New York Day 5 - Philadelphia & The Rocky Steps

Day 5 in New York isn’t technically about New York as you may have guessed from the title. Today we decided that we would extend our trip a bit further afield and head to Philadelphia. I am sure there are loads of things to do here and we probably missed a huge chunk but mainly we wanted to run up the ‘Rocky’ steps and eat Philly Cheesesteaks. I also wanted to casually bump into my long term favourite band, CKY however this did not happen sadly. We looked into various modes of transport but the cheapest option coming in at just $20 each was to get a Greyhound bus which would take around 2 hours to get us there. We booked our tickets online the day before and were able to collect them from the bus station the next day.

We left nice and early and made our way via subway to the bus station. We printed our tickets, went to the correct gate and got in the queue which then led us straight onto the bus. The Greyhound bus was clean, warm and even had plug sockets and wifi to make the journey all the more enjoyable. The 2 hours went very fast, mainly because I fell asleep but we were in Philadelphia before we knew it. We got off the bus and started to walk towards the information centre. We passed a food market on the way which looked amazing from the outside, but I will go back to that. After roughly finding out where the Rocky steps were, we first decided to get tickets for a free tour near to the building that houses the Liberty Bell. The next available ticket was not until later on in the day so we took them and decided we would come back later for the tour.

It was time for lunch at this point so we made our way back to the food market called The Reading Terminal Market. There was so much available here from meats to cheeses to seafood all fresh and also baked goods from the oven. I could have easily eaten my way around if I was here for longer. We spotted a little place called By George! Which specialised in Pizza, Pasta and Cheesesteaks. The person in front of me ordered the most delicious looking lasagne and the portion sizes were immense. I am glad I do not live near here as I could see my diet getting out of hand very quickly. Me and James ordered a Cheesesteak meal which came with fries and then we had a drink too. We didn’t have long to wait and we then made our way to the seating area. I unwrapped my cheesesteak and it was absolutely filled to the brim with steak, cheese and onions. It smelled and looked amazing. I ate the whole thing and felt pretty stuffed afterwards but it was 100% well and truly worth it.

We then decided to head for Rocky but being full we did not want to move very quickly. We were on a bit of a time schedule so decided to get a taxi there and split the costs. This only took 10 minutes or so to get us there in the end. We could see the Rocky statue as we pulled up so we went and had a photo with that first. There weren’t too many people about.

We then went for the run up the steps. I did this whilst wearing grey joggers and playing the theme tune. I must admit I did get some strange looks but at the end of the day I thought who on earth is going to see me again, I may as well go all out! I’m not even a huge fan of the Rocky films but it was all about getting into character.

Once we had ran up the steps, there wasn’t a lot else to do. We walked back to where we originally got the bus and headed for our free tour. It was a quick tour and there were some facts to be learned and we found out about the declaration of independence. After the tour it was a quick dash back to our Greyhound bus and on we went back to New York. Once again, my vlog of the day can be seen below.

New York Day 4 - China Town, Pizza & Brooklyn Bridge

Day 4 in New York, what can I say about day 4! I was getting pretty lethargic by now so a lay in was needed – especially after a late night the previous day. We hopped on the subway just after 10am and headed for China Town. When we got off the subway, I could actually smell Chinese food! It was great! It was really busy here and bizarrely I actually felt pretty safe. You can get so much fake merchandise here from watches to handbags – but be prepared to haggle! I didn’t buy anything whilst I was here but I was very tempted. 

Little Italy was just next door so we went and had a wander around there too. If you’re after some Italian food then this is the place for you! Our aim of the day was to walk over the Brooklyn bridge so we walked through the town to make our way towards it. We stopped for a hot chocolate in Starbucks first and I bought one of the famous mugs, I feel like I now need to collect them from all of the locations I visit now! Anyway, on we wandered, on the way we came across a little shopping area which looked pretty cute so we decided to do a bit of retail therapy. We all bought some clothes from Abercrombie and some sweets from the nearby candy shop. We then decided it was a good idea to get some lunch.



In the distance we spotted a McDonalds so headed that way for a quick lunch. Whilst walking past I saw the most amazing looking pizza’s in a window and instantly decided I needed a slice of that instead. This was by far my best meal of the holiday. I always wanted to go into a shop and just buy a piece of pizza by the slice, it was my New York fantasy. These slices weren’t your average slice, they were literally bigger than my head and cost less than $3. I went for 2 of course, one was smothered in garlic sauce and was an absolute dream, the other a cheese one. If I could go back to New York I would be in this place again in a second. I think if you watch my vlog you can genuinely see how happy I am, I was beaming from ear to ear. Next door was a restaurant that Sandra Bullock and Rihanna ate in whilst filming for Oceans Eight so there’s a bit of celeb spitting to be done here too.

After lunch we carried on towards Brooklyn bridge. It was easy to find by following the signs and the crowds of people. There were also food and merchandise stalls along the way if you wanted a quick energy boost before the walk. The bridge spans over the East River and connects Manhattan with Brooklyn. The views from here are great and the bridge is actually pretty fascinating too. There are separate lanes for pedestrians and cyclists so be sure to stick to the right one or you’ll get knocked off, there are a lot of people on bikes I noticed! It’s easy to navigate however, just a simple straight line across the bridge you can’t really get lost and the path is pretty wide.

If you’re going to visit New York I definitely recommend a walk over this bridge. It’s just over a mile long so it’s not too taxing for most people. It was well worth it in my opinion and you can then explore Brooklyn at your own free will at the other end if you wish. We didn’t do this as we were staying in Brooklyn anyway. At the other end we popped in a few shops and hopped on the subway home.

For dinner on day 4 we didn’t want to go too far so we had a look at places to eat in Williamsburg. Williamsburg was a quirky little place with lots of nightlife. We found a restaurant called The Meatball Shop which specialises believe it or not, in meatballs. The menu was simple to follow, choose a meatball from the selection, choose a sauce then choose a side. I chose pork meatballs, classic tomato sauce and rigatoni pasta. It came served with four meatballs, Parmesan and a yummy slice of focaccia bread. The meal was nice but for me didn’t have that ‘wow’ factor. It was tasty but when you come to America you expect to be stuffed, but the portions here were smaller than what I would serve up at home. Maybe I am just being greedy! Dessert was cookie ice cream sandwiches which didn’t float my boat but on the way back to the subway there was the most amazing looking cake shop so I bought a slice of chocolate fudge cake as big as my face and had that when I got home! Another day done!

I am sorry the pictures haven’t really corresponded with the text today but hope you enjoyed reading. Check out the vlog below!

New York Day 3 - Central Park, Dum Dum & Rockefeller

It was day 3 in New York and we thought we had done enough walking, but little did we know we were only just getting started. We began our day as usual hopping on the subway and heading for our first location which was The Museum of the City of New York. Mum had been recommended this museum by a friend and we had been told that it was free. Well after walking through what felt like the roughest part of New York yet, we finally found it. My brother actually thought we were being herded into a dead end as a lot of the “locals” kept asking us where we were going and sending us down strange roads – anyway we made it. The seven of us walked in and to my horror there was an $18 entry fee, suggested donation. Well I didn’t even want to go to the museum so I said I would rather not pay and head over to central park over the road but mum chose to donate $10 per person and in we went. At the beginning we watched a video about New York and how it all came about and to be honest it was quite interesting. I had a coughing fit half way through whilst sitting on the front row which wasn’t fun. 

The museum itself was ok. I’ll be honest it wasn’t really for me. I am sure if you’re into that kind of thing and wanting to learn then you’d love it but I just didn’t find it very interesting. It's like going to a museum about Norwich, I can't imagine many people living outside of the area would find it hugely interesting. We spent just over an hour here I would say then left and made our way to Central Park. When we first walked into central park, I noticed how ‘dead’ everything was. There were no leaves on the trees, the grass was fenced off and re-growing and there were no flowers. I don’t know what I expected but it just didn’t give me that ‘wow’ factor that is has on the films. I really enjoyed visiting Strawberry Fields, dedicated to the late John Lennon. The atmosphere was nice here, people crowded around a man with a guitar singing ‘Imagine’, lots of floral tributes and a good crowd.

Don’t get me wrong, the park was big but I expected it to be bigger. I pictured myself sitting in the middle and feeling lost in this wonderful paradise when in reality you can see the buildings all around you. I think it would be lovely to visit here in the summer, I imagine it really comes to life then. We walked around the reservoir and the sun was shining. I noticed a lot of runners about, this is a great place to get your fitness in!

We saw many bridges, but none of them were the one my mum actually wanted to find. She wanted to see the ‘Home Alone’ bridge. I’ve never really seen the film so no idea what she is on about there. I did however snap a photo of this funky looking bridge which coincidentally I then saw on the Will Smith film Collateral Beauty a couple of days later. Weird huh?

A trip to Central Park would not have been complete without having a hot dog. I only saw a couple of stalls, probably due to the cold weather so picked the closest and went for a large hotdog (which wasn’t that big) for $4. It was what you would expect from a tiny hotdog stall but it did the trick!

After our hotdogs we went to the next museum on our list, The Museum of Modern Art. I was mainly excited to go here as a Gossip Girl fan, as the stairs leading to the entrance are the stairs that feature on the lunch breaks of the upper east side girls! Me and Phoebe were so excited, we posed, we XOXO’d and we loved it. This museum was a lot larger than the last one. We spent around an hour here as we had things to do but barely scratched the surface. It’s worth mentioning that the reason we visited all of these museums was because we bought a City Pass. For just over £100, this booklet is full of tickets to some of the most popular attractions so it saved us the cost when we were out there.

The final museum we visited was by far my favourite, the Museum of Natural History. You may have seen this museum on the film ‘night at the museum’ and I was keen to find ‘Dum Dum’. Our tickets included the space show so we watched that first which was interesting until I decided to have a nap but everyone else said it was good. We arrived quite late so they had started to close off some of the exhibitions which was a bit annoying but not much we could do about that. I was on my mission to fond Dum Dum. All of the maps had ran out so I ended up grabbing a Japanese one and having no idea where we were going. Eventually I found Dum Dum! I was so happy. The museum is really big, we didn’t quite get to see everything but I saw some dinosaurs and animals so I was happy by the end of it. James bought me a beautiful heart shaped stone in the gift shop.

When we left the museum we decided to get some food near Times Square. We opted for Dallas BBQ, it looked good and had a big queue outside which is usually a good sign. The queue went down pretty quickly and we were soon seated in a booth. I ordered chicken and ribs with fries which also came with a massive slice of some corn cake which tasted like Victoria sponge which was ever so slightly random but in the end not too bad. I left suitably stuffed and by this time it had started to get dark so we checked out Times Square at night, which was a lot more exciting than seeing it in the day! It was here I got my selfie with an NYPD cop, a must for a tourist like me!

Finally we headed to the top of the rock. The queue looked pretty big but it turns out as we already had tickets in our city pass we could jump the queue and go straight in. We were up within minutes! I knew that I wanted to do one building at night and one during the day, I didn’t care which – they both had breath-taking views. It was lovely to see Central Park in the dark, being so high up was just amazing if not a little scary. I definitely recommend going all the way to the top as there are no glass/plastic barriers getting in the way of your photos. I even saw a live proposal up here! Aww!

I grabbed some goodies from the gift shop and made my way back down the elevator, which was really cool and had a glass ceiling so you could see the lift shaft as you went down. My ears popped annoyingly, but I had a great time in the end. We got on our subway and headed home, got back about midnight!

Once again, I vlogged the day and you can see this below.

My Airbnb Experience - New York

I’ve seen Airbnb around for a while now but was never really certain exactly what it was. Airbnb is the worldwide alternative for hotels. When planning our trip to New York, hotels were coming up ridiculously expensive for just a week’s holiday. For 2 of us we were looking at about £800-1000 for the week for a reasonably standard hotel. Even looking further afield outside of Manhattan, the prices were extortionate for what was essentially a bed and a bathroom. Seven of us were going to New York so the prices soon added up and realistically I couldn’t afford the costs! I decided to look into Airbnb to see if there was an option for seven of us to stay together.

I browsed many apartments in New York ranging from £100-£300 a night. I then found a 3 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn which seemed perfect for what we needed and close by to a subway station to get us into the centre and other amenities. The apartment slept 8 people and had a kitchen, 2 bathrooms and an en-suite. Having a kitchen also meant saving money on food as we could have breakfast and prepare meals at home rather than eating out for every meal. Before I chose the apartment I looked at many others and read the reviews until I found one that I thought was suitable. For the week the apartment came to just over £1100, Around £160 each – so affordable for a week’s accommodation and LOADS cheaper than a hotel!

When I booked the apartment it required me to pay the full balance right away which is worth noting, you will need to have the money before you book. We did this on a credit card for that extra protection if something was to go wrong. I added a comment when booking that we were staying for my mums 50th birthday and our host responded almost instantly saying he couldn’t wait to host such a momentous occasion and said if we have any questions then he would be happy to help out. Airbnb holds the money until after you’ve arrived. We were booking 9 months in advance so it’s good to know the host isn’t just going to run off with your money!

A couple of days before we flew, our host popped us a message saying if we had any questions then we could ask, we were also given the wifi password and code for the door as it was a keyless entry which was also brilliant. When we arrived our host was just finishing getting everything ready and was there to greet us and show us around. Although they lived just below, we didn’t see much of them and we were able to enjoy our holiday with absolutely no interruptions but knowing they were close by if needed. A couple of nights we ordered take-aways and used the hosts phone number as our English ones weren’t accepted and the host was so great about this. Communication was excellent and they were always there when we had a question or needed a recommendation for something in the area.

The apartment itself was exactly as the photos, clean and very spacious. It was everything we could have hoped for and served the seven of us very well. I would always look to airbnb for future holidays as the price and convenience was just fantastic. Airbnb have properties all over the world so are great for wherever you plan to travel, including UK breaks!

If you would like to try Airbnb for yourself, I have a code to get you £30 off your next trip, just use my link HERE. You don’t have to use it right away, you can click my link, make an account and your £30 will be stored and ready for you to use at a later date (within a certain time range). There are apartments all over the world and even if you’re looking for a short break in the UK there is bound to be something out there waiting for you. There are even pet friendly places or you can save even more money by renting just a room instead of a whole apartment. The possibilities are endless!

Have you ever used Airbnb – what was your experience?

New York Day 2 - Grand Central Station, Library, Times Square

My second day in New York was just as exciting as the first, and fairly busy too. We had breakfast in the apartment and hopped right back onto the J train from Gates Avenue, Brooklyn. We started off by heading to the public library, the one used in the film 'A Day After Tomorrow' (amongst others no doubt!). We didn’t intentionally plan to visit here but happened to be nearby so thought it was worth stopping in and was something we wanted to see during our trip. We had a quick look around, it was massive - we wouldn't have had time to see the whole thing so we looked for the most exciting rooms and then left. A lot of people were just like us, popping in and taking photos but there were people actually using it as a library so you had to be quiet so you didn’t disturb them.

After going here we continued walking and happened to see Grand Central Station which wasn't far away. I wanted to go here after seeing it in so many films and it was huge - across multiple floors! The marble décor was beautiful, although the area was not well lit so I couldn’t take too many photos without them blurring. Me and Phoebe climbed the stairs and had our photos taken Serena Vanderwoodson style. I hoped I'd see a flash mob or a proposal but sadly saw neither of these things. When I came home from my holiday I found out that you could do an interesting audio tour so if I ever venture back to New York I will have to add that to my to-do list!

We then went for a walk to a museum we had tickets for but turns out I had read the map wrong and took us completely the wrong way so we went to Times Square instead. Oops. On route we visited St Patrick's Cathedral which is directly opposite the Rockefeller Center. It was huge! Phoebe lit a candle whilst we were there and we had a quick walk around but did not want to disturb the songs that were going on. We then finally arrived at Times Square. It was smaller than I thought and quite underwhelming as some of the screens were broken but I knew I wanted to return at night where I imagined it really came to life. We went to the M&M store as it is a must for me, I have been to 4 in the world, I just need to visit the Shanghai branch now and I am done!

After this we then went to Macy's. By this point I really needed the toilet and spent ages climbing multiple floors to find one. I then finally found the mens after following various signs and it turns out the ladies was a fair walk around the corner. It was so complicated! Macy’s is absolutely huge, there was no way I could navigate the store. I did find the giant floor piano however so that was fun. After another long walk back to the closest subway station we all made our way home and got a chinese take-away for tea. It was good, but I prefer my local! It was a full on day, over 10 miles walked in total – my feet were hammered already and we had many days of walking ahead of us yet!

Please watch the daily vlog if you're interested in seeing this day come to life!

New York Day 1 - Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island & Ground Zero

I am sorry that I have been a bit AWOL recently however I have had a good reason and that is my holiday to New York! Seven of us headed off for seven days packed with fun and sightseeing to celebrate my mum’s 50th birthday. It was amazing but very tiring. I did so much that I thought it would be easier to split each day into a separate blog post so that if you are going to New York and want to do a few things whilst you are there then you can read my posts and see what landmarks are near to each other.

Day one was officially my mum's 50th birthday and we hopped on the local subway early on during the day for our first event which was to go up the Statue of Liberty. The subway was an absolute life saver for us. Tickets cost $32 for a weeks unlimited use and we certainly got our money’s worth. Who wants to sit in traffic in a yellow cab all day?! – not me! Not only is the subway famous, it is clean and warm and we always felt safe. Some of the stations even had NYPD officers manning them. There were times (during rush hour) where we were practically pressed up against the next person but it’s all part of the fun of being in the hustle and bustle of New York City! We headed to the last stop on the J train and walked the rest of the way down to Battery Park. We were very lucky to book our statue of liberty tickets 6 months in advance which meant we could go right up to the crown. This is not something that is offered on a standard ticket and must be booked, otherwise you may only be able to view from the pedestal. After a traumatic (for me) climb up the small spiral staircase of hell as I like to call it, we finally reached the top. It was so worth the climb and the views were absolutely amazing. The one thing I couldn't believe was how small the viewing area was, the head always looks so big but you could barely fit 10 people up there. It was basically a metal shell so was pretty hot and stuffy up there too despite it being about 1 degree outside and very windy. The head was actually moving slightly in the wind which was an odd experience. It was pretty cold however we could cope with it, we got a Statue Cruises boat over from Battery Park to the island and had some amazing views of the skyline on the way. I recommend sitting on the right hand side of the top deck if you want to get the best photos looking back to the skyline.

After we had climbed our way back down we had a look around the museum at the bottom of the statue. We then visited the gift shop and I bought some reasonably priced fridge magnets. We took a few selfies and photos with her lady liberty and we hopped back on the boat which then took us over to Ellis Island. This was the gateway for over 12 million immigrants and I was keen to look for my family name on the plaques. It was really interesting and there was a lot to read up on, you could spend a long time here. You could also get some amazing photos of the skyline here, and there was hardly anyone in sight blocking the views. I imagine in the summer this would be a lot busier.

After Ellis Island we got on another boat which took us back to Manhattan. We popped into a Subway for a quick lunch as it was the nearest place and already we had managed to rack up about 5 miles of walking. We then headed to Ground Zero. It was very peaceful here which was nice to see. It was the day after the London Westminster attacks and they had upped their security in the area. They even had a plaque in place dedicated to London. I didn't film or take many photos here out of respect but it was so bizarre being here, but felt very calm. I imagine it is a complete and utter contrast to the absolute chaos and devastation that happened  during 9/11. We visited the 9/11 museum which was one of the best experiences on the trip and I got to see so much and learn so much about 9/11. I would 100% recommend going to this museum if you are heading to ground zero.

After we visited the museum we went for dinner at Bills Bar and Burger which was just around the corner. We had cocktails, nachos and burgers. We then found a subway station and headed back to our apartment. I hated walking around Brooklyn at night, by the end I was used to it but it certainly took some time. When we arrived back there was a police car and an ambulance outside our apartment which scared me slightly but it was nothing to worry about in the end and there were no further incidents throughout the duration of our trip. 

I also daily vlogged and you can see day one here:

Thank you for reading!

My Little Brooklyn Box

My little box is swiftly becoming one of my favourite subscription boxes so when it arrived this month I couldn’t wait to see what was inside. The theme this month was Brooklyn, very fitting as I will be staying in Brooklyn when I go to New York next year so this got me super excited! I have seen a lot of people moaning about this box but I really liked it. The box also came with a nice Brooklyn print which I will be adding to my gallery wall to remind me of my travels – it’s just a shame it has the MLB logo plastered in the middle but never mind.

The first thing I pulled out was a little pouch and one of the items inside were these adorable geometric rose gold and green shirt collar studs. I have a few blouses that these would look great on. I think added to a red blouse these will give your outfit a festive twist! These pins don’t have to be used on the collar if that’s not your thing, add them to a bag or the pocket of your jeans – there are no rules!

Also in the pouch was this cute donut pin badge. I guess donuts are a big thing in NY and I am totally down with that. I’ll be wearing this with pride when I pick up my donuts in Brooklyn.

The next item was this byTerry eyeliner in the shade Gold Ornament which retails at £24. I think I will definitely be using this over the upcoming holiday season and it feels really nice to apply. The quality is outstanding and this product really does not budge. Apparently MLB gave out one of these in March and older subscribers are a bit peeved off but for me I am really happy with the product.

The next item was the My Little Beauty Save My Nails Nail Treatment which retails at £7. This item is going to be perfect for the winter when my nails start to get weak and brittle. I have been applying this every few days for the past couple of weeks and I have definitely noticed an improvement. The treatment is said to strengthen nails, tackle yellow stains and even out ridges. I am not sure how this fits in with the theme however!

The Coffee Made Me Do It slogan mug and coffee stencil are such adorable lifestyle additions to this month’s box. The mug is smaller than a standard sized mug – perfect for a strong espresso and made of metal to keep your drink insulated nicely. I have not yet tried the stencil as I don’t tend to have frothy coffees but next time I make a cappuccino for a guest I’m going to impress them with my stencil skills. The little booklet also contained a mug cake recipe, however this is not to be made in this mug due to the material it is made from!

I then received this perfume however saw a lot of others receiving a hand cream. This is also a duplicate as advised by Kim from Romanovs Views but after seeing her smash her last one on the floor I am guessing she was pleased she got another! As soon as I got this out of the box I dropped mine too! Somehow by some stroke of luck I managed to catch this in between 2 toes and save it – miracle. I really like the scent of this, I wouldn’t use it on a special occasion but it’s a nice perfume just to pop in your bag and give yourself a little spritz before going out. It’s the ideal size!

Overall – a really great box. This is something I look forward to every month and I can’t wait to see what is next!