It’s a great feeling driving through Queens from JFK; you turn a corner and suddenly you see the skyscrapers of Manhattan; you know you’ve arrived. Queens is much like any other American suburb but New York is in a class of its own. Don’t bother with an expensive hotel; it’s much cheaper and some of the locations are as central as they get. We stayed at Herald Towers at 34th & Broadway (next to Macy’s) where we had no complaints except that they won’t let you onto the roof.

 

Also, with it being New York you’ll want to sample the cuisine, further making hotels redundant. Think refined, like the Hudson Place restaurant- brilliant service, wonderful food, and the deal breaker for anyone travelling to America; serving of alcohol and asking no questions.

 

The people in New York like everything else are a mixed bag, and how polite they are really depends where you go; they are surly and uncommunicative in Century 21 (a huge T.K. Maxx style outlet shop full of designer bargains) and they fawn and flirt with you in Barney’s (New York Harrods). You just have to put up with any rudeness and enjoy those that are savvy enough to welcome you.

 

Of course, New York’s reputation as being the metropolis of sophistication is not omnipresent- one man I chatted to boasted to me; ‘these days you can get wine in most about any restaurant [sic]… even in supermarkets!.’ I made a note.

 

The city hasn’t really got over 9/11 and a trip to Ground Zero was surprisingly moving. Work has now begun on the new ‘7World Trade Center’ but there are still many people come to pay their respects. Other sightseeing includes Wall Street, the Empire State Building (awesome) and the Staten Island Ferry, during which you can see the Statue of Liberty (don’t bother). New York is an amazing place which everyone should visit once- we’ve all see it endlessly on film and TV but the sights smells and sounds.