I Want To Be A Part Of It - New York, New York!

So continuing on from my last post ... After London and I had seen Tink off at security, we decided we needed a stiff drink. This was for a few reasons:

• Saying goodbye is always shit
• We were soon going to be travelling on our own
• A congratulatory tipple for getting through camp, even when it was difficult
• We were finally off contract so we were allowed to buy our first drink in the USA!

It was then that we found ourselves in a bar at Boston airport, drinking cocktails at 8:30am. London had a Cosmopolitan, and - in honour of my imminent bus ride - I got one called a 'Greyhound' (vodka and grapefruit juice). It was delicious! We sat at the bar, socialising with the staff and other people there, trying to postpone the moment when I'd have to leave.

Eventually, alas, I had to go; I had a shuttle to take to the bus terminal, and then I had to puzzle out where my bus would be leaving from, so I needed to leave in good time. It was crap saying goodbye to London, because she's fab and I was really nervous about travelling on my own. I was also insanely excited by this point, as I was on my way to New York!

After arriving at the bus terminal, I had to walk for like twenty thousand miles to get to the place where my bus would leave from. I picked up a cheeky McDonald's on my way and managed to get a seat at the front; this benefited me, as it had a bit more legroom and a little tray thing to put food/drink on. It was made even better by the fact that I didn't have anyone sitting next to me for the whole ride, allowing me to sprawl out across two seats and be a little comfier. The ride wasn't too bad; it went by pretty quickly, and suddenly we were in the Bronx, then Harlem, then Manhattan. I was looking out of the window and giving myself whiplash trying to see the tops of the buildings. At this point I was utterly terrified, but so exhilarated.

I was fully unprepared for stepping out of the bus terminal and literally being in the middle of Times Square - it was a shock to the system. I didn't really stop to admire it because I'll be seeing it this week anyway, and because I had a massive heavy suitcase and a massive heavy holdall. I got myself a 7-day subway pass and bluffed my way through the underground. Luckily, I got it right and managed to get to 23rd Street; from there, it was a fairly short walk (I'm staying on East 25th), but it felt like longer because of the aforementioned heavy-as-shit bags.

Now, I have to talk about my hotel. It's called the Carlton Arms and, if you look at the photos on the website, you may understand why I love it. Literally every wall, every floor, every windowsill is covered with paint and artwork. It is seriously the coolest hotel I've ever seen, the staff are really chilled out and friendly, and the general atmosphere is so laid-back and welcoming. Another majorly good thing about the hotel is that they have two cats! They're really friendly too, and let you pick them up and cuddle them. It's nice to have some furry friends roaming around. Here's a couple of photos of my hotel room because look how ridiculously cool it is!

Last night, I wasn't really going to do anything but then one of the counsellors I worked with this summer, Indi, messaged me asking if I wanted to go out for drinks with her (she lives in Brooklyn). I decided to go out, and I'm glad I did. First we went to a rooftop bar that had cute tiki torches and a view of the Chrysler building. We walked onto the roof and 30 seconds later some Wall Street-looking bloke had bought us a cosmopolitan. A few guys tried to chat us up and it was hilarious; when the rooftop closed, we went into another bar and Indi has so much hustle that she conned another pair of random blokes into buying us shots. So we drank very well without spending tonnes of cash, and it was generally nice to hang out with Indi and have some company on my first night in the city.

Long story short, I didn't sleep until like 5am, and was in bed until noon. On my way out of the hotel, I saw one of the kitties having a nap on the reception desk, and she looked so comfy and cute.

I got an orange Coolatta from Dunkin' Donuts to revive me a bit; I'd never had the orange flavour before and it is now my new favourite thing in the whole world. It was so delicious - so delicious, in fact, that I had two today. I spent this afternoon wandering around 5th, Madison and Park; there was so much to look at and I walked right past the Empire State Building. It was so bizarre seeing it in real life. I learned how to avoid being killed crossing the roads, tried (and failed) to count the yellow taxis, made a mental note to visit the Lego store later in my trip, and stood in the Lindt shop for about five minutes, staring at all the chocolate.

Walking down 5th Avenue - I spy an Empire State Building!

A hilarious moment occurred when I was navigating yet another treacherous crosswalk. An older bloke walked across, narrowly avoiding being hit by what appeared to be every yellow cab in the world; as I walked by him all I heard was him say in a really strong New York accent, "Fuckin' cabs, man!" and I felt like I'd had an Authentic New York Moment. Everyone drives like a mentalist in the city, it's pretty hilarious when crossing the road.

I got back to my hotel at around 5pm, and I've been here since, chilling out. I've had such a nice day wandering around and getting to grips with being in the city. After the first hour or so, I felt confident and safe walking around, so I now feel more prepared to roam around the city properly during the rest of my trip. I can't believe I've been in New York for over 24 hours already; it's been a whirlwind and I am having a blast!