London vs NYC

I originally intended for this to be a comparison between the US and the UK, having lived in a several places in both countries. However it then dawned on me that these are pretty big and culturally diverse countries. Comparing the two would be widely inaccurate so I decided to narrow it down to just NYC and London.

I should also probably admit that I am somewhat (ok, fairly) biased towards NYC. Not only am I currently living in the Big Apple but I have never fallen in love with London in the same way. Quite frankly, my heart belongs to New York. I would also note that I am specifically referring to Manhattan. 

With this being said, London may not be for me but I do recognize it is a fantastic city. And there are of course things that I miss. So here goes my London vs NYC list.

      1. Food

Ok so this has to be a tie. The UK has a reputation for having awful food and whilst I do see where this comes from (pot noodles and awful greasy spoons, I’m looking at you), the UK is home to a huge number of Michelin starred restaurants. NYC is a melting pot of a million cuisines, famous for its pizza and pastrami and bagels, there is always somewhere new to try, some pop up restaurant, some incredible and mind boggling fusion. But London is equally a melting pot of various cuisines, from China Town to Little Portugal, you can find everything and anything under the sun. And boy do I miss British chocolate. 

      2. Drinking

London takes this. Purely based on the pub scene. Yes the swanky NYC bars are fantastic, but you can find equally swanky bars in London. A good British pub? You have to go to London for that. Next!

3. People

NYC you got it. Londoners are renowned for being a tad moody. Cold, distant and reserved, Londoners are not a fun and friendly bunch to strangers and the general public (of course they are lovely to their family/friends/acquaintances, but on the streets you will not catch them cracking a smile). I find New Yorkers to be a genuinely friendly, down to earth and approachable bunch.

     4. Weather

Now I have yet to experience an NYC summer so I appreciate that voting NYC at this point is most likely extremely naïve of me. But so far, I am not missing the continual London drizzle. I am enjoying the sun on both warm and cold days. Granted, I am likely to change my tune when the oppressive summer heat and humidity hits. Watch this space. 

     5. Layout

London is obviously a much older city with a rich heritage and stunning buildings. However, I found the sheer scale of London to be pretty overwhelming. I never quite managed to get my bearings and certainly not as quickly as I did in NYC. Maybe it’s the grid system. Maybe it is the fact that I live and work in Manhattan and that I don’t venture off the island all that often, but I seem to have made sense of NYC faster.

6. Public Transport

It had to be said, NYC is just generally more convenient a city than London. Nothing embodies this more than the subway system. It is open 24/7. London's underground kills me. Aside from the fact that it is extortionately expensive, ridiculously overcrowded, consistently late/delayed/not working.... the underground shuts down around midnight. This baffles me. Say goodbye to drinking past 10.30pm. Taxis are unbearably expensive and the night bus is terrifying. NYC seems to have understood that a city that never sleeps needs 24/7 subway service. And you know what? Taxis are so affordable that if you can't bothered (and you're not going too far), hop in a cab! Sorted. 

So I give the win to: NYC. 

However, this is not to say London is without its many merits. London, I'll tell you what: I miss your good British TV, cadbury chocolate, pubs and sunny afternoons on the common. But no I do not miss your weather. 

Guest Post: Interrailing Around Europe

Annie has kindly offered to write about her time spent traveling Europe a few summers ago. 

"In the summer of 2011, I went inter-railing in Europe and got to visit some cities I had always wanted to go to. It was only two of us who took the trip which was great because it meant we could truly suit ourselves. The first destination was actually my hometown of Paris so we stayed at my parents' apartment and planned the entire trip from there. As I grew up in Paris and he had visited the city many times we didn't feel the need to do tourist activities, apart from of course Disneyland! 

After Paris we headed to Amsterdam which was a city I had always dreamed of visiting and I was not disappointed. My favorite part of Amsterdam was how condensed the city was and how easy it is to get around. I really enjoyed visiting the Anne Frank Huis Museum, eating pancakes and the culture of the city. The people of Amsterdam are incredibly open minded and friendly and it really is a place I would love to go back and visit again sometime. We then headed to Berlin, here we spent most of our time visiting World War 2 related locations. 

Berlin was not my favorite place we visited as I felt like it wasn't the easiest city to get around so we wasted a lot of time getting lost! 

The third place we visited was Prague which was a really beautiful place and the weather was great. Prague is a great place to walk around because it is generally very pretty and there are plenty of interesting shops and building to visit, notably the clock tower. 

After Prague, we went to Italy. We went to three cities: Venice, Florence and Rome. I had visited Florence before and it's the best place in the world for a romantic stroll and a nice refreshing ice cream. Italy is one of my favorite places in the world (namely because Italian food is my absolute favorite) so I loved visiting Rome as well but Venice really was a dream come true for me. I got to go on a gondola, eat the most amazing pizza I have ever tasted and walking around the city at night really is magical.

Overall the highlights of my trip were Amsterdam and Venice because those were two places I was really eager to visit and I completely fell in love with the layout of both cities. I love the idea of strolling along the canals at night and taking a little boat trip down the street if I feel like it. 

Inter-railing was a fantastic way to visit Europe, we managed to see so many amazing places in a short space of time and traveling by train gave you a real sense of distance and freedom."

Annie

Charlotte in South Africa

Charlotte has just got back from an amazing trip in South Africa where she volunteered at African Dawn (Wildlife Sanctuary, Rehabilitation Centre and Endangered Cat Breeding Centre). She kindly agreed to write a guest post for me about some of the incredible experiences she had.

HAND IN TRUNK WALK AT THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY-

 http://www.elephantsanctuary.co.za/ragbag sabout.htm 

One of the highlights of my trip was the hand in trunk walk at the Elephant sanctuary. We had a two hour drive from Eastern Cape- East to Eastern Cape- West, leaving African Dawn at 5am to drive to Plettenberg Bay. I personally thought the drive was great, the scenery and sunrise was fantastic (everyone else in the taxi was sleeping so they didn’t see much...).

After paying the fee, our guide met us and guided us to the elephant sanctuary and talked about African elephants- behavior, appearance and what they eat. He then briefly introduced us to 4 elephants, one male and three females called Jabu, meaning happy (18 years old), Tandy meaning love (17 years old) and Marula (my elephant 19 years old).  

After meeting the elephants we got to choose the one we wanted to walk, I went for the leader Marula- the largest female who was known for being very cheeky and walking quickly. She likes to shove you into bushes but still holds onto you no matter what with her trunk. After dealing with her shoving me into bushes we stopped in the shaded, forested area. The keepers talked about each elephant, their individual personalities and showed some examples of the animals expressing natural behavior and doing tricks. We then interacted and stroked each elephant and the keepers taught us about the their senses, body and behavior. They made us stroke their faces, horns, feet, belly, ears and tail. On the way back we fed the elephants apples, once they finished eating they walked off holding onto the tail of the elephant in front of them (which I thought was very cute).

We then went to a room outside and our guide explained the elephants’ anatomy, how they give birth, what baby elephants do to survive and how they sleep. This was really interesting and a great way to end the day. The staff were incredible, extremely knowledgeable and friendly.

After walking the elephants you will have very dirty hands from their trunks. Marula and Jaboo both had part of their trunks missing; poor treatment from previous owners had resulted in having to remove the tips of their trunks.

SWIMMING WITH SEALS- Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape

Swimming with seals at Plettenberg Bay was incredible. We had to wear a lovely wetsuit that made us look like penguins, very flattering (ahem), flippers and snorkel. The speed boat took 15 minutes to get to a cliff side where there were hundreds of seals (including very scary male seals that were fighting and falling off the rocks). We jumped into the water and all the baby seals came towards us. They would come very close and nibble our flippers. One baby seal kept playing picaboo with me, it would pop up from under the water and squirt some sea water in my face, shake its head from side to side then dive back under water. But it is worth noting that mother seals are very protective and easily threatened, one particular seal would bark loudly at me if her baby came too close.

We swam with them for 45 minutes which was an amazing experience as seals are very friendly, interactive and quite cheeky!

BUNGEE JUMPING- Bloukrans bridge 216 m (709 feet) Highest bridge jump in the world

My thought process here was: 'Hey its the worlds highest commercial bungee bridge in the whole world, sure I'll jump off it'. And I didn’t give it much more thought than that until we arrived at the location... and the sheer height hit me.

We filled out the forms, paid, got weighed and strapped into a full body harness. A few people decided that it was not for them and would prefer to just watch. We walked along the 451 meter long bridge to the center, where we were greeted by three members of staff dancing around to the music playing in the background. Given that I cannot dive, the staff told me that they would push me off. I watched a few people go first and then before I knew it, it was my turn. The staff helped me hobble over to the edge (with my toes hanging off the bridge) and said to look at the camera and smile then on 3 jump- in my video you see me look up at the camera and say 'Wait what am I doing again? What am I doing ? OH MY GOD!' and half jump/shoved off, arms flailing everywhere and screaming my head off. Elegant and composed as always. 

My thoughts before jumping were: 'If Pocahontas can jump off a cliff; then why cant I jump off a bridge where I’m attached to ropes?'. The feeling you get as you're jumping at the start is very scary as you feel helpless trying to cling onto something but then the sound of the wind blowing past you feels amazing and the views were stunning (even though it was very blurry). The rebound was surprisingly not that bad, it just made me feel a bit confused as I was spinning around. Jumping off was scary but not as bad as just hanging at the bottom waiting to be picked up. Hanging by a rope, you feel like your ankles are slipping out and all the blood rushes to your head and fingers. At this point I was panicking because you’re just hanging there swaying back and forth for a while, the only thing keeping me calm was the sound of the river below me. Eventually, one of the staff came down to bring me back up. He attached me to his harness and pulled us up. 

Bungee jumping was the best thing I have ever done and I am so glad that I did it in South Africa. Next, skydiving! I think it has turned me into an adrenaline junkie. 

I already miss South Africa so much, the people were just lovely, very lively and so welcoming. I cannot wait to go back!

- Charlotte

Morandi- West Village

I had been meaning to eat at Morandi's for a while as I had heard good things. And so we headed off on a rainy day to try it out. 

This cosy Italian restaurant embodies the rustic and authentic Italian cuisine most foodies look for in NYC. The food is fresh and the atmosphere is great. Portions are not huge but then I am not normally a fan of over sized dishes that you can't finish. 

The pasta was fantastic and the staff were great. We were seated straight away and they answered any questions we had about the menu. 

It looks like it would be a great place to eat outside in the summer. But it does get quite busy, so do book ahead!

Commerce- West Village

I had heard great things about this restaurant and had been aching to try it for a little while. So I was excited once I finally got round to making a reservation. Tucked away in a quiet unassuming West Village street, this cosy restaurant is very popular. And boy does that show on a Friday evening. Despite my reservation and arriving on time, we had over an hours wait before we were seated. I am not going to lie, this was not the most pleasant experience. We were crammed in by the hectic bar like sardines (imagine the Northern Line at rush hour). The delays and cramped conditions led to a few upset customers complaining but the staff did an amazing job working under high pressure with tempers flaring. We were given complimentary drinks and the food that followed then made up for the less than ideal start.

The bread, oh the bread. Normally I try to avoid eating too much before my food arrives so as not to fill up on bread. But the Commerce brings a bread-basket to end all bread-baskets, with a variety of hot, home made rolls that are impossible to resist. From freshly baked tomato and pesto to soft salty pretzels to cheese and bacon mini rolls… the bread-basket did not last long.

I opted for the Winter Vegetable in Thai Red Curry: fresh, delicate, aromatic and seriously tasty. The Steak Diane was elegant and cooked to perfection. 

For desert I ordered their famous Coconut Cake. While this is not normally my favourite desert, I had heard such good things that it just had to be done.  First of all, it is huge. Everyone at the table ended up trying it but even then I still left about a third (maybe I did eat a little too much bread after all). Second of all, it is delicious. Just go and try it. Be prepared for a moist slab of coconut deliciousness.

Their cookie was a great choice for those who want something sweet but who know when enough is enough (yes my eyes are frequently bigger than my belly). The Birthday Cake comes complete with a candle and is just as big as the Coconut Cake.

Overall, yes the hour wait standing in a seriously crowded room did initially put me off but the staff was fantastic, the atmosphere was good and the food was just amazing.

Pro Traveller, Packing Amateur

Ok, it is confession time. 

For a well-seasoned traveller, I really should have my packing skills down. I am used to living out of a suitcase for months on end, have had to pack up my life and move to another country multiple times and should really be able to pack like a pro. But that is just not the case.

I am always very impressed by my fellow travelers who can pack light. And quickly. 

I am never more of a stereotypical girl than when it comes to packing. I seem to become excessively indecisive and just want to get everything in there. Even things that, logically, I know I will never use. But then again, if I don’t pack that pair of wellies… You just know I will be stranded out somewhere remote in a thunder storm and be kicking myself for my lack of appropriate footwear. Even if I am only going on a summer holiday to Spain.

Much like the rest of the world, airline weight limits are the bane of my life. Having worked in travel, I know my weight restrictions like the back of my hand and as such have my favored airlines. But some routes have been monopolized by low budget airlines that charge you stunningly high amounts for the right to 15 kg of luggage. I always feel like I am living life a little on the edge when I rock up to the airport with a 15.1 kg bag. And outraged when the airlines’ scales and mine have a difference of 0.3kg or so, pushing my weight up to 15.4kg. Phew, they have let me off with no extra charge. 

So lists are my solution to packing these days. So far, I am not doing too badly and things are slightly less chaotic! But what are your top packing tips? Do you have a similar problem or are you a more skilled packer? 

Missing the Spanish Coast

Now don't get me wrong, I love NYC and I love the city. But some days I miss the sea and I miss the spanish coast. 

Looking through my photos I came across a few that sum up the mountains and unspoiled shores of San Sebastian. 

Only two more months until I'm back to the rugged Northern Spanish coastline- its lush valleys and mountainous interior!