Chapter Two

By the time I get to my hotel it is 6am and the streets were empty, the hotel is as amazing as I knew it was going to be. I walked up the red carpeted stairs the reception and was greeting by a receptionist who loved as though he'd stepped out of a 1950's film, dressed in a full suit and top hat he checked me in a escorted me to my seventeenth floor room. The room was big enough to fit a family of four, a massive living area with mahogany double doors leading to the bedroom, the bed was well out of this world, like three double beds pushed together, I'm going to get lost in there! There wasn't much of a view to the room, I was facing what seems like a office block above a row of shops. A quick change into some more warmer clothes I grabbed my room key and made my way out to see what New York had to offer. There was a little cafe across from my hotel so in true New York fashion I grabbed a coffee, by the time I got out of the cafe the streets were sprinkled with snow, I couldn't believe it, all the films I had watched based in New York were mostly based around Christmas with a backdrop of snow, it was exactly how I imagined it would be. The snow looked to be getting thick so I got my phone out and looked at where I could go. Grand Central station was a stones throw away from my hotel so I decided to head to Wall Street, heading into the station it was quiet to say the least, three people scattered across the amazing backdrop I had seen so many times on the internet and TV. I wasn't too sure what I was going to do in here, I mean I can hardly get to Manchester to London without getting on the wrong train or waiting for a train I had missed ten minutes before. I got my return tickets from the dispenser in the wall and headed to the colour line it stated on the instructions. I have never been on the London underground but I can imagine it is more modern than what I was standing in now, it was quite dark and full of metal railings and barriers, I was feeling anxious by this point, I didn't know where I was really going and the surroundings were daunting. I stood on the platform for ten minutes waiting for the train or tube I'm not really sure what they call them here to come. It was only 6.45am by this point and there wasn't too many people around apart from some guys who looked like they had slept here. Luckily a train come, it was modern looking which was a relief after standing on the station that looked like a ghost town, there was a sign to show what stop was next so I focused on that to make sure I didn't miss my stop and to avoid any eye contact with my fellow passengers.

I got off at Wall Street and followed some steps which brought me back out into the daylight, the snow was still coming down but not as heavy as before. I walked across the road to which there was a large church, the streets were getting busier now so I leaned in against the railings and read the information sign that came with the church whilst getting a map up on my phone to find out where I was heading to. Walking down Wall Street, I didn't really know what I was looking for or what sights I wanted to see there so and by time I knew it I was at the end of the street and hadn't stopped to look at anything. I followed the next street to get to the church I had started from, this street was paved with black bin liners on the pavement and not what I expected from the previous streets lined with offices. I got back to the church and decided to head towards Ground Zero, when I got there you could feel the energy drain from the city, it was quiet and still, wooden barriers separated the memorial from the streets that lined. 'Open at 9am' the sign read on the ticket booth, well I wasn't standing here for a hour in the snow so I decided I would only be upset by visiting the memorial so headed down the street not knowing where I was going until I seen a crowd full of tourists, that is most likely were I needed to be. As I walked through the crowd of tourists I noticed the giant brass looking bull that I recognised , people where taking pictures with the bull and some lying at its rear end taking pictures and looking in amazement at the huge set of balls it had dangling from between its legs, I laughed as I watched men and women grab on to them whilst posing for a picture after all not everyday you can cradle a bulls balls without being seriously injured by the bull itself. As I stood there a young loved up couple nodded to me and the guy reached out his hand for my phone to take a picture I laughed handing it over and insisted her took a picture of me with the front of the bull not its back end.

Although I was dressed in three pairs of leggings and a fur coat I was still freezing and wet through from the snow, luckily I had packed my waterproof boots of I can imagine my toes would l feel like they wasn't attached to my feet. I took shelter in Starbucks grabbing my second coffee of the day and sat under the heater to warm up and dry off. The cafe was full of what looked like people now heading to work. The couple who kindly took a picture with me and the bull came in and sat beside me they had got there three days ago and are going home tonight so they were finishing off their sight seeing with the ferry around the Statue Of Liberty, they said I could tag along with them on the condition I repaid the favour and took some pictures of them on the ferry. After getting our tickets and going through heavy security we boarded the ferry and headed to the top deck, I sat behind them using the guys head as a shelter from the bitter wind, as soon as we got in picture distance of the statue the weather took a turn for the worst, the snow flaked where battering us and the wind was forcing us to hold on the the plastic seats. We managed to get to out feet to take pictures at the side of the boat, you could hardly see your hand in front of your face so the pictures were basically them, the railings of the ferry and a white backdrop, you couldn't see a thing! After many attempts and getting a few shots with a slight green outline of her we called it a day and headed into the deck below to shelter from the weather, a group of tourists laughing at the state of us as we were soaking wet and I had mascara smudged across my face! The opportunity to get off the ferry and onto the islands was offered but I stayed on the ferry to keep out of the snow.

Getting off the ferry I wished my fellow soaking wet travellers a safe journey home, added them on Facebook and we departed ways, I haven't got a clue where I was going next so I decided to follow a group of tourists and see where they took me. I was around one hundred yards at the back of the tourists who were being guided by a official, I presumed they had paid for the tour so thought if I stayed far enough back they wouldn't clock on that I was tagging along for the ride for free. Battling against the snow was getting beyond a joke, I couldn't see anything and people who were out for their morning run would just appear from the snow clouds right in front of your face so I was forever apologising for merely walking down the street and getting in their way even though I didn't know I was in their way. The group came to a halt under a archway and after standing there clueless for ten minutes I realised that through the snow were the outlines to the Brooklyn Bridge, not that you could see more than ten feet into it I suppose I could tick it off my sightseeing list. A few of the group kept looking at me funny whilst I was listening to their tour guide talk through the history of the bridge, I was clearly a imposter as all the other group had printer high visibility jackets on and I had a bright leopard print fur coat, I casually wondered off pretending I received a phone call before I got called out on gatecrashing their tour. I wandered up a block of streets with my iPhone in hand trying to get back to somewhere remotely touristy, arriving on a main street I saw them famous golden arches again so thought I would go get some dinner, I had heard that McDonald's in America was completely different from what we had back home and boy where they right. Instead of dry tasteless burgers I was presented with a huge burger swimming in grease so much it was falling apart, it was amazing, just how you would expect a unhealthy fast food burger to be, I couldn't manage the family sized portion of fries they gave me after consuming the burger, and the drink was bigger than my head. Whilst I was there I planned out what I was going to next, no more tagging on boat trips with loved up couples or following groups of tourists, I needed a plan. DASH was around the corner from where I was and I really wanted to go see if I could spot a Kardashian whilst I was there and a few more shops on the way, the road I was on seemed to go straight up to were my hotel was, I wasn't sure how far I come on the tube but I thought I could catch a bus or something back whilst I was walking up if it got too far. Arriving at DASH I felt completely out of place, all the staff were done up looking like supermodels and there was me, still dripping from the snow, only thing left of my make up was smeared mascara and by this point my waterproof shoes had given in and I was technically walking around in two puddles. I felt like as I was there I had to buy something to prove I wasn't just a random walking in off the streets just wanting shelter so I picked up a logo printed t shirt and headed to the counter, handing over a whopping $75 dollars and heading on my way. I cant believe I spent that much money on a t shirt just because I felt awkward! I went to a couple more low end shops walking up, purchasing novelty key rings and souvenirs to take home with me, by time I knew it I was in what seemed like familiar scenes, as I looked up I could see the building that I recognised instantly, the Empire State Building, looking at my map I cant believe how far I had walked, in fact it didn't seem as far as I had actually done, slightly confused I reached in my bag and pulled out the ticket I had bought to go up the building at home, it was close to 3pm and the snow had settled so I thought I would get it out the way and ticked off my list.

The ushers had said that visibility was at sixty percent so not a great day if you wanted to see a lot whilst you was up there but I thought as I had gone in two lifts to get to this point I might as well carry on. Getting to the top the views were quite clear in my opinion I could see the Statue of Liberty in the distance I realised I had walked further than I first thought, walking around the platform I must of taken a hundred pictures of the grey building around me and awkwardly taking selfies of myself with the city in the background. I spent around a hour awkwardly joining in conversations about the distant buildings with other tourists, I don't think they minded but I did get a few strange looks when I first joined in their conversation. The snow had eased off but you could still see the snow topped buildings surrounding, grateful for the break in the snow it gave me chance to dry off and warm up.

By the time I had got to the bottom of the building, I suddenly felt my body weaken, apart from the nap on the plane, I had been awake for forty-eight hours and I started to feel it, I had walked for miles and I was knackered. Luckily my hotel wasn't too far away, just a couple of blocks so I decided to go back to the hotel for a bath to warm me up and a nap to recharge by body. Arriving back at the hotel I got back to my room and turned the bath on, I hadn't even unpacked my case, I grabbed my pyjamas from the top of the case and headed to the bathroom. The bath was a fancy whirlpool bath so I put the bubbles on and lied back, I spent around twenty minutes enjoying the warmth before I felt myself nodding off. Climbing into the massive bed I surrounded myself with the vast amount of pillows, set my alarm for ninety minutes time and before I knew it I was asleep.

Waking up at 7pm, I got ready and sorted out my hair and make up to make me look slightly presentable and not looking like a zombie which I felt like. My stomach had started to rumble, I couldn't go to a restaurant on my own so I needed to find a bar that served food so it didn't look too obvious I was on my own! Walking out my hotel the next block had a Irish bar, it didn't look too busy and the menu outside said it served burgers which although id had for dinner I needed stodgy food to get me through this cold weather. I could already tell I was going to need a serious diet by the time I get home! As I arrived in the bar a young guy asked if I was meeting anyone, awkward, I laughed it off and said I was on my own so hide me away somewhere so I don't look stupid. The young guy pointed to a booth and told me to sit down, we was struggling to understand each other due to our strong accents in a short polite conversation we put up when I sat down, I ordered a Budweiser (obviously being in New York it felt mandatory) and pretended to study the menu although I had already decided what I wanted by the menu outside. The guy came back with my beer and took my order, the bar was quiet only a few people in eating and no one sat at the bar, perfect location for a loner like me that promised not to step too far away from my hotel at night. As my burger arrived so did the crowds into the bar, the place was rammed full of people, what was a quiet little bar soon turned rowdy, and there was me stuck in a booth on my own looking like a complete idiot. Just as I finished my food in record style trying to escape the place the young waiter came over with another bottle of Budweiser, on the house he said, I looked up at him slightly confused and thanked him, great now I have to finish this before I can go.

As I managed to down the beer which wasn't easy due to how gassy it was I needed the toilet, my bladder wasn't going to hold until I got back to the hotel, as I paid the bill and stood up the toilet sign was at the other side of the bar, on the other side of around fifty people all drinking and dancing. I instantly looked out of place, all the women were dressed in cocktail dresses with their hair and make up done and there was me, jeans and a woolly jumper, hair scrapped back and bags under my eyes the size of Central Park. I took a deep breathe and stepped forward to take on the crowd, just as I inhaled I seen a face, a face a woman can only dream of, chiselled jaw line, dark well groomed hair and to top it off a white crisp looking shirt ( I love a white crisp shirt) he was out of this world, within that five seconds I lost concentration and the chewing gum I was chewing inhaled with the deep breath and hit the back of my throat. I instantly started choking on the gum, trying to hide the fact I was on the edge of death he looked at me, he looked at me as I was choking on gum, he looked at me as my eyes were filling up with water and I had my hands over my mouth hiding the fact I was choking! I practically ran past him and through the crowd taking out two girls dancing in my way, I couldn't even apologise, as soon as I reached the bathroom I bent over the sink and coughed the gum up. I tilted my head up and looked in the mirror were I seen a bright red face, watering eyes and dribble down my chin, I should have felt grateful I had survived but all I could think about was I had just choked in front of the most beautiful man I had ever clocked eyes on. After relieving my bladder and fixing my watering eyes, I stood at the door of the toilets scared of going back through the crowd, not only to face the two girls I had just pushed through but to walk past the most amazing looking creature I had ever seen, I was nervous to see him again, I felt stupid I hadn't even talked to the guy I didn't even know him he is a stranger why am I feeling like this? I couldn't hide in the toilets all night so I had to go, as I reached the two girls I apologised and said it was an emergency, they were very nice about it and even tried to get me to participate in a dance with them, I declined, last thing I wanted was to make more of a show of myself. Next it was this guy, this random guy, this good looking guy, as I walked towards him he looked straight in my eyes, I instantly looked at the floor avoiding any sort of interaction, as I got to him I could smell his delicious aftershave which sent shivers down my spine, I walked past and got to the door which I pushed with force to get me out of the place, unluckily for me I needed to pull the door instead of pushing it which resulted in me face planting the wooden door and dropped my bag on the floor. As my bag emptied on the floor I felt my stomach tighten and I felt sick, I could feel this guys eyes in the back of my head and I tried to gather my things whilst keeping my back to him. To my rescue the waiter that gave me a free beer appeared picked up my bag and things and opened the door for me, he must of seen the horror on my face as I literally ran out of the bar and he gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. As I got outside I was greeted by a blistering cold wind which I was grateful of due to burning up with embarrassment, I reached in to my bag and pulled out my pack of cigarettes and lighter fighting the wind to get one alight. As I had my head tucked in between two shutters of the shop next to the bar I heard 'I think you dropped this' without turning around I knew it was him, I could smell his aftershave, I turned around whilst looking at the floor, he held out my MAC lipstick that must of flew across the room in my crash with the door 'thank you' I blurted out grabbing the lipstick from his hand and stuffing it in my pocket hoping he would walk away, he didn't, his arm came up towards my face as he reached for my cigarette I had just taken a puff off, he took it out of my hand and took a puff on it before giving it me back, his hand touched my hand for a second but it felt like it was there for a minute, I could hardly breathe. 'How is the head?' he asked putting his fingers on my forehead where I could tell there was a visible bump showing, 'oh its fine well it hurts but fine' I tried to play it cool but the words come out of my mouth in a mixed up child like state. He laughed whilst stating I made quite an exit, horrified I laughed it off with him feeling like a complete idiot once again, why was this guy speaking to me? Why would a guy like this even look at me never mind talk to me? Maybe he is just being nice and feels sorry for me. I tried to avoid eye contact with him but he was staring me straight in the eyes and I soon felt myself locking eyes with him, does he realise how good looking he is? Does he realise what he is doing to me by looking at me like this? 'Thank you for returning my head.... I mean lipstick' great he probably thinks I'm a weirdo I cant even thank the guy without messing it up! 'Where are you staying? I pointed towards the next block were I could see the doorman to the hotel standing in the cold waiting for guests to arrive. 'Nice' I nodded to agree with him before stepping away from the shop doorway towards my hotel 'Brad, nice to meet you, I hope the head gets better soon' 'thanks and thanks again' I said walking away from him down to my hotel. In my head I was thinking oh my god and should I turn back at the same time, I waited until I got to the hotel doors and looked back, HE WAS STILL THERE LOOKING AT ME, the excitement nearly took hold of me but I calmly put my head up and waved him goodbye, he must have been freezing stood there in the cold wind. The doorman clearly read from my face I was in a gooey state of shock and lust for this guy, he smiled at me and asked how I was whilst I hid from view lighting up another cigarette as I hardly touched the last one. I chatted to the doorman, Paul for five minutes whilst smoking, he was telling me that even worse weather was due for tomorrow and make sure I kept warm tonight, I joked that the size of the bed and cover in my room would keep the entire city warm. I wished Paul goodnight and he said he would bring me a present tomorrow morning, a present I wondered what it could possible be, the hot bar guy in a big box with a ribbon? I could only dream.

As I got to my room I near enough collapsed on the bed, I was so tired and slightly dizzy from my accident that the bed felt magical, I stripped off not even bothering putting my pyjamas on and turned on the TV and turned off the lights, finding a complete season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians I lay in there thinking of Brad, I had a crush on a guy I had met for five minutes, how was that even possible, I imagined how pretty his girlfriend was, what he did for a job, what he was doing in the bar now. I laughed to myself how pathetic I must of sounded talking to him and how stupid I was thinking about a guy so much! I should be thinking of the places I have seen today, how amazing my first day in New York was but I could just think of Brad! I struggled to get to sleep, as tired as I was I must have gone past the state of sleeping, I watched TV until 2am then I finally fell to sleep.