29/09 was my first proper touristy day in the big apple and the first stop was Central Park. Wowser, is that a big park. I thought it'd be some cute little garden as opposed to the mammoth piece of land that it turned out to be. Beautiful and big enough that I got lost in it. My first trail was towards Union Square and go down West Village. Lucky missglamorazzi had just uploaded her 50 Things I love about New York video which really helped me get some direction. My first pit stop was at The Chelsea Commons and the girl was right, that avocado toast was good. I walked towards Union Square (and even saw Jamie Oliver!) taking whichever road and loved just being a part of it. People are really right when they say that there is something happening in every corner in NY - I felt like every street was hiding a hole in a wall. Lower Manhattan definitely had this cool but warm sort of vibe where the people were so nice and the cultural side really shone through. My plan was to explore Soho/West Village by the evening and end up at The Blue Note but my curiosity made me want to pass that famous jazz club before heading further south. And what a bloody good decision it was. As I passed the Blue Note I decided to check who was playing that night. Smack my brain, it was Jamie Cullum. I don't know much about jazz, but I know Jamie Cullum! While I feared of losing time if I was to wait in line from then as I only had 3 days to explore the city, my good sense told me to stay. This is what I love about New York, those spontaneous moments when you get to experience something unexpected. JC had only announced the show a week prior, so I was extremely lucky to be around 7th in line. Tickets were only $50 (cheap to an Aussie!) and the day earlier I was given $50 extra when I received my change at Smorgsburg (didn't realise till after, really!) so the choice was made for me. And damn, great choice. Jamie Cullum was extremely charming on stage and was brilliant as expected. What I also loved was just hanging with the locals outside and chatting with an Aussie mother and daughter for an hour before the show. Perks of travelling alone. I also ended up passing by Shake Shack (and didn't get fries, what!) and catching the subway to get home by around 11pm by myself, something I was equal parts proud and relieved about. But after one day, my heart already felt full and in love with NYC.
(PS 'scuse my scattered photos, I really can't believe how scattered my shots were that day..)
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