I was so excited when my husband (then fiancé!), took me on a trip to New York for my birthday in January 2014. Lots of my friends had already been and I was desperate to walk the streets made famous by so many films and television shows. In my mind I expected New York to be similar to London, but far more glamorous and sophisticated. In reality, it was much grittier than London. Sure there are some super glam places, but if you really delve into the city, you can feel it’s dark undertones. New York is a character with many layers, multi dimensional and completely unique. There were times during our trip that I was giddy with love and others when I couldn’t wait to tread the streets of London again. We were busy the entire time  because I love to absorb as much as I can when visiting somewhere new. We had a great experience and created many memories (including when I almost got kidnapped downtown). I now present to you eleven things to do in New York City!

  
1. Take a helicopter tour

This isn’t for everyone, but we took a helicopter tour of the city and it blew my mind. It was such an incredible experience and a great way to see the city in a different light. It’s a bit pricey, but well worth it if you can splash out a little. We booked through Attraction Tickets, who are a company I swear by when booking excursions from the UK, Stateside. They always send you real tickets with no fuss. No printing yourself, no waiting in line to collect and they are always quite reasonable too.

  
2. Stroll around Central Park

This iconic park is beautiful all year round, covered in snow during winter and bursting with colour all through the summer, it’s a cheap day in the city that is absolutely wonderful. In winter you can go ice skating and in summer you can hire boats. You can enjoy long walks squirrel spotting or just lounge around watching the world go by. A must visit if you are in the City.

   
   
3. Go to the zoo

Not the largest zoo in the world, but a lovely little place all the same, the zoo is nestled in Central Park and home to many animals, including these gorgeous snow leopards.

  
The zoo is reasonably priced and is a nice way to spend a couple of hours.

  
4. Go to the Natural History Museum and the planetarium.

  

My husband and I adore astronomy, so I always try and source a good planetarium if we can squeeze it in to our trip. The Hayden Planetarium in New York is absolutely incredible and I think it is my favourite planetarium that we have been to. It’s average in price and really well put together. I could easily lay there all day!

The Natural History Museum is amazing in itself, with so many artefacts to explore. New York is home to so many galleries and museums, it is worth researching which ones will be of interest to you and squeezing a visit into your trip.

5.  Go somewhere delicious to eat

We were lucky enough to meet up with our friends Heidi and Ian (who live in Boston) during our trip  for dinner and dessert. It was great to have their advice on where to go and what to do as they have visited NYC many times. There are thousands of restaurants in the city and you can pretty much eat whatever your heart desires. Countless Italian restaurants.. Chinatown.. You name it, it’s in New York. We ate in Korean Town and had dessert in a French Patisserie. It was such a lovely evening. 

6. Visit the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock

  

We actually visited the Empire State Building twice as visibility was low on our first visit. I would highly recommend a night time trip as seeing the city glisten is amazing, such a gorgeous light show. I don’t think that you need to do both the Top of the Rock and The Empire State because in all honesty the view isn’t that different. Personally, I found that the Empire State was more iconic and traditional, but it’s completely up to you!

  
7. See the Statue of Liberty

  
This is kinda unavoidable as you can see the statue as you arrive at New Jersey airport, but it’s still a must see. There are many ways you can see the green giant from boat to helicopter, or even from the land. The ferries are quite reasonable and you can either sail past or hop off and climb. I loved seeing the statue from the helicopter as we could see so much detailing from flying around it.

8. Visit the 9/11 Memorial

  

This was a really emotive experience that really hit home. What these poor, poor people went through was absolutely awful and the City will never be the same again. Taking time out to reflect was something I was keen to do during our trip and I’m so glad that we went. It may not be for everyone, but it’s a tranquil place to visit. 

9. Shop in Times Square

  

We loved hanging out in Times Square. There are so many shops nearby and it’s just such a vibrant area that oozes life. There are many places in New York City where you feel as though you are in some major blockbuster and Times Square is one of them. Definitely worth a visit!

10.  Visit the New York public library

 
This building is beautiful and a must visit, especially if you are a Sex and the City fan! Make sure that you visit during the day time as it closes quite early.

11. Pass through Grand Central Station

  

Possibly the most beautiful station in the world is Grand Central. With its intricate architecture and bustling atmosphere, it is pretty special. Grab a coffee and watch the world go by.

We had a great time in New York and would definitely visit again. The only thing that we didn’t do that I would have loved was seeing a show on Broadway. I’m a huge fan of the theatre and I know that it would have made for a spectacular evening, sadly we didn’t quite have enough time though. Squeeze it in if you can!

Have you visited New York? What did you get up to?

L x

  
Last summer we swam with sharks in Hawaii and it was absolutely incredible. Seeing these gorgeous sea predators in their natural environment blew my mind and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Being such an animal lover, this created a thirst for seeing more wonderful creatures in their natural environment. When we were in Los Angeles a few days after the shark swim, I saw Whale Watching tours operating from Long Beach and was desperate to go. I hadn’t factored in the time for such a trip into our itinerary and my poor hubby had felt terribly seasick whilst on the shark swim, so wasn’t exactly thrilled at the proposition, therefore I just cycled by, dreaming of a day when I would go whale watching and see the sea giants thriving in the ocean. It was shortly after our return that I began to crave a whale watching tour and decided that our next trip should incorporate such an experience. Therefore I was delighted that you could go whale watching in Iceland and it was a fundamental part of our visit there. I was literally so excited and couldn’t wait to spot the sea creatures.

  
We booked our trip through Reykjavik Excursions. It was very reasonable and before we knew it we were rolling around a boat in snow suits with beady eyes searching. Shortly into our trip, my poor hubby became disgustingly seasick which meant that he was confined to staying under the deck curled up in a ball. I felt really sorry for him and the many others who had fallen victim to the movement of the sea. It was a four hour trip and he felt unwell for its entirety. Certainly not the experience I had envisioned when booking the it!

  
I, on the other hand, felt absolutely fine and spent the four hours bouncing around various parts of the ship with the minority of people who were able to withstand the movement that the Greenland Sea demands, its presence being felt wherever you were standing.

  
We were all searching for a few hours, before admitting defeat. Sadly, we didn’t see any whales or Dolphins. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t disappointed, but that’s the beauty of it. These animals are wild and free, as they should be, they aren’t performers or there to be gawped at. Although I would have loved to have seen an Orca, I am elated that they are free and would take that risk of not seeing one over one that is confined to a small tank any day. The good thing is if you don’t see any whales on your trip, you can come back again anytime free of charge (not that my poor hubby was vibing another trip after feeling so poorly!). Would I go again? Absolutely, I still had a nice time and would love to see any whales!

Have you ever been whale watching?

L X

A couple of weeks ago we wrapped ourselves up and jetted off for six days in Iceland. Neither of us had been before and I was so excited to visit a country so different from our own, but with such a tiny population and temperatures well below freezing what would we do? After reading lots of blog posts and draining the Internet of information, I planned a rough itinerary for our trip and we had a blast.

I now present to you, seven things to do in Iceland.

1. Go Snowmobiling!!!

For me, the highlight of our trip was whizzing around a glacier on a snowmobile whilst wearing a snuggly snowsuit in temperatures of around minus 18. 

  
We booked with Mountaineers of Iceland and had the best time. It was a little bit on the pricey side if you are travelling on a small budget, but absolutely incredible.

  
2. See the Northern Lights

An absolute must if you are traveling to Iceland in the winter. Yes, it’s cold and yes, you have to travel out of town, but boy is it worth it. We booked with Reykjavik Excursions. They were very reasonable in price and the great thing is if you don’t see the Northern Lights, you can come again for free. Luckily for us we managed to see them on our first try and my husband got some great shots on the DSLR, but here is one from my iPhone!

  
3. Visit the Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon is world famous for its beautiful geothermal water set in lava fields. It’s such a stunner and another must see in Iceland. Sure, it’s a major tourist hotspot, but it’s also absolutely gorgeous and you can’t beat having a facial whilst relaxing in such a lush location. Make sure you pre book as it gets very busy. They have a range of packages available to suit most budgets and you can easily use the Flybus to travel from Reykjavik to the Lagoon. You can book Blue Lagoon tickets here.

  
4. Go Whale watching

I absolutely adore the giants of the sea, so whale watching was a must do activity for me whilst in Iceland. Unfortunately it was an unsuccessful trip for us as my poor Hubby was terribly seasick (for the entire four hour boat ride!) and I didn’t see any whales. I’m so glad that we went though.

  
5. Have a stroll around Reykjavik

Reykjavik is such a cute city and there is so much to see just walking around from shops that celebrate Christmas all year round (amazing!!) to wonderful restaurants serving authentic food from all over the world.

  
 You will also see brilliant architecture and street art, Reykjavik is bursting with character!

  

6. Meander around the harbour

Reykjavik is a seaside city with stunning views from the harbour. It’s really nice to have a walk along the sea front, breathing in that salty sea air that envelopes you in a seaside dream. 

  

If you visit on a winters’ evening, you can sometimes see the Northern lights from Downtown Reykjavik!

7. Do the Golden Circle tour

 
The Golden Circle tour allows you to visit the Gullfoss waterfall, Geysirs and Pingviller National Park. Each of these sites are mind blowingly beautiful. The tours are quite fairly priced and it’s great that you can see all three in one day, giving you more time to explore the other lush parts of Iceland.

  

So there you have it, a few ideas to explore in Iceland.
Have you visited Iceland before? Did you do any of these?

L x