Whether you know the State as: "The Big Apple," "The City," "Gotham" or "The Media City," everybody knows of the place and has seen its many defining features a thousand times or more. The City is home to over 8.4 million people of many different backgrounds from all over the world, and walking the streets this is very apparent. Whether you're in Manhattan, The Bronx or Queens you still have the warm fuzzy feeling that you are in the City where everything happens at any time of the day. The City that literally never sleeps, being able to get an Oreo cheesecake at three in the morning and a cab at four. Being able to walk the streets at any point of the day or night and never being alone. This is the feeling of living in the Empire State that the Business, Fashion and Media world revolves around.
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to be able to visit Gotham and walk the skyscraper lined streets that hummed with; sights, smells and noise for every minute of the day and night. A City that I had only ever been able to watch in soap operas and films was now lying beneath my feet. Recognising buildings and streets from my favourite programs. The Russian Tea Room from Gossip Girl and Central Park from Sex and the City. Of course there were many sights that had to be seen before I returned to simple Southampton, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, The Chrysler Building, Central Park, Fifth Avenue and of course hailing a ride or two in a yellow cab.
The sounds of the City never stopped, after 24 hours the sounds became normal and faded into the background. The sirens ringing down the streets and the smells of the underground through the steam grates started to become known as home. As I walked the streets back to my hotel, The Wellington, Times Square started to become the mile stone of us nearly being back in our hotel room. Times Square felt like home, walking through it, knowing the shops, the streets and the vendors on the corner made me feel like a true New Yorker. Storming down the streets as if I knew exactly where I was and where I was going melted me in to the crowd and fade past as an American, not an English tourist.
Knowing that every building, street and park was steeped in history made me want to know more and gather as much information and pictures as I possibly could. I wanted to document every minute of the day so as not to forget how amazing the City is. Also to make sure that this wasn't a dream, that I had actually lived in New York, if only for four days. I am sure to return and would love to live there one day. To work in the skyscrapers and live in a tiny, dingy, smelly six foot square apartment for at least six months. Just to say that I once lived in the City that never sleeps, and that nowehere else I know will ever be as amazing as that one State in America.
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