It`s fair to say that I had a week of wonderful celebrations, all starting with checking into Grupo Habita`s boutique hotel, Hotel Americano. Upon arrival I was upgraded to a suite and given a bottle of red wine to celebrate- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! The room itself was modern and simple, with a bed on the floor (believe me it was super comfortable) and quirky fixtures and fittings! Maybe not the hotel room for all tastes, but it certainly suited mine.
So atmospheric!
Food
On the morning of my birthday I took myself out for a birthday breakfast to Two Hands in Little Italy. An Australian cafe run by Australians ensured that the coffee was damn giood! Tucking into avocado on toast I opened a few cards from home, including a very special one filled with heartwarnng words from my mum and yes, I cried a little.
Being away from home for my birthday was made all that easier by some wonderful family and friends, all of whom overwhelmed me with their genoristy and little surprises!
Another slightly, albeit happy, tearful moment was when I was surpirsed with Proseco, cakes and a lovely gift from some very special people ❤️
The celebrations then continued into the evening on the rooftop of the Conrad Hotel in Battery Park City where we drank ice lolly cocktails (known as Loopy Doopys ha ha), ate Mexican food, drank plenty of red wine all with the wonderful New York skyline as the backdrop!
Once I had indulged in the celebrations of turning 30 and paying for it the next day (it`s definitely downhill hangovers for me) I spent the rest of my time going back to some NYC favourites, exploring new areas and having great experiences with friends! Here`s some of my fav things from this trip:
Fall Colours
Autumn (aka fall) is a time of year that I love back home in London- seeing the leaves change colour and feeling the crunch of the leaves under my feet fills me with such content and thankfully NYC in the Autumn provided just that! Each day I was greeted with gorgeous hues of red, orange and yellow and think I must`ve taken photos of nearly every tree I passed!
Autumn in Central Park
A little park by Bleeker Street
Autumn Colours on The Highline
Walking The Highlne to The Whitney Museum
My friend had told me that the new Whitney Museum had recently opened in the Meatpacking District and with it`s roots firmly in showcasing contemporary American art I knew I would love it! Jumping onto The Highline at 34th Street I walked along it, taking in the views that I love, to Gansevoort Street.
I had pre-booked my ticket which meant a queing time of just five minutes and as I arrived early, the museum was quiet which allowed for more time to explore the exhibitions on display. In fact I spent a good three hours in there as there was just so much to see,
The view from the outside deck.
Halloween
American`s love Halloween- fact! And I loved seeing the efforts that people went to in order to make Halloween a focul point for the city. So many houses looked spectacularly spooky and on nearly every street a pumpkin (or a dozen) could be found!
Washington Square Park
Now I must confess, on my previous trips to New York I have only ever walked through Washington Square to get from one side to the other, however with family living nearby and staying in that area for a large part of my trip, I spent quite a bit of time in the park. The park offered great live music in the form of a folk band, work displayed of different local artists, great dog watching (so many gorgeous canines) and my fav, a real-life birdman (Michael Keaton eat your heart out!)
Would I ever have a post that didn't mention food in some way?! Of course not! For me a large part of travel is all about the food and it's no secret that New York offers some of the best food in the world! Now I probably committed a huge blogging sin and didn't photograph many of my meals.. In all honesty I got carried away by the eating of it! 😉 But I did make sure to make a note of the delicious places I visited:
Breakfast/ Brunch
- Cookshop in Chelsea
- Murrays Bagels (a busy place but so worth the queue)
- Two Hands Cafe
- The Penrose, Upper East Side
Lunch/ Dinner
- Cookshop (again)
- El Vez, Mexican, Battery Park City
- Gansevoort Food Market
- Barbuto (amazing Italian food in the West Village)
- Fresh produce from Eataly
Here's a couple I did take- Cookshop, The Penrose and Murray's Bagels
Friends
No, not the sitcom.. 😉 Getting to be in the company of good friends and family is definitely a contributing factor to why I am so fond of this city and thanks to them all I had a great birthday and a wonderful 8 days in New York!
Me and my Godfather- we`re so cool 😎
With my godmother and her gorgeous grand daughter
Being spooked with Nancy!
Ciara and Jon from back home who came over to celebrate with me for a few days!
Me and my friend Alicia enjoying the delights of red wine in
New Jersey!
New York, you were amazing! Next stop New Zealand!
Until next time
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