Welcome To New York

Me and Sissy in the financial centre

So it's official, this summer L and I are going to take a ride on a big jet plane across the pond to visit B at her home in Tulsa then then the 3 of us are going to New York for a week!  This isn't happening until the end of August but I already cannot wait!  This also sparked off my memory about the last time I went to New York... the year was 2011 and I was blonde and brace faced (it was a dark time).  So I thought I would blog about my first trip to New York in keen anticipation of my upcoming return. Oh and this is probably not what you would expect...

So in 2011 we went to America and spent some time in San Diego, Vegas and then flew to Georgia.  We drove from Georgia up to New York and spent like 2 days there before flying home.  Back then I was allll about small town life and I just adored Georgia, Savannah was (as B would apparently say now) hella cute!  And when it came to big city life, nah that wasn't me at all.  We got to New York at night and fun fact: we stayed at the hotel where Man On A Ledge would soon be filmed, the Dictator started filming there on the day I was going home and it was also one of the filming locations for Maid In Manhattan (for all you big JLow fans out there, I myself prefer JLaw).   

There's always some idiot who goes "moo"
- Chandler Bing

The next day we got up bright and early wanting to make the most of our time in the place that Alicia Keys claimed would make me feel brand new and where Madonna told me she didn't like cities but she loved New York - I'd never much liked Madge but I was hoping she would be right about this one!  We got a hop on hop off bus pass and took to the concrete jungle where dreams are made of.  Our first stop was the Statue of Liberty, we got onto the boat and went to the top deck.  My mother and I watched the tour guys herd everyone else onto the boat and my mum began to make mooing noises and all I could think about was that episode of Friends where Monica and Chandler discuss this.  We decided not to get off the boat at the statue, which i guess is a little weird but my mother decided it looked the same from the boat as it would from the island.  We then went to the 9/11 memorial museum - the memorial itself was not built at this stage in time nor was the particular museum which I believe is there now.  After this we went to the financial center and I got some pizza. Then we waited at the bus stop for a lifetime only to see the bus drive right on by without stopping for us or the other tourists who had been waiting impatiently.  I had by this stage in the day lost about half my body weight in sweat and my hair resembled Monica Gellers in the Barbados episode.  

#RealLifeProbs

3 years later

Another bus came along and picked us up and we proceeded to take a bus tour.  The tour guide told us that once a lady tried to commit suicide by jumping off of the empire state building but the wind was so strong that she was blown back in through a window a few floors down... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building#Suicide_attempts
I don't really remember much else from the bus tour to be honest - like I said I wasn't a huge city fan back then and the only other thing I remember was the smell - it really did smell bad haha!

Me and A up the Empire State Building.
And my questionable outfit choice.

That night we went up the Empire State Building which was actually really cool although I would probably prefer to go during the day if I go up it again.  On the way back down the security/tour guy who worked the lifts tried to let my family into the lifts without me and my friend but mother - who is terrified of heights - asked to wait for the next lift with me because she didn't want to leave me up the top alone.  The guy was really rude to her and told her that no she would have to get into the lift and to stop causing hassle over nothing.  My mother said that she would not be leaving me up the top of the Empire State Building alone and that if he has to fill the lifts he can let someone else in in her place and ultimately he shouted "JESUS CHRIST!" at her and stormed off mumbling for the 3 of us to just get into the lift together.  This was not the first time we had encountered rudeness on this trip and it was at this moment I decided that I didn't like New York.  

The next day we decided to do some shopping and go to Central Park since it was the last day of our holiday.  We stopped in at Toys R Us in Times Square so I could pick up a gift for my friend - A New York themed duck soft toy.  I went in and asked the shop assistant where the soft toys were kept and she just stared at me and curtly remarked "Ugh a what!?" and I was like "sorry I don't know what you call them here, like a soft toy, a stuffed animal, a teddy bear except not a bear..." she continued to stare at me and then looked between her and her colleague clearly mocking me and half laughing, she just pulled a face.  I told her to never mind, I'd look myself and thanked her for all of her help using every bit of sarcasm I could muster.  I definitely hated New York.  I was never coming back!  

We found Wonderland

We walked to Central Park and spent an extremely long time trying to find the Alice In Wonderland statue - it was totally worth it though.  I really liked central park and wish we had spent more time there.  We went to see Chicago on Broadway that night and it was amazing!! 10/10!
When it was time to leave we were all excited to get out of that city once and for all.  We got to the airport and found out there had been a problem with our booking and we wouldn't be able to fly home on that flight.  After a while my mother managed to get us onto a flight that day - we were leaving one way or another!

Me, Mother and Sissy at Chicago

I swore I'd never return.

However, as time passed and I changed I fell back in love with the idea of New York.  I'm far less sensitive than I was when I was 16 and there is no way I would let someone else's rudeness impact me so much.  In fact I've learned to give what you get and I now know not to have any expectations from people and their attitudes.  
I mean not everyone in New York that I met was rude.  The shop assistants in Aeropostale and Bubba Gump's were very friendly as were the staff at the hotel.  I also love cities now and I am super excited to return to New York!
Honestly I'm glad I had this experience and my only regrets are that I had never watched Gossip Girl prior to this trip as they were most definitely filming while I was there #missedopportunity 

The moral of the story is that some people need to remember that they are a shark, not a mindless eating machine!

 

The chan chan man

       




        Xoxo
       Queen G

being one of those people