New York, New York

“Beginnings can be delicate or explosive. They can start almost invisibly or arrive with a Big Bang. Beginnings hold the promise of new lessons to be learned, new territory to be explored, and old lessons to be recalled, practiced, and appreciated. Beginnings hold ambiguity, promise, fear and hope.”

As I said goodbye to my twenties I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. I know it’s just another day, like any day but we are so programmed to become attached to dates and timings that it of course felt significant. And while so much of my teens and my twenties were worth celebrating, there’s a lot of those years that as my ‘clock’ hit the big 3-0 I was so so happy to say GOODBYE to, see ya later, I am DONE. So as I raised a glass of champagne and thought here’s to new beginnings and a decade of magically not giving a f***.

For as long as I can remember I wanted to celebrate a big birthday in New York City. As much as I’m usually drawn to quieter places, open countryside and sandy beaches; New York has this magic energy that lights me up and pull me right in. My sister, who agrees NYC is ALWAYS a good idea jumped at the chance and we had a fun filled few days running around the city with our men, eating, drinking and generally soaking up the good vibes. It was exactly what I needed and the best way to say goodbye to my twenties and hello to my thirties.

We skipped the major sightseeing (we’ve done it before) and didn’t spend much time shopping either. Our ‘itinerary’ was mostly made up of restaurant and bars based on recommendations and research done by my food-loving/Queen of reservations sister! I don’t think there’s ever enough time to fully explore everything New York has to offer and we only had a few days! We were of course there for a special occasion, we weren’t there living life as locals but if you’re there for a few days and want to treat yourself, here’s some of my favourite places we went to…

Espresso Martini’s at The Standard Highline

The Boom Boom room is an infamous spot, incredible views of the city, live music, super special vibes. We went here on our first night, we had a booth right next to the window and some of the best Espresso Martini’s. We even ended up calling my Mum while we were in the bathroom to tell her that we could see the Empire State Building while we were peeing (!!!) Hysterically laughing I’m not sure she had any idea what we were on about but we sent her a photo (just of the view!) so she got the message eventually. Must do for a real New York night out.

Breakfast in The Palm Court at The Plaza

This was a birthday surprise organised by my sister. The hotel itself is just beautiful, like stepping back in time into another world. We had mimosas and blueberry pancakes. As kids, my sister and I loved a book called ELOISE; about a young girl who lived at The Plaza, called for room service and ran around the hotel causing trouble, we loved her. So it felt really special for us. No doubt this might be high up there on the ‘tourist’ lists but for us it was well worth a visit. You could even just pop to the champagne bar for a glass to get inside and have nose.

Sundowners on the rooftop at Wythe Hotel, Brooklyn

Lots of people suggested the rooftop of this hotel for sunset drinks. It’s in Brooklyn so you get a pretty epic view as the sun sets over the Manhattan skyline. The vibe is a bit more chilled, we shared a charcuterie with our wines and local beers and you’re in the right spot for wandering the neighbourhood; we stumbled upon great restaurants, bars, breweries and galleries. We loved the area itself and, as so many people have said, think we’d probably stay around there next time we’re in NYC.

Fried Chicken & Cocktails at Sweet Chick, Williamsburg

We found this place by chance (a rare evening where we didn’t have any set dinner plans!) It was small but cosy and welcoming. The wine arrived in jam jars and the menu was centred around various friend chicken option with sides; low lighting, hip hop and a real ‘local’ vibe made this one of our favourite evenings of the trip. We stuffed our faces and took the train back to Manhattan and rolled ourselves into bed, full and happy.

Oysters & Bubbles at The Oyster Bar, Grand Central Station

A New York Institution; we headed here for a pre dinner glass of champagne and a few oysters. This famous spot has been operating since 1913 and is tucked away downstairs at the equally famous Grand Central train station. We were meeting an close family friend so wanted somewhere easy but special - this ticked both boxes.

Picnic and Boating in Central Park

This could be the most ‘touristy’ thing we did. But we ARE tourists in this city so, who cares?! We had so much fun. We sat on the big rocks, ate sushi (birthday picnic so, fancy!) drank champagne and soaked up the August sunshine. We walked over to the lake, hired a row boat and floated up and down for a few hours. It’s pretty amazing how you can be right in the centre of this bust city but out on the water you're completely surrounded by the greenery of the park.

Sleep at 1 Hotel Central Park

As soon as we decided on New York for my birthday I knew I wanted to stay at least a couple of nights here (it’s not cheap) and thanks to a few strings being pulled, we had the night before my birthday and the night after all booked in. As a branded ‘luxury eco-hotel’ this home away from home ticked lots of sustainability boxes, which I loved. Most of the decor throughout the building comes from reclaimed wood, even the room keys are wooden (!) there’s plants everywhere, the bed sheets were all 100% organic cotton and they are BIG on recycling - it just felt like a real luxurious relaxed haven, away from the constant buzz outside. Definitely a special birthday treat!