So i've been MIA on the blog front lately but if you've been following me on other social media sites, you'll know one of the reasons why; I've finally been to my spiritual home and now that i'm back in my actual home i'm quite frankly DEPRESSED. Anyway, what is one to do when feeling the post vacay blues? Reminisce by going through about eight hundred photographs snapped on one's travels, of course.
New York City is by far the most amazing place i've ever had the pleasure of visiting and if i had it my way, i'd say to hell with visiting, pack up and move across the Atlantic right now. It's just that good! I didn't even feel like i was away, the City made me feel at home instantly and saying goodbye was quite hard. As i'm missing it terribly i can't promise that this will be my only NY blog post. In fact i'm pretty sure i'll have a few posts dedicated to my trip, as my reality and everyday life seem far less interesting at the moment...Nevertheless i'm sure i'll be back filling you in on what i saw, ate, drank, bought and wore. The shopping, the fashion - i'll save for another day!
So what was my favourite part, my highlight? Can i answer that with EVERYTHING? No probably not, that's just a lazy answer... I adored Manhattan. Midtown, Uptown, Downtown. All fantastic. However, me being me, i already knew that i would favour the vibe of Downtown. Soho and the East Village. The streets lined with little vintage boutiques, dive bars and gorgeous apartments. Less chaotic than Midtown and definitely way more relaxed than the hustle and bustle found in Times Square. Not that they weren't breathtaking places, the hectic-ness was nothing short of infectious. If you ever want to feel alive - NYC is the place to go. Even if you go and just witness the 360 view of the City from the top of the Empire State Building. Nothing compares to that view. On top of the world, literally. I also never got bored of the street view from near my hotel. Looking up at the Empire State from the ground is beautiful enough....Hell, even sitting in Starbucks, people watching and looking out the window at taxis driving by was enough to make me happily content.
Another place i need not miss out is Central Park. So huge but peaceful in the middle of the concrete jungle. How it exists among it all is beyond me, but it does and it's amazing. Hard to believe that Birkenhead park near where i live was the inspiration for the design. From a person whose visited both, it's fair to say Central Park is far superior and i wish the original held the same stature. I suppose the same can be said about the Liverpool skyline and the Manhattan skyline. Both stunning but i find the latter so much more appealing. Is that purely because the former is always around me. I have a Liverpool skyline view from my apartment window. Am i that desensitised to it that i take it for granted? Probably. If this New York trip has taught me anything, it's to appreciate what i already have. How many New Yorkers want to see Liverpool? Loads. Even if it is just because of The Beatles....One even offered to swap apartments for a few weeks. If i was more forward and didn't think he was joking, i might have taken him up on his offer......
I could sit here and write about every single place i visited but i'm trying to keep my rambling to a minimum and i haven't even got to the best part yet....
Obviously, if you haven't guessed by my blog title, it isn't just Manhattan that i had to explore while i was in the Big Apple. Brooklyn just couldn't be ignored. I don't understand why people disregard it when it is just a 15 minute subway ride away or a half hour walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.... I'm actually in love with the subway. A $30 unlimited weekly pass. Best thing i bought when i was there. Never hailed a cab once (although i kinda wish i'd done that and don't worry i did ride in a cab, two actually - back and forth from the airport)... Anyway i digress, where was i? Oh yes, Brooklyn. Or more specific Williamsburg via the L train. The L alone is an adventure. Known as the Hipster train and oh how hipster it is.... Beards, checked shirts and beanie hats galore and no that is not an exaggeration.
Getting off at Bedford Avenue was an exciting and pivotal moment for me. My Williamsburg Wish was coming true. I was finally there and it didn't disappoint. Grungy dive bars, vintage boutiques, flea markets, thrift stores, vintage old American cars, quirky coffee shops and cool, trendy people everywhere you look. Even conversations overheard were mind blowing and interesting. From one girl complaining to her friend about not wanting to go back to her design job, to another couple of girls candidly chatting about people they know and how uncool they were compared to their parents. Actors, novelists, poets, musicians, designers and kids with trust funds were just a few of the topics they were discussing and i was only listening in from my seat at a table, in front of them at a bar for half an hour. I felt like turning around and asking them millions of questions about who they were talking about but i couldn't do that. I was too busy trying not to look like a tourist and more like i belonged there. Like i was a wealthy, cool independent New Yorker just going about my daily life. I hope it worked.......
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