I went on a tour of the city on an open-top bus, which was going to take us through the Downtown area, through Soho, and Greenwich Village, China Town and Little Italy. I wish I had more time in NY, to get on and off and actually take some time to absorb the many landmarks and surroundings, but being a Cabin Crew there are some downsides to taking an impromtu holiday...

Madison Square Garden

Empire State Building, or at least what I could fit into a shot...


Macy's Department store, said to be the largest in the world.

Woolworth Building, which at it's opening in 1913 was the tallest building in the world.

If you squint you can sort of see the Statue of Liberty somewhere

Brooklyn Bridge

And here we are through Chinatown

The tile memorial at Ground Zero

So after the big bus tour I went to Flight 001 and bought this gorgeous sleep 'pack' for when I fly on leave. It's made of silk and comes with a blow-up pillow, blanket and eyeshades, and made the flight back to Dubai so much more comfy on a packed 14hr flight.

That was the start of my big window shopping adventure. Flight 001 was followed by Barney's, Bergdoff Goodman, Macy's and the Apple Store (which has free internet and is open 24hrs!). Was so tempted to buy an iPhone, but then I'd have to figure out how to unlock the thing and make it work here...

I also had the most amazing popcorn at Garretts. Dripping with melted butter, tiny bit of salt, just how I like it. Been trying to re-create it in my apartment but alas it is not the same :-(

The third day in New York was one I wish I made more of an effort of. I had tickets to this outlet place called Woodberry Common, which is an hour by coach, but you get there and it's definately worth the long drive. I arrived at 10am, and wanted to be gone by 1pm so I could do some more sightseeing, but ended up leaving the place at 6pm. So bad. I scored some Jimmy Choos that I've been after for the past 1.5 years, plus some Fendi shoes for $100 US which I hope was a bargain. My credit card is still suffering, but it was totally worth it.

So those were the three days. I know it's not much, but I've applied for the US visa and have my interview next month, so in the future there will surely be more trips.

I stayed here at the Hotel Alexander (306 W 94st New York) which I found on Trip Advisor. It was the only hotel gong for under $140 US a night. For 1.5 stars it isn't much, but they gave me a queen bed and cleaned the room every day which was nice. I had to use the share bathrooms though. Overal it was very satifactory and considering I only used it for sleeping and abultions it did the job. Highly recommended for those on a budget.