New York City, USA

From Tampa we headed north again to New York City. A city that needs no introduction, we had a lot of ground to cover in just 8 days. Thankfully our accomodation was conveniently located in the Chelsea area of Manhattan as well as being close to Penn Station and a number of Subway lines (this proved as a massive advantage - weekly unlimted travel for US27) which made getting around relatively easy. Being such a massive city, we didn't really have much if an opportunity to go beyond the standard tourist attractions; Statue of Liberty; Top of the Rock; Empire State Building; Central Park; Broadway (went to see Chicago); and Times Square just to name a few. A select few photos from the 8 days (I took way to many to post up them all):

One of the underlying drawcards of NYC is the food. Despite being the least adventurous eater in the world, I can say that the signature dishes of the city are awesome. New York pizza is better than any other pizza I've eaten, the bagels make Glicks look like a joke, and the cheesecake is nothing short of awesome. Unfortunately none of the above are actually good for you.

It's hard to pin point an individual element as to why, but in my limited travel experience Ive concluded that NYC is a city like no other, and probably one of the most amazing cities I'll visit, in it's own right. A 2, 4 or 10 week holiday could easily evaporate here (finances pending).

On another note, for the last two nights I upgraded my accomodation from the hostel dorm to the 28th floor of the Parker Meridien overlooking Central Park (thanks old man - much appreciated). A welcome change to say the least!