The City That Never Sleeps

I was fifteen years old when I first stepped foot in the USA. On a cold wet morning in October 2008, my mother and I stepped of the Delta 757 and onto the JFK Airport tarmac, hopped into a yellow cab and headed straight for New York City. Some say it never sleeps and during my time in NYC which lasted five days, it sure felt that way from my curious eyes and ears. The first thing my mother and I did was head straight to Macy's and Boomingdales and find a nice pair of Lobo's among thousands of other things I couldn't care less about.

Day two saw us take a bus trip around the different boroughs of New York. Queens Harlem and Wall Street were some of the destinations. This was followed by a visit to Ground Zero. It was a very unusual and eerie gallery full of photos and audio snippets from police cars on the day of the 9/11 attacks.

Broadway was always an ambition of my mam when she was young so we had to see a play. Spamalot was one we agreed on and it was one we thoroughly enjoyed. As it was on Halloween night, that really added an extra sense of excitement to the play which was fronted by Clay Aiken if I recall. Halloween night in the Big Apple is something special to behold. The entire city was in a fantastic mood. Everyone wandering around dressed like freaks really puts a smile on peoples faces.

The following day we took a boat trip along the Hudson River estuary. The sights were seen for any casual tourist. The Statue of Liberty, Governors Island and Brooklyn were all ticked off the list. The following day was spent outside the city in the Woodbury Common outlets. Another 10 thousand clothes and accessories were bought during this day, including many clothes I still wear now!

Concluding the stint in NYC was the Empire State Building. One of the most jaw dropping places I've been on the planet. The views and sounds from the night sky at the top were breathtaking and will live long in my memory.

All in all it was an incredible trip with very few downfalls. What I certainly don't miss is JFK Airport. Possibly the worst airport I've ever had the misfortune of being in. Asking for a Big Mac in was like asking the cashier to crack the Da Vinci code. She was one of many extremely rude staff I encountered not exclusive to McDonald's staff. From check in and baggage staff, they left a sour taste in my mouth and was a disappointing end to what was an otherwise perfect week in New York City. I'd fly back in a heartbeat but maybe to Newark this time round.