Tag: New York

12 things I love about America

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things i love about america

Happy July 4th to all my readers across the pond. This post is dedicated to you.

Things I love about America

1. TV shows

You gave us Friends, Pretty Little Liars, The Walking Dead, The Big Bang Theory, Catfish, Sex and the City, The Simpsons – have I said enough?

2. Junk Food

I’m quite literally like a kid in a candy store (or sweet shop as we say in England). America has about 52864 flavours of M&Ms and Pop Tarts, we have about 3 of each and if we want anything else then we practically have to take out a bank load to afford them.

Ok, there might be a few exaggerations above, but still, you get my point.

M&M World Las Vegas
M&M World Las Vegas

3. The Celebrations

You guys go all out. Or at least thats what the movies lead us to believe. Halloween looks like so much fun with everyone dressed up and I’m a total sucker for the cosy Christmases and holiday spirit you guys bring.

4. Orlando

Disney, Universal, the amazing villas… the sheer excitement of it all. Orlando – you turned me into a theme park snob with your awesomeness! Plus we got engaged here, so it will always have a special place in my heart.

Castle at the Magic Kingdom

5. Las Vegas

Basically Orlando for adults. Vegas gave me the same kind of buzz too. Big, bold, brash – but I love it! We even have goals to renew our wedding vows there one day.

The giant slot machine at Ballys Las Vegas
Next to the giant slot machine at Ballys

6. Warner Bros Studio Tour Hollywood

I love, love, loved this place! I got to see the streets where they filmed Pretty Little Liars, tons of props from the Batman and Harry Potter movies, I saw the working set of The Big Bang Theory, got to hold an Oscar (they are heavy!) AND sit on THE Friends sofa in Central Perk!!!

You can sit on the Friends sofa at Warner Bros Studio Tour Hollywood

7. This

Marshmallow madness - no more picking cereal out of your marshmallows
Marshmallow madness – no more picking cereal out of your marshmallows

8. Breakfast cereal

Hell yeah Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms and Apple Jacks where I don’t have to pay £8 for a box!

Lucky Charms breakfast cereal
The breakfast of kings

9. Shopping

I did, like most people, indulge in a bit of shopping when I visited New York. But I’m telling you, you can get everything in America. Every nice thing I find on Pinterest is from the USA and when I was into jewellery making a few years ago, all the stuff I wanted came from the States. Which leads me to…

10. Hot Topic

I went there for the first time in Los Angeles and loved it, especially the Disney aisle. I bought myself a Cinderella inspired dress which I wore to a Christmas party. I got so many compliments on it. Which brings me on to…

Cinderella dress from Hot Topic

11. Disney

I grew up on a diet of Disney. I remember my parents taking me and my brother to the cinema to see The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King – I even had The Lion King soundtrack! Those movies are timeless.

Meeting Beauty and the Beast at Epcot
Somewhere between a beauty and a beast…

12. Pop culture

Movies, music, movies, music. In fact, this July 4th we’ll be having an American themed fancy dress day in my office and I’ve decided to go as one of the most famous American pop culture icons of all time – The King of Pop!

Happy 4th July y’all! Check out my USA Pinterest board

 

A view from the top: Empire State Building – New York, USA

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Continuing on from A view from the top: Sigiriya – Sri Lanka, I’ve decided to write a bit of a #throwbackthursday kind of post on perhaps one of the most famous landmarks in the world – The Empire State Building in New York City!

I had always wanted to visit NYC so jumped at the chance to go on a University trip which just happened to coincide with my 21st birthday. Of course, any trip to New York has to have the Empire State Building on it’s itinerary!

view-from-empire-state-building

Even if you’ve never been to New York, no doubt you will have seen either the inside, outside or view from the Empire State Building on television or in the movies or even in the video of the music collaboration between Jay-Z and Alicia Keys (bet you’ve got that song in your head now!)

Pros – You’re in NYC baby! Although my photos aren’t the greatest (it was before I had a decent camera and knew about megabytes, megapixels and stuff like that) with the wonder of modern technology and a good eye you will get some awesome shots from up here.

Cons – It’s not as romantic as the movies might lead you to believe (I am looking at you Sleepless in Seattle!) and it can get quite crowded up there.

Surprises – This may not be a surprise to everyone, but for me I found that when I was approaching the Empire State Building on foot, it was a lot smaller than I imagined. I know that sounds crazy but everything is tall in New York so the Empire State blended in more than I had expected (sorry!)

Verdict – You can’t go to New York without visiting the Empire State and if I ever get back to the Big Apple you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be going back up there – with a snazzier camera too!

inside-empire-state-building