busy in the big apple

When you visit your parents and they ask you if you'd like to visit New York with them, you jump at it (especially when you were already planning a trip there, that same weekend - but shhh!).

I last visited the Big Apple in November 2007, safe to say it's got a whole lot more expensive and a whole lot busier since then.  

Either way, the trip yielded an abundance of new purchases and I was able to pick up a few random facts and tips in the process: 

Avoid waits at immigration

Fly from Dublin airport. I cannot tell you how much grief I gave my parents when they told me it was a connecting flight, but boy! that was a waste of energy.

Forget the two-hour wait in immigration on the other side of the pond. We went through border control at Dublin in under 20 minutes (they second guards out from the US in two-year slots, so the experience is just as authentic). Super simple, generally more cost effective and burns time. 

Century 21 is worth the rummage

I am the ultimate bargain hunter, I mean, ultimate. Think £900 bags for £50 bargain hunter (lots of sample sales). So when I say Century 21 is worth the rummage, it's definitely worth the rummage.

Miu Miu sunglasses: $80; Stella McCartney sunglasses: $50; Kate Spade bag: $100; and Calvin Klein underwear so cheap (3 pairs for $20) I would judge any New Yorker for not wearing it.

Fifth Avenue shopping was a bit too stressful for me - think Oxford Street on crack - so a quick visit to Century 21 ensured I still came home with a trophy (or 10) and managed to avoid raising that ugly stress-vein in the middle of my forehead.

Do not stay north of 39th Street

It's SO BUSY. My parents may have been right about the stop in Dublin, but they were not right in booking the Sheraton (not my choice: don't judge) on 53rd Street. 

Maybe it's just because I prefer the quiet life, but Downtown New York is so superior. I would recommend the Meatpacking District or SoHo - you can still do the tourist stuff from there, but instead of battling through packs of frantic tourists, you battle the temptation of not eating at all the amazing restaurants, quaint cafes and fancy shops.