Five Days in the Big Apple - Day Five
Trip Start
Aug 30, 2008
1
5
Trip End
Sep 03, 2008
New York, New York
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Day Five
Wed Sept 3rd
My last day in New York began with getting woken up by the hotel's neighbouring resident blasting a golden oldies radio station from their window at full blast - but there are worse ways to be woken up than to hear 'Cupid, draw back your bow' being sung loudly at 8am, so I didn't mind too much, and chilled out in my room packing my suitcase to the sound of the 60s tunes.
I left my suitcase with the hotel's reception and headed out into the sunshine to enjoy my last few hours in the city. I wandered around East Village, just as I had on my first day in the city, this time knowing my way around much better and feeling like a real native. If I ever move to NYC (one day!) I'd like to live in East Village, as I'd fallen in love with the chilled vibe and the charm of the neighbourhood.
I had breakfast in a cafe in Alphabet City, choosing Californian Omelette from the menu in anticipation of my new American adventure in November... LA here I come! After eating, I explored a few shops, sat in the park to do some writing in the sunshine, then made my way back to the hotel to collect my bag.
I felt sad as I made my way underground to the subway, wishing I could stay longer in New York. I'd loved every minute of my visit and hoped I would be able to return again sometime in the near future. The journey to JFK involved two changes in Brooklyn/Queens before finally arriving at the airport with plenty of time before my flight. I purchaced a salad from a moody cafe attendant who seemed to shout at every customer, clearly a case of bad PMT I'm sure, then sat and chilled in the departures area until it was time to go.
My flight took off around 6.30pm, but back home it was already almost midnight. I tried to sleep on the flight, but couldn't get comfortable enough. Eventually, it was early morning and time to decend into London to land at Heathrow. I was feeling tired and sad to have left New York, but as the plane took a turn and circled London, I got an amazing view of the slightly grey and drizzly but wonderfully familiar city that I know and love so well - from the Millennium Dome to the London Eye, seeing all my favourite places made me glad to be back home... until my next trip. Next stop, Los Angeles... watch this space!
