then kept walking over to DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) past Jane's Carousel and go through the streets for a feel for the neighbourhood. and then its time to get up to the entrance for Brooklyn bridge. A touristy thing to do but for very good reason, its a great bridge what can I say. Walking across that definitely made me feel like I was walking in and out of numerous movies and TV shows, its surreal. Hell most of New York is cause you've see so much of it, when you're there it's suddenly a different odd sort of reality, its great.

Pit stop via the One World Trade centre and I make my way for some lunching and maybe a quick retail break at Chelsea Markets, a definite recommendation. It's a great space full of coffee spots, food trailers, boutiques, and a really cool book shop that inspired me to pick up a classic thats been on my list for a while. A quick breather back at the hotel and I'm ready to meet one of my best friends who, also quite randomly, was in from Boston that very weekend. Seeing her after 5 years was so amazing. A great meal and cocktails at The Modern at MOMA was perfect for our crazy long awaited catch up followed by us heading over to Williamsburg for some more drinks and catching up with other friends that live in New York. That was one long and fun nigh which we paid for in the morning cured not by a big breakfast but by some seliciously unhealthy cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery

Today was the day for MOMA and Central Park and it was yet another gorgeous, surreal, captivating day walking in one of the most infamous city park and I was in all the romantic films I could think, definitely a few Tom Hanks ones :)

The last day I managed to have yet another great breakfast at the Egg Shop and hit the MET with only a couple of hours to spare, a last lunch at Casimir & Co and just like that it was time to head back to London on the red eye. A magical long weekend in the city that never sleeps. New York you are crazy, but I do love you.