"The amazing NYC" a New York City Travel Page by annase

I went to New York right after Easter for 4 and a half days. I have always wanted to go to NYC, so when I started planning the trip I was absolutely thrilled. This was before I realised that I'd have to get my passport renewed before going, since at some point some kind member of immigration staff had almost virtually ripped off the first page of my passport (the page where you've got a photo and details) to see if it was genuine.. I reckoned that this passport would not have got me into the States, so I decided to pay a visit to my embassy. But what a nightmare it was to get another one in a foreign country, since they have recently tightened the requirements for passport photos and the embassy staff works only 2h or day or something stupid like that.. Not the most positive experience, but that's leaving things 'till last minute for you. Never mind. The main thing is that I got it in the end.

It was my first time in the States, so I was fully prepared to to tackle any questions that might be asked at immigration such as 'How long are you staying', 'Where are you staying' etc. I've heard so many stories about how tight the security checks and passport control are and that they make you take your shoes off and all. To be totally honest, it's exactly same in the UK. Except that it's maybe a bit more effective. You're literally running through the security checks whilst the staff is shouting "Move it, move it" to the passengers. ;-)

Once I actually got the immigration in the States, I was never even asked anything.. They guy hardly said a word.. What a disappointment!! Ha ha! :-) They do make you fill in a couple of forms concerning your whereabouts during your stay on the airplane before landing and then take a photo and a couple of finger prints of you at the passport control, but no questions were asked whatsoever..

By the way, the States (or New York more like) what exactly like you see it in films and tv series.

Although it was sunny, the weather was extremely chilly compared to the UK, as we had over +20 C degrees here before we left and I was walking around in summer clothes... And in New York you needed proper winter clothes (I had to war a scaf and gloves because it was so cold)!!! I think the average temperature was only about 40-50 F (5 - 10 C). It was bloody freezing from time to time. Oh well.. It was nice to be in NYC anyway.

New York's just full of life all around the clock and there's masses to do and see. Me and my boyfriend went to a comedy club one evening (which that evening was full of 20 year-old students from the Netherlands for some reason!!), ate out a lot and went to a few pubs, bars & coffee shops. We saw some of the main sights (Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Greenwich Village, Soho, Chinatown, Little Italy etc.) and went to a few museums, as you do.

It was nice to see how multicultural New York is. There are loads of people from elsewhere than the States, and also many people also have their roots somewhere else even though they might have been born and living in the States all their lives. It was absolutely great though!! I absolutely love that kind of multicultural and multilingual environment.

The staff in the hotel where we were staying was almost entirely Spanish speaking (clearly they all spoke perfect English too). On the first day, we walked into a diner that was run by a Greek family, another day we ate at a Mexican grill where the majority of the staff were - again Spanish speaking. There was an Irish pub with Irish staff near the Times Square and one day we were strolling along the street to the Grand Central Station and pumped into a Nordic Cultural Centre, cafe and a shop. Another day we also went to a media store where the staff was almost exclusively Jewish. I wouldn't know where else do you come across such a varied groups of people, but that was just great!!!

And then there was also this Italian restaurant which apparently is the oldest pizzeria in New York, as it it was established in 1905. It's called Lombardi's and is located in Little Italy. Unfortunately, I was not extremely impressed by the pizza though. It was good, but something was missing. Maybe it was the fact that the pizza fillings were geared to more American taste and lacked the options offered by some of the more traditional Italian restaurants I have visited in my lifetime.. I'm just guessing here, since I have never been to a pizza restaurant in Italy (so I cannot really compare the one had in NYC to the real thing). I have, however, been to a few Italian run pizza places in Brussels. I reckon they were the best pizzas I've eaten ever since I was a kid.

I was extremely disappointed with the fact that I could not find a burger with a proper chicken fillet in NYC!!! I think it's due to the fact that we ran out of time, as we were there only 4 full days.. If anyone knows a great place where I can visit the next time I'm in NYC, let me know! I'll be there like a shot.