We wanted to kick start the beginning of our adult life in style, and what better way to celebrate our 21st and our first holiday together than a 7 day trip to New York?
Below are my Five favourite memories from NYC;
1) 15-minute Helicopter Tour
To this day the Helicopter Tour of Manhattan Island remains one of my favourite Christmas presents I have gotten for Natasha - this was as much for me as it was for her, but that's a secret! :D
I wanted for us to get the perfect view of this new world, and what better way to do it than from a helicopter? Some people would advise going on a sunnier day, but we were told that the blustery conditions would only add to the thrills - and it certainly did not disappoint!
As we held on tight to each other, we lifted off from Battery Park in lower Manhattan, headed for the Brooklyn Bridge and made our way over to Liberty Island, where we would be welcomed in the air by America's Green Lady!
We were then taken on our ascent. As the city spread below us each new height we reached broadened our 360° horizon. We could not have asked for a better aerial view of Manhattan Island! Up here, it was like looking down at the world where huge and small buildings collide in a mixture of shape and shadow. People walking to work down Wall Street, the absolute chaos of tourists in Times Square; it was the perfect place to see the millions going about their day!
We got the perfect view of The One World Trade Centre as we made our way to Midtown, and now closing in on The Empire State Building we could picture King Kong banging on his chest. Beauty would not kill the beast today, however, as instead we flew over the beating heart of Manhattan; Central Park! At this point, I remember getting the feeling that we were in the middle of a Monopoly board, Central Park in the centre surrounded by all of the expensive New York real estate.
We rolled the dice one more time and took a 'Chance' on Uptown! Where we circled the Yankees Baseball Stadium and caught one last glimpse of the famous George Washington Bridge, to then make our way back to 'Go'!
We touched back down to catch our breath again. We had to pinch ourselves, did that really just happen? What an incredible start to the holiday!
2) Broadway Show - Rocky
If I am being honest this was not on the "to do list" before visiting NYC, as I have never really been the biggest fan of Theatre! My full experience of the Musical Arts starts and ends at the occasional Christmas Panto at the Gaiety Theatre back home!
However, when walking through Times Square and seeing this advertised, it seemed the perfect opportunity to broaden my Theatre horizons. Rocky also being one of my favourite series of movies (behind Lord of the Rings of course!). Natasha had never watched Rocky before, and would there ever be a better introduction than 'ringside' seats at a Broadway showing? I wanted to tick this off the bucket list in style, so I managed to get us seats in the front mezzanine, 11 rows from the stage for the best possible experience!
In the back of my mind, I was wondering how the musical could live up to such a classic? Uncertainty was kicking in, would this be an exact carbon copy of the Movie or a completely unfamiliar Theatrical version? Looking back now I don't know why I doubted myself. I was gripped from start to finish! It was incredible to see how they transformed the 'rags to riches' boxing tale into a musical play-write. Personally, I loved how the Directors knew where to use the genius from the Movie and at the same time adapt to the stage by using clever interpretations. The best example of this was the famous "Apollo vs Rocky" climax, in which they extended the stage over the rows of seats. The first ten rows were invited to cheer from the stage, leaving Natasha and I in touching distance of the Boxing ring!
Having now personally experienced The Broadway theatre, I can see why it's one of the most popular tourist attractions in New York!
3) Day out in Central Park
Taking a walk in New York's Central Park has always been on my bucket list. Having never visited New York before, I'm not sure where the urge came from. Maybe it was my childhood spent watching Elf, Madagascar and Mr Poppers Penguins? Whatever the reason, a 21st birthday present from my Mum to Natasha provided us with the ideal opportunity; a Horse and Carriage Tour.
My long awaited visit to Central Park was supposed to be on a day it was absolutely tipping it down with rain, but luckily we managed to reschedule to what happened to be a picture perfect day! We met our Tour Guide just outside Columbus Circle, and we stepped into our Traditional Horse-drawn Carriage and set off.
Straight away you could tell that there was an energy about Central Park that I have yet to experience anywhere else. Even around the first corner, there would be something as unexpected as a wedding ceremony, but in the foreground, an old man would be content reading his morning paper. It's a place for everyone; where madness meets calm, and we were right in the middle of it!
Our tour guide was brilliant, pointing out all of the famous landmarks and the amazing Manhattan Skyline. Who knew that Central park was bigger in land area than some countries around the world? 6 times bigger than Monaco, apparently!
We finished at the 'Friends' Water Fountain with photos in front of the Horse and Carriage and went on our way to enjoy the row boats. Another great day out in The Big Apple!
4) The Views Restaurant - Times Square
A revolving rooftop restaurant in the middle of Times Square! This was recommended to us by one of our friends as a bit of a spoil, to go out and celebrate being 21 and our first holiday together.
It was 'date night' at the famous Mariott Hotel! I will never forget traveling up 48 floors in a glass 'elevator', where we were pre-warned not to look down if we wanted to keep our appetite, a complete exaggeration of course! Now back on steady ground again we continued through to the restaurant on a night that would be in our memories forever.
We walked in and it was unbelievable! The revolving floor makes a 360° turn every hour, ensuring an ever-changing view of the concrete jungle far below. The breathtaking skyscraper views were matched by the restaurant's signature American menu and the chocolate pudding for dessert! There was, however, the unintentional $40 tip I agreed to in an attempt to get to the loo quicker. We live and we learn I suppose!
A belly full of good food and drunk on the occasion, we thought it would be easy hailing a taxi and heading back to the hotel. However it was 10pm in the middle of Times Square, and to top it off it was pouring down! After many failed attempts in flagging a taxi and only when we were soaking wet, did we realise that the Subway was the next best mode of transport. Before we did anything, though, we had to take a picture to savour the moment ...
Even traveling home completely soaked through, we still would not have had it any other way! What an incredible and memorable night!
5) Baseball Game - Yankees Stadium
Last but certainly not least came our visit to the Yankees Baseball Stadium in The Bronx. We have heard how the atmosphere in Baseball does not compare to any other in World sport, so we put America's answer to Cricket to the test by scoring tickets for the New York Yankees vs Seattle Mariners Game.
Eating chili-cheese-dogs, hitting the ball into outer space, "we want a pitcher, not a belly-itcher" chants from the crowd, all stereotypes from my childhood watching Recess and the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. However, would such childish fantasies go unfulfilled? Either way, we couldn't wait for 'Game Day' in New York! Here was the picture taken at the start of the Holiday on our Helicopter Tour; our long awaited destination:
On the way to The Bronx, it felt as if all of the home crowd were packed into the Subway with us, everywhere I turned there was a 'Derek Jeter' Jersey! The flow of supporters was never ending too, each stop was like a new round of Human Tetris, where the many shapes of foam fingers and baseball caps would be coming in thick and fast! It was all part of the on-board entertainment and the Baseball experience, so we weren't complaining. It was actually great to see everyone's passion for Baseball up close - literally!
The doors finally opened at The Bronx and the carriages completely emptied. No one was able to break formation as we made our way over to the circular Stadium. It felt as though we were part of "The March of the Penguins" en route to a gigantic bowl full of fishy treats.
The Stadium was colossal! It felt like we were two Gladiators making our way through the tunnel towards the Arena, the crowd becoming increasingly louder with every step. We powered our way through the wall of noise as the Stadium opened up around us. The atmosphere was electric, and everything it was built up to be! We were surrounded by the smell of hot dogs coming from the crowds painted in their blue and white jerseys. The Players were warming up right in front of us, and in the background, the pre-game entertainment was shown on the Giant Screen Television.
We walked over to our seats - which had the perfect view of Third base - and proceeded to sit down with our Hot Dogs and Bud Light and enjoy the game. The Yankees did end up losing 2-4, yet this did not tarnish what was already an amazing day out. This was an experience Cricket could not come close to!
I was then excited to hear that an incredible first experience of Baseball would only get better with being awarded a Certificate for our First game. The perfect souvenir ... or it would have been if they spelt my name right! Or does Natasha have another bit on the side she's not telling me about? Maybe I will never know the real reason why my certificate read 'James Griffin' ...
