Fairytale in New York

 

So in what is always an action packed month with two bank holidays in May, Kylie had to go to New York for a week with work. This was going to be Kylie’s second trip to the ‘Big Apple’ so due to jealousy and a weak link to my 30^th in April, we decided it would be rude for me not to fly in for an fun-filled long weekend.

On planning what to do to fill our days, we realised we had a slight difference in our priorities. Kylie being busy actually working, had her mind set on relaxing on roof top bars and shopping, not that these weren’t on my list, it’s just a Yankees home game happened to be on… and it was my birthday after all… so naturally Yankees tickets were purchased. With Kylie now realising she had lost half her Saturday, and suggestions flying in from her NY colleagues about what we should do, the stress levels began to rise and Kylie was now realising I was stealing her weekend. But she did not panic for she was holding on for a hero… and one would emerge in the form of a mysterious dark haired creep… actually he isn’t that mysterious, it was none other than Matty who happened to be in Vegas on holiday. So with a wee shuffle to his plans and a casual four hour flight,  he would be in NY for a weekend and of course up for a Yankees game.

 

Kylie arrived in New York on Tuesday and I followed not long after on the Thursday night. After breezing through customs, I queued for an hour for a yellow taxi (novelty number one… check) and headed for TriBeCa. Quick fact here for you avid readers, TriBeCa stands for Triangle Below Canal Street, which is nearer the bottom of Manhattan. Other names such as SoHo and NoLiTa also stand for things, such as South of Houston and North of Little Italy respectively. This made getting your bearings very easy. Good one New York!

I arrived to find both Matty and Kylie waiting for me at a very nice hotel, so with some quick hugs all round I dropped off the bags and we were off on our first explore following Kylie’s lead as our resident NYC expert. We wandered the streets of TriBeCa to see Getty Images (Kylie’s work) and walked up to Battery Park for a few quick snaps and view over the East River. Our tour ended in the Financial District where we saw Wall Street, before we jumped in a cab back to the hotel. Kylie called it a night and Matty and I went to a local sports bar to have a few beers and watch some basketball playoffs (novelty number two… American sports in an American sports bar… check). Realising it was 7am London time we headed home, stopping to indulge in a delicious slice of pizza (check, yes novelty number three right there) and called it a night.

 

Friday started with room service breakfast with Kylie before she headed off to work. Matty was down shortly after and we grabbed a map and hit the street. We walked in the general direction of Times Square and made it as far as… where Kylie later told us was the fountain from the opening credit of Friends. Already tired we jumped in a cab and got dropped off at Times Square (check) where we ate bagels (check) and pastries whilst snapping photos like the tourists we were. From Times Square we walked via a few shops to Central Park (check), where we people and squirrel watched. We then wandered towards the Empire State building, but as it was so cloudy we opted against going up and instead walked towards the Chrysler building and had a look at Grand Central Station (check) along the way. We were now beginning to run on empty so we made our way to one of Kylie’s colleagues recommended lunch spots for some BBQ wings and ribs, as well as trying every beer they had on tap… eight if you’re asking. Obviously we were too full to walk so we jumped in another cab back to the hotel and got a map of local shops as Matty ‘needed’ a leather jacket. Whilst the concierge highlighted every shop in the vicinity we started to think about Saturday morning and how we should go out to see the Statue of Liberty…  We knew you could jump on a free ferry to Staten Island, which had a good view of it, but the thing is Matty lives on a small mining island north of Australia and doesn’t get out much, needless to say when he gets out he goes large and decided the only way we could see the Statue was via Helicopter…  And do not insult him with suggesting the basic package… We’ll take the executive option… and he will pay for Kylie and I as a belated wedding gift. Not one to argue too much, I let him as I had paid for the Yankees tickets… And I really wanted to go on a helicopter… And it felt like a fair reward for all of my efforts in helping him find the ultimate leather jacket (FYI he ended up buying the first one he tried on… but only after he tried on another 20 in probably 15 other shops).

So with our plans for Saturday locked in, we went to a local rooftop bar for views and beers and awaited Kylie to finish work. When she joined us the weather had packed in so we decided to stay local and headed to a sports bar for dinner and a quiet night.

 

Saturday morning bought with it superb blue skies, which got us all excited for our flight later that day. For breakfast I had found a restaurant from one of my favourite shows Man vs. Food called Katz’s Diner (Check). It wasn’t one of the eating challenges he does, it was just one he highlighted as having the best sandwiches in New York (it was also in When Harry Met Sally, if you’re not an MvF fan). We had heard about queues around the block, but it turns out people don’t tend to go here for breakfast so we walked straight in and got a table. We shared a few things that were recommended and demolished some Pastrami and Rueben sandwiches, an amazing start to the day. From here we jumped in a cab to the Highline, which is a walkway and garden on an old train line above the city. It was another cool thing to see and a great chance to walk off some of the sandwiches.

The time was now upon us to head to Brooklyn Bridge and go on our helicopter tour. THIS WAS AMAZING. It was the first time any of us had been on a helicopter, and really was so much fun looking down on this amazing city. We flew over the Statue of Liberty (Check), saw Coney Island, flew over Yankee Stadium, saw The Empire State Building, The Rockefeller Centre, The Chrysler Building, Madison Square Garden and the rest of Manhattan and Central park from above. It truly was surreal for all of us. When this was finished we bought the picture for Matty (I know, we are very generous) and then Matty and I had to make our way to The Bronx and go see a ball game.

 

 

After being stuck in NYC traffic (check… not really), we ended up getting a train from Central Park Station, which was actually pretty fun too. We arrived at the stadium with hoards of people in navy and white pinstripes and baseball caps as far as the eye could see, so naturally we went straight to the shop! I opted for a mini baseball as a souvenir and a Yankees cap, Matty of course went for the classic Yankees uniform shirt. We made it to our amazing seats by the foul pole, saw the national anthem and watched the players run out. The game was so much fun I highly recommend this to anyone, even if you are not a sports fan. We both thought the game might be long and slow, but it went so fast we were very surprised. The people watching alone was great - our favourites were easily the vendors walking up and down the aisles shouting ‘cold beer’, ‘hotdogs’, ‘nuts’, ‘snacks’, ‘candyfloss’ and ‘souvenir programs’. We went for a lot of option one and also an option two. With the game finished and our grand plans of catching a home run and making it onto Sports Centre with a superb barehanded catch without spilling any beer gone, we bought some baseballs and headed back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel we met with Kylie and a few of her colleagues at the bar. Most of them left for dinner and we got to have a nice relaxing beer/wine with the three of us and Kylie’s favourite Sarah who is an Australian, who has just moved to New York. We then migrated to a bar in NoLiTa (prizes for remembering what it stands for) and met with some of Sarah’s friends. Realising we needed to eat; we went to a popular local pizza place and enjoyed some amazing pizza slices. Headed back to the bar, Kylie spied a rice pudding restaurant of all things and so quickly called it a night and went home with a colleague via some rice pudding. Matty and I ended our night with a few more beers at our favourite little sports bar, with some more basketball and another slice of pizza. To recap on this day there were famous sandwiches, famous walks, a helicopter ride, the Yankees, some NYC bars and pizza. It was hands down my favourite day of travelling I have ever had. Shut the gate.

Our Sunday started with a slight hangover, partially down to beer and partially down to how much fun the day before was. Kylie had planned our Sunday to go to Brooklyn with another of her favourite colleagues, and genuine New Yorker, Lauren. On the walk to Brooklyn Bridge I came across a discount sports store, now for me this is a little bit exciting. Kylie likes to say I was flapping my hands in excitement saying oh my god, oh my god, which I will not confirm. Lauren ended up meeting us in the store, and I bought a few necessities (as did Matty) and we continued on our way. We ended up walking over Brooklyn Bridge which was very popular and we could see why.

 

When we finally made it over to the other side there was a food market which was amazing. We had lobster rolls, shrimp rolls, fish and chips, fried chicken and waffles (yes combined, yes amazing), ice-cream sandwiches and donuts. What can I say we were hungry! Lauren then took us to a nearby roof top bar for some sangria and sweet views overlooking Manhattan. The afternoon passed by and eventually we had to call it a day, so we took the subway (check) to the hotel and I got a cab back to the airport.

 

It was such an amazing long weekend with so many great experiences. We are both hoping that Kylie has to go there for work again sometime soon... maybe even when there is a Knicks game on.

Bye for now, next stop Romania.

xx

Mini-moon in Malta

It’s been a long time between drinks and with saving for our wedding, as well as setting up house again, travelling has taken a bit of a back seat. Well it had anyhow until May, when we went rather mad. So much so that we have a backload of blogs to update you all on.

 

For the first May bank holiday weekend, Brad surprised me at Christmas with a trip to Malta, which for those of you who don’t know is a small, ruggedly beautiful island in the Mediterranean south of Italy and north of Syria. Using a mini-moon as an excuse, Brad went all out which meant avoiding the usual Ryan Air horror and staying in rather swish accommodation – lush.

 

 

We arrived in Malta Thursday evening and as we sped through the town (crazy drivers) and the driver started to slow down as we approached a golden mansion on the horizon, our hopes soared. Worried it was all a mirage – it was a long time between drinks –we were thrilled when he pulled up outside the Corinthian Resort and even more so when we checked into our Junior Suite. Braddles, the charming wee devil, had arranged for a bottle of prosecco (my favourite) and they’d even done a few wee tricks with turning towels into swans! We were off to a good start.

 

Brad, bless him, did his usual of reading up on the hotel and the amenities available (I think he thought it was timeshare) and after an agonizing discussion as to whether we would take breakfast in the executive lounge, which we had access to as part of our suite, or with the commoners, we settled on the lounge and swaggered on over to dine with the other high-rollers. Good decision and the lounge played a key part in our stay in Malta – free drinks, nibbles and hors d’ oeuvres, as well as a view out over the ocean, what’s not to love?

 

After brekkie we slipped on down to the pool where we were faced with our second crippling question of the trip – which of the six pools were we to lounge by? Decisions, decisions. We eventually settled down to a glorious day of sun and poolside service, where you could Tweet your order (!), mixing it up with swims in the ice-cold pool, which sorted out the men from the boys when I went swimming many times, much to Brad’s resentment, as he sat shivering on shore. It was a lovely day before Brad ‘did a Brad’ and ruined the sun-soaked aspect of the holiday by insisting he didn’t need sunscreen and quel surprise, lo and behold, is shocked come sundown when he realizes he’s lobster red.

Ridden with guilt at wanting to laze on a sun chair again, Saturday we hired a car and set off on a day of action, adventure and exploring. Easily done, we explored every inch of the island, stumbling across some gorgeous sites – such as a grotto in the Cliffside, full of the most tear-jerking prayers and offerings, to Popeye’s Village – the setting for a 70s remake of Popeye, starring Robin Williams! We made it to Valetta at around 4pm and spent the rest of the afternoon and early-evening exploring Malta’s capital city, which was nice, but not a patch on some of the other sites we’d seen that day during our travels.

 

 

 

Exhausted and by this stage, slightly grumpily, we made our way back to the hotel, to make the most of free VIP style nibbles in the lounge yet again (it’s tough at the top) before heading down for a sauna, spa and swim, disturbing a couple who looked to be enjoying themselves a little too much in the spa if you get my drift! After we were all swum out, we set off for a colossal dinner at one of the many hotel restaurants! An American diner style diner in Malta – exactly what the doctor ordered.

Sunday we awoke refreshed after yet another VIP style breakfast, mooched into the town to have a look around at what the shops had to offer, before retiring to the beach to sit on the rocks and watch an old fisherman pull up  a few catches. That afternoon I’d arranged to have a luxury facial and massage, courtesy of a wee bonus at work, so took myself down to the spa for a gloriously long two hours. That sort of pampering doesn’t come around often, so I made sure to enjoy each moment and when I emerged, in a daze, afterwards, there was Brad, making the most of the amenities in full timeshare fashion, sitting in the spa shriveled up like a prune! He hadn’t fancied a few beauty treatments himself, but had given himself a DIY detox by sweating it out in the sauna and spa, whilst I was being tended to like the Queen of Sheba.

 

Monday morning we awoke, a little disheartened to be leaving, but upcoming trips to New York and Romania certainly took the sting out of it! At the airport we managed to stumble across the perfect few ‘little things’ for our collection – all Playmobile figurines, which are made in Malta. We entertained ourselves for the few hours, buying and building these figurines for the collection, with Brad getting the raw end of the deal when his surprise pack revealed a Surfing Santa – not quite the pirate captain or ninja he was hoping for. We got back into central London in record time, managing to squeeze a few more hours out of the long weekend by putting our feet up and ordering in a takeaway – lest we run the risk of exhausting ourselves by cooking our own toast and baked beans!

xx