B L O G

Hi EVERYONE! So for our birthdays we decided to make an impromptu trip to somewhere we have planned on going for so long, the iconic city that is New York!

When visiting a new city we always see if there is some sort of City Pass they offer, as usually if you intend on doing a lot of sightseeing during your stay then a city pass is a great way to save you a lot of money and time! The New York City pass helps you save up to 70% off attractions, skip the line at select attractions, and get access to free itinerary planning tools. These little booklets are a great way to experience what the city has to offer and include pre-paid admission to:

Empire state building Experience (includes 86th floor observatory and bonus evening return visit)
American Museum of natural history (includes the Rose center for Earth and Space and either IMAX film or Hayden planetarium Space Show)
The Metropolitan museum of Art (includes same day admission to The Cloisters museum and gardens and The Met Breuer)
Top Of Rock Observation Deck OR Guggenheim museum
Statue Of Liberty and Ellis Island (includes admission to both liberty island and Ellis island immigration museum OR a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise
9/11 Memorial & Museum OR Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (includes Space Shuttle Pavilion)

Another great thing about this City Pass is that at New York City Pass attractions, pass holders take the VIP route, skipping most of them nasty long ticket lines (WINNER) saving you a lot of time studying around! Even though it’s pretty easy to purchase these City Passes online, theres no sweat if you forget as the booklets can also be purchased (for the same low price) at any of the participating attractions!

DUMBO, a short abbreviation for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The bridge connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan across the east river is made up of cobblestone streets and incredible views of the Manhattan skyline.

After doing some initial research this was one place that was top of the list of places and things we wanted to see while visiting New York. After a quick Subway ride from Manhattan, we got off at the first subway stop in Brooklyn, which is less than a five minute walk from the iconic bridge. HOWEVER, if you are planning on having the place to yourselves, I would advise getting up at the crack of dawn and heading down early to avoid the crowds and the many arms with selfie-sticks! The neighborhood is also full of cafes and great places to eat, so it's well worth the Subway ride over, and it even gives you a chance to stroll back over the Brooklyn Bridge back into Lower Manhattan! WIN, WIN!

Chiatown, Manhattan

Canal Street to Bayard Street, New York City, NY

This vibrant and densely populated neighborhood is filled with southeast and asian restaurants, tacky souvenirs, bubble tea shops and markets selling everything from fresh Vegetables and fish to herbs and spices. Although they say the Chinatown in Flushing is a lot more authentic it's pretty difficult to get to. We obviously went for the food and atmosphere and ate out in Chinatown the majority of the time. One of my favorite places we visited was Xi'an Famous Foods which we stumbled upon after being turned away from our first choice. Serving hand pulled noodles and homemade pork buns, this is literally the food of dreams! Visiting Chinatown is an experience you must have if your visiting New York!

*Xi'an Famous Foods - Pork noodle soup and pork bun.*

Hotel Hugo

525 Greenwich St, New York City, NY 10013-1002

Based in the heart of soho, this beautiful hotel is rich in character and charm, warmly greeted by the hotel staff who were very friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. Whilst we waited for our to be made up, they kindly gave us some drinks vouchers and asked us to wait in the bar area until it was ready. This chic hotel in its entirety is extremely modern and definitely knows how to keep up with the current trends! By the time we finished our drinks and explored the lobby and the bar area, it was time to check into our room.

The room was very clean and beautifully decorated and the view overlooking Jersey and Hudson river was amazing. The sun was just starting to set so we grabbed our cameras and headed to the roof! We were greeted by incredible panoramic views of sun setting over the New York city skyline. Definitely something I won’t forget in a hurry!

*Sun setting over the New York city skyline - Hotel Hugo, Soho*

After a great night sleep in our incredibly comfy king-size bed we headed down for breakfast, and what a breakfast it was. They had a set menu, with choices ranging from continental, to full American, which was a huge plus as it catered to everyone, including my sweet tooth.

After the tiring day exploring 'The City that Never Sleeps', we headed up to the rooftop bar. It seriously has one of the most amazing views of Soho and Downtown Manhattan. Not only that, the interior is superb, it's chic and classy, and the barmen are incredibly catering and professional. If you're looking for a modern and comfortable place to stay in the heart of Soho, then Hugo is your man.

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Top Of The Rock

30 Rockefeller Center, Enter on West 50th Street, between 5th & 6th Avenues, New York City, NY 10112-0015

It was our second day in this incredible city and the ‘Top Of the Rock’ experience was on the agenda! After a hearty American breakfast we grabbed a coffee for the walk, and headed for the Rockefeller Centre! Using our New York City Go Passes we skipped the queue and got served straight away (even though there wasn’t much of a queue, as it had just opened). We then headed straight for the escalator and within a few brief seconds we arrived at the top. The doors opened and I saw the most incredible view of New York City, the ones that you only ever seem to see in films & television, it was surreal!

We spent about 2 hours at the top just taking in the views and photographing everything we possibly could! Considering the Rockefeller Centre is situated in the middle of Manhattan, it’s incredibly peaceful and tranquil, the skies are a rich blue, and the early morning sun casts shadows of the giant sky scrapers across the city! It’s definitely one for the bucket list!

Ichiran Ramen

374 Johnson Ave, Just off Morgan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11206-2803

Well where do I start! Jess and myself are HUGE fans of Ramen and I’d seen this place on Youtube (Mikey Chen, Strictly Dumpling) and immediately knew that this was once place we HAD to visit whilst in New York!

Being located on Johnson Avenue, Brooklyn, this meant we had to catch the good ol’ faithful Subway, which only took around 20 minutes from Central Manhattan and then a five minute walk from Morgan Avenue Subway Station, it’s pretty easy to find! With only a handful of these famous restaurants around the world, we were so excited to try this Ramen and boy did it not disappoint. The creamy pork bone broth and the chewy noodles were to die for, so good I ordered a refill of noodles! Ichiran isn’t the cheapest Ramen you’ll find in New York but for the experience and flavours, it's an absolute MUST! Can’t stress enough at how good this place was!

*The classic Tonkotsu Ramen - Ichiran (Brooklyn, New York)*

If you're like me, and your ideal rain day is spending some time indoors playing copious amounts of different instruments, then you'll love New York! Even if you don't play anything then you still need to experience one of these shops! Here in the United Kingdom, you're not really allowed to pick-up and play any of the instruments on show in a music shop, which is understandable, cause most stuff costs a small fortune, so it can be quite off putting! Here in New York, they almost encourage you to have a go, everyone is extremely helpful and super friendly and it makes going into a music shop an incredible experience!

Chelsea food court

Meatpacking District, 75 Ninth Avenue

Located in the Meatpacking district at 75 Ninth Avenue, the former National Biscuit Company building (where the Oreo cookie was created, Cool fact!) is known for it’s various amounts of eateries. Chelsea market is hands down one of the best food halls we have ever seen! Making it a great place to go for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even if you’re just after a quick bite to eat. There are plenty of stalls to choose from, ranging from Italian style pizzas, to fresh oysters and a whole lobster cooked to order. We went and tasted a couple of things because we just couldn’t what to get because everything looked and smelled amazing. I’d highly recommend this if your visiting!