New York, New York, So good they named it TWICE!

Around this time last year me and my best friend were getting prepared to go to NEW YORK, this was my first trip ever abroad and will never forget the most amazing time I had visiting the BIG APPLE and hope that i will have the chance to go back as there is so much to do.

In this post I'll go over things we did and would recommend to do whilst ever visiting this amazing city but also so some amazing photos :)

We arrived in New York around 12:30 which would have been around 5:30pm in the UK which is a bit weird to get your head around when you haven't slept for hours and been up since 2am all you want to do is sleep but as I've been told its best to stay up so we decided to check in and take a venture around Times Square, our hotel was around 2 blocks away so was really crazy how close we were to everything in New York.

This was the View from our Hotel window, funny thing was we looked out and said hmm this is a crap view, it wasn't until the next day we noticed that the Empire State Building was to our left.

On our 2nd but first proper day in New York (NY I'll shorten it too) which was my BF's birthday we had the pleasure of going on a helicopter tour. I highly recommend this to anyone visiting it isn't actually that expensive either around £90 per person and the views are spectacular.

On the same day we were lucky enough after forgetting to book to go and take a tour of the 9/11 which was breathtaking. The tour was done by people that were affected by the 9/11 these were either people who were there, lost loved ones or even reporters on the day. When walking around the original site of the twin towers it was beautiful the story's told but the sound of the fountains were so tranquil. It was so sad seeing all the names of people lost but was something I was glad i had done whilst visiting.

Central Park, Wow where to start on this its huge!!! No lie we walked about half of it and got completely lost trying to find the ice rink and the Zoo this was even with a map haha. Central Park Zoo was just amazing well obviously its used in Madagascar so we had to go. It was pretty small but the range of animals they had there was amazing. I've never seen a snow cat or a polar bear before up close so this was amazing!

We did go Ice Skating in the Rink but unfortunately we weren't aloud to take any photos due to health and safety. Right next to Central Park was the American Museum of Natural History. We did go and take a wonder around the masses of rooms and floors it was brilliant so much to see and learn about but after while it can get a bit boring haha.

                                

So here is a recommendation for you all, there is so many places to eat whilst visiting NY but there is only one I will tell you you must go to. I am a bit of a sucker for a good American Diner and this has to be the best one I've EVER been to. Basically people sing whilst you eat, so your be casually having your burger and sweet potato fries and boom on the seats behind you will be someone casually singing show tunes. It is absolutely the most amazing thing I have ever seen and they're so good as well wanna be Broadway stars.

Ellen's Stardust Diner!

Now for Times Square, here are some of the photos of the amazing central shopping area. And the Nightlife as well, all I have to say is the buildings are so tall and magnificent, when looking up it feels like they go on for ever.

As for Shopping in New York, it is like a women's dream shop after shop after shop of heaven. I think we must of been in New York 5 minuets and we had already hit the shops.

Shops to visit:

• Disney Store
• Forever 21 
• Macy's
• Bloomingdale's
• Nintendo World
• Lindt Chocolate Shop
• Dylan's Candy Bar
• Aeropostale
• Toysrus (Massive Ferris Wheel)
• Sanrio Hello Kitty Shop

Places to Eat:

• Ellen's Star Dust Dinner
• Dallas BBQ
• Tick Tock Dinner
• Auntie Annes
• Dunking Doughnuts
• McDonald
• Pax Pizza (This was our favorite place to eat, they do the most amazing breakfast, pizza and sandwiches)
• The Cake Boss Cafe is a massive do do, I am a huge fan of Carlos Bakery and the fact I finally got to try one of his cakes was amazing, something I've always wanted to do.

One thing you must do when you visit NY is go to Broadway and catch a theater production, when we were there we went to see Cinderella and of course The Lion King. 

The Lion King was absolutely amazing, one of the best shows I've ever seen. There were bits of the story where I thought to myself well how are they gonna do that and how are they gonna do this but everything was spectacular. Cinderella was also amazing, we were lucky to get tickets for the pre shows before it actually opened on Broadway.

A trip to Madame Tussaud and the Ripley Believe It Or Not museum is a must do when visiting its great fun and lots of photo opportunity's. The Empire State Building and The Rocker fella Center observatory's are worth a visit I'd say do both as your get different views from each as your see from the photos below. The views from the top are just spectacular if you can try and go on a clear day :)

The Empire State Building:

The Rocker Fella Center: Make sure you do some shopping in here too, it is full of amazing little shops that are worth a look around.

Central Park from The Rocker Fella Center 

The Empire State from the Rocker Fella Center

Ripples Believe It Or Not and Madame Tussaud's:

So here are the main highlights of my holiday along with a few snaps, there is so much more I could say and write about my adventure to NY but this post is pretty long already (sorry not sorry) so just feel free to ask any questions or if you want any more recommendations.

Thanks for reading :) Happy Weekend :D