Planning: New York

In April this year my boyfriend and I are visiting New York. I have been a few times before but he never has, so the holiday is going to be that mix of the sightseeing bits you have to do on your first trip, and the more relaxed things you can do when you've seen it all before. This will surprise nobody, but I have been planning planning planning pretty much since we booked it, and here is what I have so far...

Accommodation

One of my favourite hotels in the world is the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. They have a few hotels across the US (plus one in Shoreditch, London) including one in New York, and so it really was a no-brainer as to where we would stay. Luckily enough, the hotel is in a great location - Midtown - so we won't have to factor in loads of travel time to wherever we want to go just so I can stay there!

Museums

One of the reasons I wanted to go to New York this year is because of the upcoming Bjork exhibition at the MOMA, so this will be a definite must-visit when we get there. In addition to this, currently on the list are visits to the New York Transit Museum (boy's choice) and the Museum of Mathematics as it is a 5-minute walk from our hotel.

Sightseeing

So, as I said, I have visited NY a few times and have seen a lot of the sights already. This is my list for the things I really think a first-timer has to make time to do.

* Ground Zero

* Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Centre (hoping to do this at dusk)

* Central Park

* Brooklyn Bridge (will schedule in walking across it when we have a Brooklyn day)

* Times Square (at night, as this is when it is at its most spectacle-esque)

Eating

Current choices on the list are:

* Don Antonio

* Breslin (breakfast?)

* No. 7 Sub

* Tipsy Parson / Bareburger / Coppelia

* Breads Bakery

* Egg

* Agave

* Brennan & Carr

* SOMEWHERE SUPER LUSH FOR STEAK!

Other Stuff

It will be my birthday while we are there and we have booked tickets to the Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls Basketball game at the Barclays Centre. I'm still not 100% on what I want to do the rest of my birthday but I think maybe spending the day at the beach if the weather's up to it, so maybe a trip down to Coney Island? Something new since I last visited is the High Line so we're definitely going to do that and then there are a few bars I've been eyeing up but I think it's probably best to keep that open and see what we fancy while we're there. We're definitely going to spend some time in Williamsburg, and then I'm quite intrigued by the Brooklyn Night Bazaar.

Any must-dos I've missed off the list?

London Birthdays

I have had a few London-based birthdays over the years, and they usually go the same way - I start by having a mild anxiety attack on the journey in that I won't have a good time, or my favourites won't turn up, or the venue won't recognise my booking, or someone in the group will drink too much, or someone will cry, or I will cry, or etc etc etc... I don't think I've ever had a birthday where all of the above has happened during the same evening, but I can definitely say that all have taken place at one point or another! 

3 years ago: I had birthday drinks at one of the Belgo's and one of my party bought one of their 32-shot sticks. They did make it home, but they also vomited into a saucepan.

Last year: a boy I was seeing took me to the Savoy for lunch and then to the top of the Shard. All lovely, except my ex upset me that morning so I had one or two teary moments throughout the day!

Last year of uni: a couple of my friends arranged a surprise party for me, though told me about it beforehand and then only invited a handful of people. One of the most awkward events I've ever been to.

One year however, I had the perfect birthday in the perfect venue. I had decided that year that I did want to mark my birthday but to save it being a huge fuss I just picked one of my favourite bars in London, Bedford and Strand, booked a couple of tables and just told people to turn up at some point in the evening. Everyone I wanted to turn up did (and most of them on time), nobody drank too much, nobody cried, there was ample space and I had a lovely lovely time.

For me, birthdays are always a potential nightmare and it goes to show that sometimes the best nights are the ones you don't plan too hard for.

Weekending - Edinburgh

Edinburgh is one of my favourite cities. I have spent numerous weekends there - visiting friends, attending the festival, going to a wedding - and every time I visit I always think "next time I'm here, I definitely need to..." I visited for a 3-night stay recently, and here are my highlights...

* We stayed in the Nira Caledonia, which is one of my favourite hotels. The breakfast can be included in your stay and is totally worth the price.

* We had dinners at La Favorita and Wedgwood - the former being a more casual affair serving pizza and pasta, and the latter being perfect for a special occasion (i.e. my birthday!)

* We had lunch at The Grain Store, which has a £12.50 / £15 set-menu at lunchtimes. Absolute steal, especially for Southerners like me!

* We spent Saturday evening at Bond no. 9, which serves delicious and interesting cocktails as well as some cute options for bar snacks (we had haggis bon-bons, of course)

* A couple of times during the weekend we found ourselves in the middle of Princes Street, needing a wine-break away from noisy crowds. On both occasions we made our way to The Balmoral Bar at the Balmoral Hotel - a touch on the pricey side but the drinks are high-quality so you could definitely do worse on Princes Street.

* Even though the weather was a 'touch' on the rainy side, we sucked it up and trekked to the top of Arthur's Seat. Was a lovely way to while away a couple of Birthday hours!

* I've flown up to Edinburgh a few times, but this time it worked out cheaper and easier to get the train. We went up at a popular train time so upgraded to first class (only £20 extra I believe) but stuck with standard class on the way back and kept ourselves happy by bringing a train picnic with us (you can always improve a train journey with cheese and red wine, that is just a fact of life.)

Edinburgh is such a lovely city there is always something to occupy yourself with. Our trip was mainly eating, drinking, walking and exploring, and suited us down to the ground.