New York, New York, so good they named it twice

A brief introduction to our trip to the big apple before I start on the galleries!

I hardly even had time to get excited for going - my review was the very last one on Tuesday morning followed by the housekeeping lecture. Only got home at 5 to start madly packing for the 4.00 start.

The flight over was pretty smooth (curry for breakfast and lettuce sandwiches didn't go down very well, but there was no turbulance). The last time I went on a long haul flight was when I was 15 so either I've grown or planes have got smaller. I'm glad I'm not a boy there was barely enough room for me!

When we arrived I realised we were staying in the same hostel that I stayed in last time I went. Not the greatest (bunk beds on wheels is never genius) but the location was perfect, right next to central park and ten minutes walk from Times Square.

It didn't feel much like a holiday I have to admit - we got up early everyday and literally didn't stop our feet hated us, but it was worth it. I only did two things the same this time as I did on my last trip and I still didn't do everything I wanted to do! The city was just as magical and impressive the second time round.

The highlight of the trip for me was central park in all its autumn glory. We went there three times and it was just so beautiful. The oranges and browns were so vibrant, when your tucked away beneath the trees you can hardly even imagine that New York city is just meters away from you. The other highlight was walking over Brooklyn bridge at night back to the city (which we almost didn't do and I'm so glad we did). The view was great and the lights make it like a completely different world.

Apart from that we did so much - 5th avenue, Times Square, Macy's, Tiffany's, Rockerfeller centre, Brooklyn vintage shops, Ground Zero, Broadway (Mamma Mia), Chealsea, Chinatown, Staten Island, Statue of Liberty, Empire State, Central station, New York Library, Sushi, deli's, pizza and prezels, cheesecake, the subway and loads of art galleries!

We couldn't have asked for better weather - the first few days were freezing but the sun was bright and the sky was blue with white fluffy clouds. Didn't get a drop of rain the whole time we were there, and on the Sunday and Monday it was so hot we had just t-shirts on!

It was a horrible step back into reality when we got of the plane to drizzle and rush hour traffic on Tuesday morning, but it was worth it.