To discover New York City for the first time in only three days requires very little sleep and lots of caffeine! Especially when you are coming from California where there is a three hour time difference. I had to decide what I wanted to see in such a short amount of time, and since my hotel was just minutes from Times Square I decided that would be the first stop after unloading my suitcases.
I stayed at the Club Quarters Hotel on 51st street. They had a small entrance, which is a lot like all the hotels you find in New York, but coming from California I wasn’t used to that. However, when I entered the lobby it was clean and quiet. Something you wouldn’t expect after hearing how loud New York is. I stayed on the 21st floor that looked out to a beautiful view of all the buildings around me. They had free Wi-Fi throughout the whole building, free bottled water, a gym, business center with free printing, and multiple restaurants. The only downside of the hotel was the time it took for the elevators to arrive. This is expected since the building was so tall and the lobby could only fit two elevators. Other than that, I would recommend staying at the Club Quarters.
So anyway, I grabbed my jacket and a big scarf and I headed to Times Square. The streets were packed with people everywhere on a Saturday night. Go figure right? As I walked into Times Square I couldn’t keep my eyes off all the beautiful lights. Everything about it was so mesmerizing. The sounds of all the people, the flashing billboards, the characters on the corners taking pictures with people, the food carts, so much was going on at the same time. After grabbing a quick bite, taking a million photos, and shopping around at H&M and other stores, it was time to head in because I had a big day ahead of me.
Come Sunday morning, I had to get my head into fashion.. As if it had ever left! I went to the W Hotel on Lexington Avenue to attend the Simply Stylist Conference. This convention was just too fab to not create a whole separate post for it, so I will leave this one to just exploring the beautiful “Big Apple”. After the conference another blogger and I went to go grab some traditional New York pizza. It was everything we had hoped for, grease and all. Once we were fueled up again, we thought it was way too early to head home while in the city that never sleeps, so we went on an adventure.
We stopped at shops next to Union Square, and it was then that I saw the Empire State Building blocks away and knew we had to go. We weren’t sure how far it was and thought it was close enough to walk. On the way we stumbled upon Dylan’s Candy Bar (as seen on Keeping up with the Kardashians), and stopped in to get our quick candy fix. As we continued on our journey, taking pictures, laughing and talking about our homes in California and London, we scooped into our blue ice cream on that chilly New York night.
After about eighteen blocks (not expecting to walk that far), we finally ended up at the Empire State Building. We went all the way up to the 86th floor, it was colder than ever but the sight was beautiful. Something I’ll never forget. By this time it was about 11pm and time to head in since we both had our flights home the next day. We said our goodbyes and knew we’d see each other again in the future. After all, all bloggers come into contact again somehow.
Monday morning I woke up with a bittersweet feeling. My trip was coming to an end and it was almost time to go home to California. Being so, I thought I’d utilize those last couple hours to the fullest, starting with room service. I then went to take more photos at Times Square in the daylight and picked up a few souvenirs. I walked to Rockefeller Center where a live concert was being set up and walked along 5th avenue with all the beautiful stores. By this time it was time to head to JFK International Airport. My trip was short, but nothing short of fabulous. I can’t wait to return!
Yours Truly,
B
