NEW YORK

At the start of March, I was in New York.

It was cold.  No, it was freezing.  It was snowing and the absolute top temperature it got to during our visit was 2 degrees celsius.  On the coldest day it was -7 (that was the top!) and there was a wind that went straight through you.  I'd never been to the snow before and never been in below freezing temperatures so, while I was there, I was struggling with the weather.  I actually said at one point in relation to the 'I LOVE NY' t-shirts that I needed one saying 'I sort of like NY'.  I would never go back in winter as I have a seriously low tolerance for being cold.

But it did have perks.

Winter and nearing the end of a super cold version of it meant NY was quiet. I was wandering around wondering why everyone told me it would be super busy - it was quieter than Melbourne.  We totally missed the crowds coming this time of year and that is something I loved.  Looking back, although I will never return in winter, I am glad I saw it quiet and covered in snow.

NY was also a little more special for me as that's where my gorgeous girl C now lives.  Seeing her was super super special and having her as a tour guide was the best!

I've done my best to not photo spam too much.

They're pretty dark and grey.  This is how NY is in winter.  If you search a NY instagram hashtag now you'll see it looks like a totally different place.

Oh how I would love to return in spring summer.  Maybe next year... 

C & I getting waffles.
Waffle carts on the street.  So yummy.

This is inside 'Eataly'.  You must come here if you visit NYC for the coffee (all the other coffees I tried were rubbish).

Beautiful houses.

Our first squirrel mate.

(proper tourists)

Carrie Bradshaw's street.
There is no way in hell a columnist/writer could afford to live here.

C & I watching some kids in shorts play soccer in the below freezing temps.
It started snowing shortly after.

Our beautiful hotel - The Bryant Park Hotel.
Highly recommend for location and comfort of the bed.
Do not recommend if you have kids or are freaked out by a sex toy room service menu (I ripped it open thinking it was for the mini bar...)

Times Square.

I hated it.  It's loud, crass, full of rubbish and nothing like the rest of NY.
I am so glad we didn't choose a hotel here (Bryant Park was a 10 minute walk away).

Wholefoods cookies.
So good.

Every street you look down is just lined with giant buildings.
Totally overwhelmed me when we first drove in in the cab from the airport.
The place is huge.  You can't even imagine.

Out the front of my beloved library.  The most beautiful building ever.

School Bus! 

The amazing 'I can't believe this is a train station' Grand Central Station.
There's a giant food court underneath it too.

More library.

Absolutely beautiful.

Pizza & Pasta feast at Eataly with C & M.
This was such a fun night and we caught the subway home at midnight because it's so safe.

NY is so safe.  It was just strange.

Central Park
(frozen lake)

I started crying one day because I was so cold and couldn't warm up and stopped being able to move my legs properly.  I had thermals and jeans on and 4 million layers and I just didn't know what to do any more.
You'd come in from outside, try to talk, and slur because your lips were a bit frozen.

We visited the World Trade Centre memorial site and new buildings.
It was insanely moving.  The memorials are beautiful.
When you're in Australia looking at the news having never been to NYC it kind of seems like a cold, big city other world.
It's not.
It's huge, yes, but it's like a giant, beautiful, alive community.  I can't imagine what this did to the hearts of New Yorkers.
The names of the victims are carved all around the memorials as you can see above - a white rose is placed in their name on their birthdays.
Really beautiful.

I could write about New York forever.
It's not the buildings that make it amazing, it's the people, the vibe, the conversations you hear in the cafes, the food, the culture, the most beautiful mix of people from all walks of life coexisting.

I can't even remember where we ate in New York (so many places) apart from Eataly.   

If you have the chance, GO.  Forget everything you've heard or what you think it might be, you can't describe it until you get there.  Also, please go for longer than 6 days - I wish we had at least 2 weeks.  We didn't get to any of the big sites (Brooklyn Bridge, Statue etc) as we were having too much fun walking around and then ran out of time.

Did you love NY as much as I did?
Maybe it helps knowing a local!

I am sure I'll write about it more some day...

Nat x