Flashback: December in NYC

So as part of this blog I'll be posting entries about places I've been on previous trips intermittently; they'll be called Flashback entries, much like this one. Today I found myself browsing through my USA trip folders and thought it was time to post about it on my travel blog. Appropriate right? New York City was such a beautiful and positively bustling city, providing an experience difficult to convey in words.

From the designer labels of Fifth Avenue and the bright luminosity of Times Square, to the hidden corners of Central Park and prestige of Broadway's theatres, New York has so much to offer and an array of sights not to be missed by any traveller.

After tiring my poor feet traipsing through shop after shop on Fifth Avenue, (visiting in December had the advantage of seeing all the stores dressed in their Christmas attire, especially Cartier!) I forced myself to soldier on and explore further. New York really does have some great pizza, fulfilling it's reputation and said pizza is available pretty much every two metres.

Deciding that leaving the city where dreams are made without having attended a Broadway show was completely out of the question, I spent about an hour lining up at the TKTS booth in Times Square for heavily discounted tickets. This was well worth the wait, emerging with a ticket to West Side Story for only around $65, when they usually cost around $120! The only catch to this bargain is that you have to queue on the day of the show you're attending, and they can't be bought in advance. However, the price is far too tempting to pass up!

The bitter cold did little to dampen my spirits as I battled to see all the sights in my relatively short 4 day time frame. Next up was the Statue of Liberty. Boarding the boat to Liberty's Ellis Island, the Manhattan skyline was breathtaking, and as I stepped off the boat and approached the Statue, I was actually surprised at the smaller-than-expected size!

Climbing the Empire State Building is an experience not to be missed, although zooming upwards in a lift hardly counts as 'climbing' (I wasn't complaining!) The sweeping 360 degree views from the summit are jaw-dropping and it's really a case of personal preference when it comes to choosing between going during the daytime or nighttime. I happened to choose a night time slot purely because my tight schedule didn't allow otherwise. However, I can highly recommend mounting the building at night! An unforgettable sight.

Navigating the city was a piece of cake, purchasing my metro card and hopping on the Subway to take me where I needed to go. 

The USA in general is much cheaper than Australia and Europe, so I had field day with the lower prices! Although New York tends to be slightly more expensive than other North American cities, because, well, it's New York.

New York is a place of dreams, landmarks, glamour and masses of people, although if you look hard enough, every city has the hidden gems that typical tourists miss. That's the essence of being a traveller rather than a tourist; not just seeing a city, but living, breathing and experiencing it.

It was inexplicably difficult to choose just a few photos for this entry but I finally did it! Here's a few shots:

Sunny days and Jaffa Cakes

London so far has been wonderful. The unseasonably fabulous weather has put a spring in everyone's step (despite the sweaty, cramped mess that is the tube system in warm weather), and made seeing London and getting out and about a much more enjoyable experience. Job-hunting has been going fairly well so far, had a few interviews so we'll see where they take me... 

This city is one of my favourites. It strangely reminds me immensely of Sydney; I just get that homely vibe. There's so much to see in London and having visited most of the traditional tourist sites previous times, my spare moments are spent exploring new areas and paths less-travelled by the everyday tourist. Camden markets were amazing; such a large variety of stalls and items, with a wonderful international food section, with stalls selling every meal from Spanish tapas and Brazilian barbecue, to Chinese stir fries and Dutch desserts. It was difficult process deciding what to have for lunch!

Although a well-known tourist area in London, you simply can't pass up shopping on Oxford Street. Every big brand can be found on this one long strip of road, accompanied by many more along Regent Street. I also absolutely love Hamley's toy store on Regent Street, the oldest toy store in England, I believe. It even sells the traditional, wind-up wooden toys as it would have back in it's early days! 

And, of course, no trip to London would be complete without a visit to the brilliant Milkshake City on Woodhouse Road in Finchley. Able to create any combination of milkshake flavours under the sun, it's definitely worth the wait. 

Anyway, here's a few pictures from London so far:

Parisienne

So my original destination on my quest for an overseas adventure was Paris. 

Planning to work and live there somehow, I basically barreled into the country and started looking for work. Having been to Paris a few times before, it wasn't a completely new city to me, although trying to see it from the perspective of a resident rather than a tourist was a bit of a challenge at the beginning.

 Staying in a hostel, I began distributing my French CV's to hotels and anywhere else I thought I would be capable of working. Although my French is good, I didn't think it would quite up to the standard of working in a customer service/retail environment.

 But alas, after roughly three weeks of interviews that led nowhere and constant stress, I began to lose hope. Having had London in the back of my mind as a backup for some time, I decided to apply online for some jobs over there just in case. It was then I received a request for an interview. HALLELUJAH. 

Drinking in my last few days in the French capital, I caught a (horribly early) flight to London. But I felt my time in Paris had been so significant it definitely deserved a blog post, as I met so many wonderful people and had many fun (and questionable) experiences. Here's a few snaps from my time as a Parisian:

Bienvenue!

Hi everyone! 

Tilda here, but you can call me Tilly. Lately, I've been on a bit of a wander... far beyond the city I call home. Having turned 19 a week ago, many called me crazy when I announced I was leaving to test my chances at living on the other side of the earth. Alone, too. 

Throughout the last month of being away from home, I felt as though my experience was slipping from me, with no-one to share the memories with. I decided a blog was in order, and this, my friends is what your obedient little computer mouse has led you to today. I will be posting entries as often as possible (knowing my ability to commit to anything, probably irregularly. Fair warning) and perhaps the odd accompanying photo to guide your imagination. I may also post entries and photos from previous trips, as a sort of memory preservation technique... and an opportunity to reminisce. 

So, if you're reading this, thank you for getting this far, and I hope to see you again in a later post.

Love, peace and Reece's pieces,

Tilly.