New York has its iconic bridges (I’ve hopped over the Brooklyn Bridge, skipped over the Manhattan Bridge and taken my sweet ass time looking at art on the Williamsburg Bridge) but they were mere (meer?) preparation for this guy: This is ‘Walkway Over The Hudson’ – the longest elevated footbridge in the world. And it’s right here in …
Read MoreTag / tourist
October 9, 2014
…walked the new section of the High Line
Whenever visitors ask what they should do in New York, my first answer is THE HIGH LINE. Every time. This salvaged railway line-turned-walkway starts in a beautiful part of the city, offers you views to Jersey and across the city, lets you in on a bit of history and entertains you with art and local snacks along the route. Oh, and it’s free. …
Read MoreMay 13, 2014
…poured a perfect pint of Guinness in Dublin
After castles, cathedrals and ceilidhs on Scotland, we hopped on a plane to Ireland – Ryan’s ‘ancestral homeland’, as he kept reminding me. We only had a day in Dublin so, like good tourists, we made a beeline for the Guinness Storehouse. We all know I like a bevvy or five, but Guinness? It always seemed so heavy …
Read MoreMay 12, 2014
…played the tourist in St Andrews
Whenever I get within a train or two of St Andrews, I head back. It’s been nearly 10 years since I started university there, and every time I visit, I’m still amazed by how quaint it is. I’m also amazed that I busied myself there for four years without getting tired of the place; the town …
Read MoreDecember 30, 2013
…dodged the scaffolding at St Patrick’s Cathedral
When I got to St Patrick’s Cathedral – the highlight of Fifth Avenue’s skyline – tonight, I was disappointed to see the place was filled with scaffolding. Ugh. How was I supposed to see this famous 19th century church in all its glory? But instead of whining, I realized that this was an entirely new …
Read MoreDecember 26, 2013
…climbed to the top of St Paul’s Cathedral
I lived in London for two years before moving to the U.S., but due to night shifts, shorthand classes and complacency, I never got to know it. But today I finally took my new Today’s The Day I attitude to my old home. Ryan and I jumped on a train (some are finally working!) and …
Read MoreDecember 24, 2013
…walked on The Pantiles
A storm hit southern England last night – leaving my family’s home without power or heat (just in time for Christmas) and trees strewn across roads and train tracks. It meant that our plan to play tourists for the day in London was scuppered – no trains were heading north. So instead, we jumped in …
Read MoreDecember 16, 2013
…visited St Bart’s Church (and saw St Nick)
I’d been looking forward to some carolling on the steps of St Bart’s church in Midtown with Ryan and Helen tonight so we scooted up there straight after work. Unfortunately, either we scooted too slow or the singers were too fast because when we arrived, the choir had disbanded and were munching on festive biscuits …
Read MoreDecember 15, 2013
…went back in time at the Merchant’s House Museum
I love having a good nosey around a stranger’s house – and I also love visiting old properties frozen in time, so that I can wander through the rooms, imagining myself as a former resident. Today I got to do both at the Merchant’s House Museum. My friend Jade had suggested heading to this house …
Read MoreDecember 1, 2013
…visited the world’s largest gingerbread village
Let’s get back to some Christmas events, shall we? How about a massive cityscape made of nothing but gingerbread, candy, icing and lashings of patience? Yes – I thought it sounded like a winner too. So today Ryan and I hopped in the car and went to the New York Hall of Science in Corona, …
Read MoreNovember 27, 2013
…visited the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons
Thanksgiving may be America’s most beloved tradition, but following close behind is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which bobs its way through the city each year before everyone settles down to turkey and sprouts. I’ll be in the office for Thanksgiving but I didn’t want to miss out entirely – so tonight I headed to …
Read MoreNovember 26, 2013
…saw Grand Central’s ‘dark patch’
After a fantastic trip to England and Morocco this weekend, today I headed back to New York. Whenever I’m back home in the U.K., it never feels long enough and I have to tear myself away. But the minute I land and see that skyline, I realize exactly why I came back. It was late …
Read MoreNovember 10, 2013
…visited the Natural History Museum
Now that the city is being rattled by autumnal winds, a wander around its museums seems the perfect way to spend a chilly Sunday afternoon. So today Ryan and I visited one of its best: the American Museum of Natural History. The seemingly endless rooms of dinosaur bones, animal models, human artifacts, special exhibitions and …
Read MoreNovember 8, 2013
…visited the Morgan Library
All year I’ve struggled with museum opening times. There are hundreds of museums and galleries across the city, but most close by 5 or 6pm, shutting us workers out. Thankfully I’ve begun to realize that they don’t ignore us entirely, because a handful throw open their doors late one night a week – and entry …
Read MoreOctober 19, 2013
…climbed to the top of the world’s largest cathedral
When I entered the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine on West 112th Street this afternoon, I immediately welled up. The inside of this grand building, which claims to be the world’s largest cathedral, is breathtakingly beautiful. As soon as I walked through its two-tonne doors, I knew it was going to be one of …
Read MoreOctober 16, 2013
…saw Art in Odd Places
If you take 14th Street and walk across the city, it’s sheer madness. The street, which is one of the widest downtown, sweeps you past neon chain stores, four-lane roads and the mania of Union Square. And for this week only, it also takes you past an array of outdoor art – but you’d better …
Read MoreOctober 12, 2013
…visited The Cloisters
Today I jumped on the subway and about half an hour later, I was in Europe. Or so it seemed. I visited the Cloisters – a museum in Fort Tryon Park in Washington Heights that’s built from European architecture dating between the 12th and 15th centuries. The building and its gardens – which are part …
Read MoreSeptember 13, 2013
…feasted at San Gennaro
Last year when I lived in Little Italy, there was nothing I dreaded more than the Feast of San Gennaro. Every year for 10 days, the festival fills the six blocks stretching from Prince Street to Canal Street – and my recollection of it is noise, tackiness and stinky, greasy food. Of course, living there, …
Read MoreSeptember 8, 2013
…visited the Museum of Sex
It’s been a bit of a hedonistic weekend – a gluttonous picnic, gorging myself at the Vendys and a fair few beers last night – so this afternoon I decided to continue the theme with a trip to the Museum of Sex. I had expected the museum, which is at Madison Square Park, to cover …
Read MoreSeptember 5, 2013
…went inside the Chrysler Building
It took me about a year to tell the Chrysler and the Empire State buildings apart. No joke. Now I’ve realized that – apart from the fact they actually look totally different – the Empire State can be set aside from the Chrysler in one very central way: it opens its doors to the public. …
Read MoreAugust 17, 2013
…swam in the Atlantic Ocean
This morning, I was trying to remember if I had swam in the Atlantic Ocean before, and – can you believe it – but I haven’t. Definitely not from this side of it, anyway. About five years ago, I roadtripped throughout the East Coast of the U.S. and although it was summer, the weather was …
Read MoreAugust 5, 2013
…visited New York’s narrowest house
On the way to dinner tonight, I took a mini detour to Greenwich Village for a peek at the city’s narrowest house – a house so small that it’s only half an address: 75 1/2 Bedford Street. At only 9.5 feet wide, the puny pad is very New York. When I went to Colorado earlier this …
Read MoreAugust 4, 2013
…went back in time on Long Island
Today Ryan and I drove an hour from the city to Centerport on Long Island, where he grew up. After passing gorgeous houses lining green streets and boats dotting the Long Island Sound, we reached the Vanderbilt Mansion. I’ve been to a mansion built by this obscenely wealthy American family (who owned most of the …
Read MoreJuly 19, 2013
…saw Chicago from the sky
Today I popped to Chicago, where Bree is getting married tomorrow. After a delicious rehearsal dinner at Viand, I dodged the rain and skipped to the John Hancock Center to give the city a good look. I’ve only been to Chicago once before – for 4th July about five years ago – but I always include …
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