Entertaining myself in New York City.

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*Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Carley Hollis.

Photo by Ugod | Flickr Creative Commons

Last year, I organised a trip to New York to see a friend that I’d been at Uni with – Jenny. She was American, and after graduation had moved to New York to pursue a career in journalism. She’d been really busy working for the books section of a well known American newspaper and I hadn’t seen her in nearly a year – so when we found our annual holidays fell on the same week, I quickly booked some cheap flights to New York and made plans to visit her.

I was looking forward to my visit to New York – a city I’d never experienced before – but I was particularly excited about getting an insider’s view of the city from someone who had lived there for a year. Jenny and I exchanged emails, and she outlined some of the restaurants we could grab dinner at – including a newly opened seafood restaurant she’d managed to book a table for against the odds, and her favourite sushi place. We also planned to make it to a newly opened Broadway show that I was super excited about, and I couldn’t wait to do all the tourist-y things with a friend in tow – from a horse and carriage ride round central park to seeing the view from the top of the Statue of Liberty.

Sadly, it didn’t work out quite like that. I arrived at New York LaGuardia airport expecting to spend a week experiencing New York like a local – I ended up as the traditional Big Apple tourist. Jenny was hit hard the day before I arrived with a stomach bug, which had her laid up in bed for five of the seven days I was there, and I found myself wandering around the museums and art galleries of the city on my own.

Photo by Ryan Hoard | Flickr Creative Commons

Whilst it wasn’t the trip I expected to have, New York is a wonderful city to explore for the first time – despite the fact that it took me almost the entire week to work out the subway system. Once I’d been to see Jenny and take her some chicken soup from the deli she directed me to (it was just down the road, and became a much-visited spot during my visit!) I decided that I would have to fill my visit with as much as I could do on my own. A visit to MoMA – the Museum of Modern Art – was my first aim – and with artworks from Warhol, van Gogh, Picasso and Pablo Picasso, it was always going to be a memorable place to experience. My favourite piece, however, was a Dali artwork that I’d studied at school – there was something about seeing a painting I’d stared at in textbooks in real life that really amazed me.

Whilst going to an art gallery on my own didn’t feel too daring, taking myself to a Broadway show solo was a daunting experience. I got dressed up in my theatre outfit, and ordered room service – I couldn’t quite bring myself to dine alone before going to the theatre! I must admit, I felt a little like I was in a film when I jumped into one of those iconic yellow New York taxis to take me to the Gershwin Theatre – although the dream dissipated when I had to buy my own drink at the theatre bar! I saw the Broadway classic Wicked, and it was an utterly enthralling performance – I would definitely recommend!

As an apology for ditching me in New York whilst she was ill, Jenny managed get last minute tickets for one of those New York institutions – a basketball game! Whilst (as a girl from London, England) I’ve never really been a big fan of basketball, the rules were explained to me by Rob – Jenny’s boyfriend who managed to put me at ease, despite having never met before. I cheered for the right team, in the most part at least! And I don’t think I embarrassed poor Rob too much – even if the guys around us were slightly bemused by the English girl with the loud voice!

While it would have been nice to spend the week with Jenny, I experienced the traditional, tourist New York when I visited. Yellow taxis, a shopping spree in Bloomingdales and even a Knicks basketball game – it was the kind of New York visit most people dream of. Even better – Jenny still insists that she owes me a proper insiders’ tour of the city – so I’m planning to go back next year to finally see her view of NYC!

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*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!