For my final weekend, Michelle took me to the Big Apple, as I'd expressed a desire to see it at Christmas-time. A native of Long Island, we stayed with Michelle's friend, Kim, travelling up on the Friday after school.
We stopped briefly to explore the Yale campus and grab a coffee (it was a bitterly cold weekend) before entering New York state. My first glimpse of the city was across the water from our bridge: it looked beautiful.
I instantly liked Long Island; the streets and houses are more reminiscent of those in the UK. We ate in a fab diner on the Friday evening and picked up some rather tasty bagels to take into the city the next morning.
Heading in via train, we arrived at Penn Station to a rather surreal sight: multiple Santas - everywhere! To this day, I'm not quite sure why there were so many but I did capture some of them on film.
We began our day at Central Park, which is impossibly huge. From there we checked out the large piano, as featured in 'BIG,' in FAO Schwarz and drooled over diamonds in Tiffanys. We then made our way to 34th to gaze at the infamous Macy's Christmas window displays before heading down Broadway to Times Square. From here we passed the Saks' light and music display on 5th before meeting friends for dinner.
It was then time to brave the crowds (think sardine tin - crazy busy) surrounding the Rockefeller Centre, where we witnessed a proposal under a tree adorned with sparkly lights. The ice rink wasn't at all like I'd imagined but the tree was suitably impressive.
We then headed to, and up, the Empire State Building for panoramic views of the city at night. Incredible! A NYPD helicopter even entertained the tourists by hovering at balcony level before looping the skyscrapers.
After a leisurely brunch in another fab diner, we headed back to Massachusetts. New York wasn't at all what I'd expected (noisy, dirty, packed) and I'll savour my bite of the Big Apple for many years to come. Thanks Michelle :)
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