Being out in New York for the first time reminds me of the first time I went to Universal Studios. Landing with excitement of a kid in line for the ET ride, I saw the Manhattan skyline in the distance, a scene that greets a great many visitors.

An impressive and familiar sight, something that NYC felt to me the whole time. Every corner you weaved, every street you crossed brought a sense deja vu. I guess our elicit diet of American culture has driven the city so deep into our psyche that we can not fail to have preconceptions of the USA and especially that of New York.

I went to the city with the preconceptions of a large, unadulterated and in your face city living. What I found was not the cultural diversity I would have expected, nor an overwhelming city that I would not be able to bear! Instead I found it much like London, with its city/town feel. Where each district had it’s own style, with architecture that could rival cities such as Paris. This surprised me immensely and in turn warmed me to the city instantly.

Hitting the trendy meat packer district and then later jimmy’s bar (not so trendy but a real American bar), I tasted the delights of New York drinking. A night out on the town here felt more like nights I spent in Berlin, with copious amounts of alcohol welcoming the dawn of a new day. I guess the only real shock in these bars were that barmen didn’t use measures for shots. Long drinks were more of a spirit diluted only slightly by the mixer, this was reflected in the price tag!? not often am I shocked by buying rounds, here it blew my mind.

Everyone who ends up in New York will almost certainly go shopping. I was no exception and splashed the cash around to bring the wardrobe up to scratch. The funny and slightly depressing thing is that I shopped in the same shops I would here in London. Nothing was really that different, nothing that I bought did I find to be special and a one off piece that I could only get in NYC. Western (global) fashion has over the years been nicely harmonized by the industries that seek to sell it, my feeling is that the consumer (each country’s identity) is ultimately the loser, even if this way ensures cheaper clothes for all. At least in New York, clothes were cheaper, so I bought more and more upmarket than usual. Unlike some I travelled with, I didn’t go too insane and spend a fortune on shiny trainers and bling’d sunglasses.

Sightseeing, I done enough to get a taste of a city I most definitely want to head back to. Now I’ve seen what the fuss is about, I’d love to take a week, nope scratch that, a year to explore its lesser known corners and underground scene and see the city as a inhabitant and not a tourist.