For the last leg of my US experience, I visited my aunt and her family in New York. I only had 2 days to spare because I need to get back to Manila real soon due to family gatherings. Anyway, I left Florida in the afternoon and had a connecting flight via Atlanta before heading to The Big Apple.
Alicia Key's voice was constantly playing in my head as I watched the sunset on the plane. "...New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do..." Yes I WAS EXCITED. Afterall I will be going on a Sex and the City tour, my favorite TV series of all time. *giggles*
Alicia Key's voice was constantly playing in my head as I watched the sunset on the plane. "...New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do..." Yes I WAS EXCITED. Afterall I will be going on a Sex and the City tour, my favorite TV series of all time. *giggles*
In a few hours, I landed at JFK where my relatives picked me up. We had a drive thru at Popeye's before heading home and had a feast of the best fried chicken I had in 2 weeks. I really wish Popeye's didn't go out of business in Manila. Oh well.
Early the next day, it was time to see THE city. These were my first sights of Manhattan: double decker tourist buses, familiar street names and surprisingly, a church and cemetery in the heart of the city.
We then went to Ground Zero, the site of the 9/11 bombing. World Trade Center was being constucted around that time and I had mixed emotions visiting the site.
Though the sight of fallen leaves was beautiful, it somehow gave a feeling of mourning even more.
Moving on to our next destination... The Pulitzer fountain just around Central Park was the pick up point of my much awaited SATC tour. Before heading there, I took some shots of the famous Central Park's south side entrance and the surrounding streets.
In Manhattan, people walk and walk and walk and walk. Need I say more? So if you're visiting, make sure you slip on a pair of really comfortable shoes. Finally, we made it to the Pulitzer fountain and started our bus tour.
My sincere apologies for not taking as much photos. I was so engrossed with the tour that I forgot my camera altogether. Sheesh. The tour has 4 stops where you get to hop off the bus, but the most part of it is spent driving around Manhattan where the tour guide plays scenes from the TV show and the movie as you drive by those locations.
The first stop was a sex store. Yep! I guess that explains why I don't have a lot of pictures. The Pleasure Chest featured "The Rabbit" from the TV series which got Charlotte addicted to the point that she wouldn't even meet the girls for brunch. Too bad I couldn't take pictures.
The second stop was the restaurant where Carrie and Aidan had their wedding rehearsal dinner, also the location for the "last single girl kiss" in the movie. Photos are above.
The third stop was the Greenwich Village where Carrie confided in Miranda about Aidan. We had Magnolia cupcakes! Oh My God, I was totally at a loss of words. Their cupcakes are D-I-V-I-N-E. That is coming from someone who's not fond of sweets and that is saying something. Here are photos of the village and Magnolia's.
The first stop was a sex store. Yep! I guess that explains why I don't have a lot of pictures. The Pleasure Chest featured "The Rabbit" from the TV series which got Charlotte addicted to the point that she wouldn't even meet the girls for brunch. Too bad I couldn't take pictures.
The second stop was the restaurant where Carrie and Aidan had their wedding rehearsal dinner, also the location for the "last single girl kiss" in the movie. Photos are above.
The third stop was the Greenwich Village where Carrie confided in Miranda about Aidan. We had Magnolia cupcakes! Oh My God, I was totally at a loss of words. Their cupcakes are D-I-V-I-N-E. That is coming from someone who's not fond of sweets and that is saying something. Here are photos of the village and Magnolia's.
The last stop was the bar Aidan and Steve put together all dressed up for Halloween. We had COSMOPOLITANS, of course! It was fun fun fun!
This was the conclusion of the tour and soon we were dropped off at the Pulitzer Fountain. En route to Times Square, I tried to take more photos of buildings. The problem I have taking buildings' photos in Manhattan is that the buildings were simply TOO TALL. I would have to be so far away to take a photo showing the whole building. Alicia Keys was not kidding, it really is a concrete jungle out there.
And finally, the famous Times Square.
Manhattan was fun even if all I got was a glimpse. There are still a lot to see and experience in the city that never sleeps, where no stars can be seen because the lights from below are brighter than the stars. I would love to experience New Year's Eve in Times Square or the Rockefeller Center. But until then, keep shining NYC!