New York. A concrete jungle that can be hard to navigate. This I can assure you though, it is where dreams are made of. From Times Square, Manhattan, Brooklyn and everywhere in between; New York will leave your eyes glistening with joy.

Day one I went across all over the city, setting my eyes on all the places that I had only seen in movies. One of the first things you'll discover is that there is a Starbucks literally every 200m. Another thing about Starbucks (and I don't know how this is possible) is that they're all full! And yes the rumours are true... the coffee is shit. My first day was a day of discovery. I walked around, caught the subway and gaged my internal compass so I knew what I was doing and where I needed to go in days to come. This day was a very special day for me. Something that I had been wanting to do since I was 15 and I literally bought tickets to about seven months before jet setting halfway across the world. It was tickets to see the NY Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Before arriving at the world famous venue, I pushed my way through thousands of tourists to get to Times Square.


You know that quintessential shot from movies where this small town girl moves to New York and she sees Times Square for the first time. She's looking up at everything around her, spinning and taking everything in. That is literally what it's like. Everything slows down as you absorb the atmosphere around you and you take a mental picture that'll last a lifetime. With plans to return the next day, I made my way to Madison Square Garden. I sit out the front on the stairs waiting for my friend to arrive at what I only hope will live up to all my expectations.


5. Buy Sporting tickets MONTHS in advance. Tickets to the NBA and the NHL can be in high demand, especially if you're going near finals time. Don't risk it and purchase them from official websites online.

What was my takeaway from NYC you ask? It's a location that is much more than the Empire State Building and the home of NBC today. Its a place filled with history, diversity and smiles that can't be missed.