# New York 2018 _Published on 17 May 2018 at 5:27 PM · Updated on 1 July 2025 · Around 7 minutes to read_ ### Day 01 – Take a yellow cab from JFK, it’s a set fee into the city – Tell the driver the corner your destination is on, they don’t know hotels nearly as well as street names  – Check-in is at 3pm – Colder NYC does not slow it down – Time Square still does my head in – Starbucks closes earlier on a Sunday, I have not had coffee – Walking around this city is my favorite thing to do here – Direction takes some getting used to, everything seems upside down – There is no ground zero, their floors start at 1 – Still no 13th floor – The minibar is packed full of treats, but don’t eat them, they’ll probably cost you an arm and a leg – The kefir is next to the milk in the grocery store fridge – A 30 day SIM and unlimited data etc costs $65 – It’s Zee not Zed – You gotta tip, New Yorkers get quite upset if you don’t – Compared to London, stuff is way cheaper – The buildings look older than I remembered them looking – Staying in midtown seems fairly convenient ### Day 02 – The New York public library is breathtaking, it’s free, visit it – NYC feels like home for me already  – While most things are cheaper in NYC, you will be charged city tax, which you cannot claim when you leave – Saks on 5th Avenue is worth visiting to teach you how people with far too much money over pay for stuff, prefer Selfridges as a department store  – Street hot dogs won’t kill you, try them – There’s lots of crazies walking around the streets – No matter what the time or day, NYC is always buzzing, it really is the city that never sleeps  – The Apple store in 5th Avenue is still not done – Milk Bar was kinda dodge, cereal milk is not what I expected sadly – Very Fresh Noodles at Chelsea Market are delicious  – It’s getting warmer ### Day 03 – So convenient having a Starbucks on just about every street corner – Coffee at most other places is not an espresso with milk, it’s drip coffee 😞 – The city seems to be getting busier every day – It’s quite easy to earn your vitality steps, you walk a lot  – Five Guys never disappoints, still my favourite burger  – Soho is the better place to shop, everything is in a very concentrated area – Blades in Soho is the best skate shop for clothing – Grand Central Station is quite spectacular – The Apple Store in Grand Central Station is huge, quite the experience – Wagamamas is great Asian food, I hadn’t had it since I lived in London 20 years ago – It’s easy to sleep in the middle of the city, despite all the sirens etc, either it’s the way the windows block out noise or just totally exhausted – Cherry blossom trees are really beautiful – It’s getting even warmer – I ❤️ NY ### Day 04 – Its t-shirt weather in NYC – Most people think of NY, but when you’re in the city, you see a lot more NYC – Macy’s is the largest department store I’ve been in, I got lost 🙈 – My feet hurt from all the walking – It’s refreshing to hear stories of honesty, people who leave their purses in taxis, get them back – Walk over the Brooklyn bridge, you can see the Statue of Liberty  – NY sour cherry pie at Petee’s pie company is the magic  – A hot shave at Rudy’s barbershop is a nice treat – Jelly is not jam, there’s no flavors, it’s just jelly 🙄 – 10pm feels as lovely as 10am, only the bums are going to sleep, not waking up ### Day 05 & 06 – Anejo mexican restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen has great tacos and the best desert I have had while here – Starbucks has these powermats to wirelessly charge your phone, but doesn’t seem to work on an iPhone unfortunately  – Bluestone lane on 5th across from Central Park makes the best smashed avo on toast – You cannot drink your morning coffee while racing down Madison Avenue in a cab – Google maps cannot keep up with the pace of stores popping up and closing down, things might not be where the maps say they will be – There are plenty of 24 hour pharmacy’s – Eatalian on 5th is a little chaotic, but has a bunch of Italian stuff, whether you want to sit down and eat, or grab something from their delis – Cannolis are ok, not good nor bad, just ok  – Most Starbucks are closed by 9pm, but you can find some open later – Friday’s in midtown are crazy busy with people everywhere, even more than usual – It’s even hotter, but chilly in the shade – Seen a lot of school busses this time, they’re everywhere – There is an incredible amount of news and sports on tv, and lots of Ad breaks in between – Apple products are so much cheaper here – There is such a vibe in this city, it’s almost exhausting *I was in NYC for a conference, which took up most of my time during these two days, so did very little else in the city, so merged the two days ### Day 07 – It’s raining in NYC – It’s not so fun – Hotels (at least my hotel) gives out umbrellas so you can walk around – Umbrellas don’t stop you from getting wet – It’s my last full day, I really don’t want to have to buy a raincoat  – SoHo is crazy busy – Taxi drivers call you cheap when you only tip 20% – Concepts on Hudson street is still the most well curated store – Apple Store payment is just brilliant, love that they ask to email you a receipt – Vans stock some cool skate gear in their stores – Cassey Neistats 368 is just off canal street and broadway, I did not spot him – People were queuing down the block for G Star today – People still queue for Supreme – You can get fake supreme gear, Louis Vuitton bags and sunglasses all over SoHo – Still get offered a lot of drugs on Canal Street – The view from my hotel is inside looking at other rooms, but I cannot see inside, no nudity, nothing!  – People shop on 5th Ave but there are some great stores with less people on Park and Madison Avenues – Five Guys, never get tired of eating their burgers and love their strawberry shake – yes you can skip shake shack – It’s refreshing to see every till in a store manned, queues move fairly quickly – The hooting can get too much – Drinking coffee and people watching at Union Square is a beautiful thing – NY City gift shops are as common as Starbucks  – I have not spent time in Central Park 🙈 – The rain does not slow down the city ### Day 08 – It’s raining again in NYC – What is it with big city’s and bubble gum stains on the pavement?! – Check out is 12pm, but hotel will keep luggage and arrange a cab for you to JFK – This rain is stopping no one, babies are in strollers, old farts slowing stuff down with walkers and crazies still screaming – Starbucks free WiFi is certainly used as people spend large amount of time working there – There are markets of all kinds all over the city on the weekend – There are girls doing yoga in the lululemon store windows – Watch a movie at AMC’s theatres at Lincoln plaza. The seats aren’t as nice as back home, but they give you free 3D glasses and serve hotdogs in the theatre – Central Park is still full of people enjoying some greenery in the rain – Last treat in NYC had to be warm apple pie – ACE hotel does a psychic reading on a Sunday evening, more weirdos in the lobby, hard to get a seat – Grilled three cheese sandwich is a fitting final meal in America, delicious – Farewell NYC, see you again soon Filed under: [Travel](https://craigjamieson.netlify.app/category/travel/) [All writing](https://craigjamieson.netlify.app/blog/)