New York

On Tuesday I hopped onto a plane to New York for a college trip, it was a such a whirlwind and I had the most wonderful time. This was the second time I’ve visited New York, the last time I went I was only ten therefore now I’m a lot older, I appreciated the beauty and vibrancy of the city. We managed to cram a huge amount of sightseeing into four days, as knackering as it was, it was an experience I’ll never forget.

The evening we arrived, we head straight up the Empire State to see the view. We walked through bustling Manhattan in the freezing cold, and it finally hit me that I was actually in New York. The city was loud, bright and fast paced, it is quite literally the city that never sleeps and that is what I love so much about it. As we got to the top of the Empire State building and stepped out onto the observation deck, I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. New York looked stunning and I found it surreal how quiet and tranquil New York looked from above, I can’t quite put it into words but I’d definitely advise anyone to visit the Empire State building at night rather than during the day. I feel the photos I took really spoke for themselves.

Radio City Music Hall wasn’t something that I had high expectations for, I thought it was just thrown into the trip because we are a performing arts college and it’s the most famous theatre in New York. However I was pleasantly surprised. despite the fact that I was suffering from sickness whilst on the tour, I found it highly interesting and really enjoyed it. Radio city is where they host the Tony awards and it is home to the Radio City Rockettes. Whilst on the tour we walked around the whole building that was covered in posters of performances held there, saw the theatre itself and even met a Rockette. The tour itself wasn’t too long and something I’d really recommend to anyone visiting New York, if I am ever there during the holiday season I’d love to see their Christmas spectacular one day.

You can’t go to New York and not see the most iconic building there, the Statue Of Liberty. We boarded the boat and endured the ice cold winds in order to snap a good photo with New York’s most famous lady. This would have been a lot more enjoyable had the temperature of been twenty degrees higher but it’s not something that can be brushed over when hitting the major sight seeing spots.

The most poignant part of the trip was Ground Zero, the 9/11 memorial. Considering America are known for doing everything big and flashy, the simplicity of the tribute is truly moving. The fountains are an outline of the base of the twin towers and engraved around them is the names of the people that died in the tragedy. Something I found incredibly touching is that scattered around the memorial are a few roses placed in the names of the people whose birthday it is that day. It was all so beautifully done and walking round, there was an indescribable feeling that filled the air as people contemplated the unbelievable moment in history.

There is a museum among the memorial that we didn’t get to go into, but a friend told me how insightful it is therefore it’s definitely on my list of things to do when I next visit New York.

One of the highlights of being in New York during the Winter is how beautiful Central Park looks in the Snow, I saw the horse and carriages and it would have been enchanting to ride through the snow on them. It reminded me of all the famous Christmas movies that are filmed in Central Park and it was something to tick off the bucket list.

I saw two musicals on Broadway, the first was Aladdin which is relatively new to Broadway and a huge hit over there. It’s a well known story and it was told through the iconic Disney songs and huge dance numbers. There are elements of the show that have very different spin on the Disney film, such as Aladdin is accompanied by three musketeers that create a lot of comedy in the show and the emphasis on the setting with lots of Bollywood style dancing. I was suffering from extreme jet lag and my eyes did briefly close now and again although because the story is so well known it didn’t really matter. Despite the show not blowing me away, as it didn’t really give me goosebumps, I still thoroughly enjoyed it as it is a really fun, energetic family show.

The second musical was Cabaret which was shown in the renowned Studio 54 which created an intimate setting for the show. The show itself was completely breathtaking, I was captivated as soon as I walked into the theatre and I felt like I’d just stepped into 1931. The theatre created such an ambiance and the show did not fail to disappoint. Alan Cumming is the star of the show and provided an exceptional performance, that I can safely say is the best performance I’ve ever seen in a musical. I am going to run out of adjectives describing this show but if you’re in New York whilst it is still running you’d be a fool not to go and watch it.  It is one of those shows that is entrancing from start to finish.

Just walking the streets of New York was mesmerizing, it is a totally different world and somewhere I desire to live one day. Walking past The New York Times building inspired me to work really hard and hopefully one day I’ll be living and writing in New York. Until then, I am already planning my next trip to see the places I didn’t see and revisit the ones I loved the most.