New York after a Red Eye 👁️

We arrived in New York completely wrecked.! That is the first and last time I’ll do an overnight flight. I didn’t sleep a wink.

We caught the AirTrain to Jamaica, then the Long Island Rail Road into Penn Station, (thanks YouTube; you came through for me again with your tips) followed by a ten-minute walk to our hotel where we could only drop our bags. This 4pm check-in seems a very strange and mostly inconvenient American tradition. It feels far too late when you’ve just stepped off a long-haul flight.

So we took ourselves off to Central Park. We found a cute little French bakery on the corner of the park and then headed inside for some much-needed serenity and sustenance.

We wandered to the “Imagine” mosaic at Strawberry Fields where a busker was singing John Lennon songs. We sat quietly and reflected for a while. It was incredibly relaxing. And, sleep inducing.

We were both running on empty, so Central Park was just the tonic. Like Baby Bears’ porridge; not too heavy, not too light… just right.

At one point we simply lay on the grass looking up at the sky, hearing only the muffled hum of Manhattan traffic in the distance, broken occasionally by birdsong and squirrels rustling through the brush. For a city of more than eight million people, it felt surprisingly peaceful.

I reluctantly climbed Belvedere Castle — despite the grand name, it was built purely as a lookout point and “Belvedere” literally means “beautiful view.” The climb was rewarded with sweeping views across the park and the city skyline beyond.

We wandered back down Fifth Avenue and passed all the big-name luxury stores. Ironically, many of them — Tiffany & Co, Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton — were wrapped in scaffolding and renovation hoardings, making some of the world’s most expensive shopping streets look a little unfinished.

With our eyes almost hanging out of our heads, we finally made it back for check-in at our very average accommodation.

Perhaps it’s just the exhaustion talking, but the accommodation is disappointing. I booked The Leo House, a guest house dating back to the late 1800s, and at the moment it feels like some of the amenities date from that era too. Given that accommodation in New York is the most expensive I’ve encountered anywhere in the world, I settled for this place on value alone. Right now I’d rate it somewhere between average and a dump — but perhaps a good night’s sleep will improve both the room and my opinion of it. Tomorrow will tell.

In fairness, (and, to try an put a positive spin here) New York accommodation prices are enough to make your eyes water. The Leo House was one of the few places that offered a private room in a good location without requiring a second mortgage. It may not win any awards for luxury, but sometimes practicality has to triumph over pampering. Fingers crossed 🤞Read more