"These little town blues, are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York... New York" - Frank Sinatra
Sometimes in life, it's easy to get bogged down with minor irritations and the minutiae of daily life, which results in a resolutely 'glass half empty' view of the world. The best way to combat this is to remove yourself from the situation, whether its for a day or a couple of weeks, to a year - its totally worth it. So what did I do? I booked a holiday to the most diverse, surprising, incredible place in the world - New York City!
New York Skyline
The City is a truly inspiring place, unlike any other. The main hub is the island of Manhattan, which in itself is made up of contrasting and complex neighbourhoods, from Broadway and the Theatre District next to Times Square, to the soul and culture of Harlem, the fabulous anything goes nature of the West Village, to the high fashion and amazing architecture of Park Avenue and the Upper East Side. Manhattan has it all. As F Scott Fitzgerald wrote in one of my favourite novels, the Great Gatsby, The City seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.
The key thing to remember there, is that you will never be able to see everything, there are New Yorkers that haven't achieved that, so don't force yourself to speed round on a whistle stop tour. A great place to start is the world famous and iconic Empire State building which gives you an amazing perspective on the city, and on a clear, sunny day it's breathtaking.
There are plenty of photo opportunities, and being in New York, I of course tried to channel my inner Blair Waldorf...
As this was my second visit, I was able to explore a little further away from the traditional tourist trail, including to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Little Italy, and Harlem, Upper West Side, which I will write about further in my next post.
Central Park
Central Park
So, during the day, go and see all the sights, from the Met Museum, MOMA and the Guggenheim, Central Park, the amazing shopping on Madison Avenue,and so on.
5th Avenue
But at night, its time to head out of your hotel and your comfort zone. New York is THE place to go for cocktails. As Simone Beauvoir said, There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless. My favourite bar in central Manhattan is the R Lounge, part of the Renaissance Hotel, at 714 7th Avenue, in the heart of Times Square.
The R Lounge is like an oasis of calm amidst the chaos below. It's a very chilled atmosphere, with classy surroundings, similar to that of the W Hotel group.
The playlist was fitting for the feel of the lounge, with Two Door Cinema Club and Bloc Party playing softly through the speakers. More importantly, there was free Wifi (that starts to become key criteria when choosing bars) and air conditioning - summer in the city is hot and humid, and we experienced highs of 30c in early June.
Whilst there, I had two cocktails. Firstly, the Strawberry Caipricoska, a delicious mix of Ketel One vodka, real muddled strawberries, fresh lime, and finished with a sugar syrup. Secondly, a Mango Sunset, which was created by mixing 1800 Silver Tequila, fresh mango puree, lime juice and a simple syrup. Both were amazing, a great taste of Manhattan. The R Lounge also do the best nachos I've ever tried, covered in nacho cheese sauce as well as Monterey Jack, fresh tomato and red onion salsa, guacamole, sour cream and to top it all off, sweet and sticky pulled pork. Heaven on a plate!
Another great area to head for cocktails is The West Village/Greenwich Village, known locally as 'The Village'. Traditionally frequented by the gay community (the Stonewall bar at the centre of the gay rights movement is here), it is pretty similar to Compton Street in Soho, London. It's very inclusive and welcoming to people from all walks of life - so be open minded. Perla, at 24 Minetta Lane, is a fairly new cocktail bar and restaurant, with friendly bartenders and again, a fairly chilled atmosphere.
I drank a Millenium Falcon (Bourbon, Cynar - an artichoke based liqueur - lime, angostura bitters, topped up with ginger beer) whilst A$AP Rocky and Juicy J pumped out of the speakers. In New York, you're just as likely to hear Lady Gaga as you are to hear French Montana, New Yorkers aren't phased by genre or style anymore, they just go with it.
As a Sex in the City superfan (I'm Carrie AND Miranda), I couldn't go to New York without having the drink that epitomises the show and the city for women everywhere - the Cosmopolitan. My personal favourite, it is made with good quality vodka, Cointreau orange liqueur, cranberry juice and a splash of lime juice. Our hotel, the Skyline NYC in Hells Kitchen, on 49th and 10th, had a happy hour from 12pm-6pm every day, with cocktails at $5 each. The bartender there is lovely, originally from Nepal but has lived in the city for 18 years (he's already convinced me to move there for work eventually), so its definitely worth a visit. I wouldn't like to reveal how many of these I consumed...
After all this alcohol, you need a decent breakfast to start the day afresh. The Skyline did the best American Style Pancakes with crispy, streaky bacon. The best part? The jugs of maple syrup on every table!
An amazing way to either start or finish a night out (depending on your preference) is to visit the Top of the Rock, on top of the Rockefeller Center, which gives amazing views over the city and is fantastic at night when all the buildings are lit up. There is also an unrivalled view of the Empire State Building.
When you leave, make sure when you get off the elevator, you take a picture with the iconic wall art, showing the brave and hardworking men that built the modern foundations of this amazing city, over a hundred years ago.
Tom Wolfe once commented that One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years. For me, he is completely correct. New York recaptured my heart and has fuelled my desire to live and work there one day.
In NYC, anything is possible, so who knows?
Yaasica XXX
P.S. Come back next week for my post on Harlem, Brookyln and Little Italy!
