My Favourite Dining Spots in New York

I went to New York with my sister for a week during the Summer to visit my cousin. One of my favourite things about New York is that everyone eats out. And that’s exactly what we did! There were so many options that we always managed to find somewhere that everyone was in the mood for. I put together a list of my favourite eat outs that I went to during my stay in the Big Apple.

Ellen’s Stardust Diner - 1650 Broadway

Are there any Musical Theatre fans out there? This diner will make it to the top of your list! This unique diner has very special staff serving you. Each waiter and waitress are dreaming of a life on a Broadway stage and they come to work at Ellen’s in the hopes of being discovered. In the middle of serving customers and clearing tables, they are singing and dancing on top of chairs! They take requests too! Well when I say that, I mean we wouldn’t leave until they sang Let It Go from Frozen haha! It is well worth a visit just for the experience. Located just off Times Square it's the perfect place to eat after a busy day of shopping and sightseeing. Ellen’s is always hopping so expect a queue before you get a table. I waited for half an hour for a table for 3, but believe me, the wait is worth it!

Brooklyn Bagel - 1 located on the High Line and 3 located in Astoria, Queens

You will never find a bagel in Ireland like a Brooklyn Bagel. When I first went in I was overwhelmed by the amount of spreads and fillings that were available. They have dozens of cream cheese flavours including vegetable, cinnamon, strawberry, blueberry and sundried tomato. Choose your hand rolled, water boiled bagel and choose your fillings then you’re good to go. Be adventurous and choose a filling you wouldn’t usually go for. I went for a wholemeal bagel with mozzarella, tomato and basil. Delish!

Kurant Wine Bar - 1091 2nd Avenue

Kurant Wine Bar is for when you want to dress up and have a nice glass of wine. I went on my last night in New York. It is more expensive than the other dining options on my list but it's not over priced. My cousin and sister shared a cheese plate. You are able to pick and choose which cheeses you want. I went for calamari nom nom! It is a nice quiet night out or a great place to start before moving on somewhere else. There are also booths with sheer curtains for that little bit of privacy… although not enough for the couple sitting in the booth next to us! 😷

The Dubliner Pub - 45 Stone Street

There’s one thing I always do when I go on a holiday and that’s eat in an Irish pub at least once. What can I say! I like having a taste of home when I’m away. The Dubliners my my pub of choice on this trip. After a day wandering the financial district and getting a great deal on Broadway tickets, my cousin brought us to Stone Street. Just a five minute walk from Wall Street, Stone Street is full of pubs and restaurants with tables spilling out onto the cobblestoned street. I definitely recommend sitting outside. Your table may be at a slight slant, but you can soak up the atmosphere! The menu has a mix of the usual American and Irish food you’d expect. The entire street is perfect just for sitting back with a drink and relaxing.

Pure Thai Cookhouse - 766 9th Avenue

I went to Pure Thai Cookhouse on my first night in New York and I absolutely loved it! Pure Thai is in Hell’s Kitchen, an area of New York known for its great restaurants. It was small and authentic with mouth watering family recipes to keep you coming back for more. The wine was served in a short tumbler glass which is a nice novelty and helped me beat the jetlag! I ordered the ginger curry with calamari. It was delicious!

Don Antonios - 309 West 50th Street

Don Antonio’s Pizzeria is another Hell’s Kitchen favourite of mine. I went here after a full day exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I was ravenous! Me and my sister are the definition of the word ‘hangry’ so we needed some food fast! Fortunately, the food was served quickly! What I loved about Don Antonio’s was that you could see the pizza being prepared and cooked because there was just a counter between the customers and the kitchen. I even got a wave from a chef who caught me looking at my pizzas progress haha! The food was amazing and it was obvious the ingredients were fresh and prepared that day.

The dining possibilities are endless in New York city! I ate in so many places and I don’t think I could choose a favourite! Do you have a favourite? I’ll definitely be returning to New York and I’d love some suggestions :) Hope this helped you if you’re looking for some inspiration :)

Talk soon!


Uiscebawn x

Island Hopping in Greece - My Experience

Island Hopping in Greece - My Experience

I had the most amazing Summer I’ve ever had this year and part of that Summer was spent island hopping in Greece for three weeks. We flew in Athens then headed off to Mykonos, Ios, Santorini and then finally Crete. It was the best time ever and a great bonding experience for me and my friends. Greece is paradise. There is no other way to describe it. Amazing weather, clear warm water and stunning architecture, I never wanted to leave! Here’s my experience. Hopefully it can inspire you to book your flights for your next lads or girls holiday :)

I have made a video of my time there so if you prefer watching rather than reading here is the link :)

Athens

My first experience of Greece was Athens. We arrived early in the morning and only spent one night there. So there wasn’t much time to see much of it. This could mean that my opinion of Greece’s capital city isn’t that credible. But I wasn’t too fond of Athens. Its was dirty, unbearably hot and the driving is insane! That doesn’t mean that the historical areas weren’t stunning. We saw the Acropolis and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Then we had a wander around the small shops and searched all of Athens for a pharmacy so my friend could buy sun cream with no parabens. Turned out there was one at the point where we started an hour ago… typical haha We stayed at Hotel Dioskouros. It had a couple of cockroaches but it was cheap and had a stunning back area with sun chairs, music and a couple of sleeping cats here and there.

Mykonos

View from our apartment. Mykonos town

Paradise Beach

View of the sunrise from our apartments balcony

Windmills in Mykonos

So that was basically our entire Athens experience. After one night we headed off to what I considered to be the actual beginning of our holiday. This was my first time getting a ferry and i had no idea what to expect. We got Blue Star Ferries and I don’t have much to compare them to but it was a very pleasant journey considering how jet lagged I was at the time and I suffer from travel sickness. Mykonos is by far one of the most beautiful areas I’ve ever seen. The streets, the buildings, the water, it’s just beautiful! We used Airbnb for accommodation. Oh My God, we lucked out on our apartment. it was in the very centre of town and had a balcony with the most spectacular views. Our host was as helpful as she could possibly be. Here is a link to the apartment if you are considering going to Mykonos you have to stay here!

Most of our days were spent at Paradise Beach, a beach resort with extremely comfortable beach beds and crystal clear waters. Watch out for the creepy nude man who walks up and down the beach… not the most pleasant sight haha Nights were spent either at a restaurant having a late dinner or at one of the clubs. We usually just wandered around cause the clubs are spread around the whole town. But Little Venice is where you go for all the clubs in one area. Mykonos is one of the more expensive islands for food and drink so keep that in mind if you head out to dinner.

Must see:

The Windmills

Paradise Beach

Captains

Ios

Caves in Ios

Caves in Ios

Happy Bar in Ios

Ios is where the nightlife really starts. If you want to party, go to Ios! This was by far my favourite island! It still had the beauty and small streets of Mykonos but it just had so much excitement and things to do. There were beach clubs and water sports and clubs and affordable food. If you’re looking for a cheap hangover meal, Thai Smile was our favourite place. Our first night, we went on the Ios bar crawl. This is the best thing you can do because it introduces you to the best areas to drink and you meet some great people. One of the highlights of the trip was the jet boat day trip where we swam to underwater caves and then hung out at a secluded beach. We finished the trip with jumping off the boat and snorkeling to a sunken ship. This was something to remember and I got some great videos that day.

Must see:

Slammer Bar

Far Out Beach Club

‘Meltemi Watersports’ Jet Boat Day Trip

Sweet Irish Dream Nightclub

Santorini

Mud Baths in Santorini

The Dark Knight Rises to cure our week long hangover

Sunset in Santorini

Sunset in Santorini

We purposely planned to go to Santorini after Ios so we could have some downtime after all the party. I’ll be honest, most of the four days we spent in Santorini, we watched movies on the only English channel on TV. No regrets though! We were all sick and tired after Ios and we needed it! We stayed in Markakis Studios in Fira. I wasn’t to fond of the location but the apartment was perfect! I would definitely recommend staying there. We went to Oia one evening to see the sunset and that is a must see! You don’t see colours like that in the sky in Ireland! As a day trip, my friends and I went on a boat trip from the Old Port that brought us to a hot springs and mud bath. This is so nice and relaxing but just be warned that you swim about 60 ft from the boat to these springs. After the boat goes to an active volcano and you climb up to the top. The views are amazing! One of the not-so-great-at-the-time but it’ll-be-a-great-story moments of the trip as climbing up the path that the donkeys climb. Believe me, this is not easy! In the midday sun, a half an hour climb feels like forever! Its a funny story to tell at least!

Must see:

Sunset in Oia

Hot Springs/Mud bath

Volcano hike

Crete

Foam Party in Star Beach, Crete

Parasailing in Crete

Our final stop in our trip was Crete. Finally rested, we arrived in the port in the evening. We wanted to get to our apartment before it got dark but that never happened. Crete is a lot more built up compared to the other islands so we got a bit lost looking for the bus station. Three hours later, very tired, sweaty and dehydrated, we made it to Sirius Apartments. Another stunning accommodation! Its very quiet and family run so we were a bit conscious about making noise when we were going out at night but we never had any problems. We stayed near Hersonissos rather than going to Malia cause that has a younger crowd. There is a strip in Hersonissos next to the waterfront and it has all your dining and nightlife needs! Everything was just a five minute walk away. My highlight of the trip was our last day at Star Beach. We went parasailing and banana boating, had a quick foam party and then got some henna tattoos. Was a nice day to end the trip.

Handy Tip: It may sound like there is an army of crickets coming to take over the world but it's just very loud bugs called Cicadas that come out during daylight. They’re annoying in the morning but you get used to them.

Must see:

Parasailing at Star Beach

Water front in Hersonissos
Aqua Plus Water Park

So that's the end of my Island Hopping trip to Greece. I can honestly say it was the best holiday ever and a great time for me and my friends. Hope this inspires others to go to Greece because everyone deserves to stay in paradise just once! Talk soon!

Uiscebawn x

My Summer 2015 Travel Plans

Hello! I mentioned previously that I had booked a quick holiday to Florence this June. Well I made a very spontaneous booking to America! So I decided to put together a plan of all the travels this Summer, mainly for me to get excited!!! :D

12th-14th June. Wedding in Athlone, Ireland

My cousin is getting married in June in Athlone and I cannot wait! This will be the first wedding I have been to since I was about 10 years old so I don't know what to expect. But one things for sure, my family is huge and when we get together we always have the best time!

24th-29th June. Piza, Italy

This is really my parents holiday and I just hopped on the band wagon. They're going for a couple of weeks with friends and when they offered if I wanted to come I couldn't say no! I genuinely don't know where exactly Im staying, all I know is we are going on a day trip to Florence and I have wanted to go to Florence ever since I was a teenager. They're will be so many photos taken of old buildings that nobody cares about haha.

7th-14th July. New York, USA

I'll only be back a week and then I'm off again! My sister and I are going to visit my cousin who lives in New York! I went to New York last year at the end of my Summer and I did not make the most of it :( I didn't go to any museums, I didn't see a Broadway show and I just didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. I'm going to make up for that this year because I know my sister will be just as enthusiastic as me.

15th-22nd July. Orlando, USA

Now if were enthusiastic in New York, we are going to be downright crazy in Orlando! My sister has never been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios and i haven't been there since they extended it to Islands of Adventure. We are Ultimate Harry Potter fans! I could spend he entire week in Harry Potter World! But of course were going to go to the rest of Universal Studios, Walt Disney World and shopping!!! Just need to find all that money I don't have... haha

23rd July-12th August. Island Hopping in Greece

Im cutting it very close with the timing of this holiday. I arrive back to Ireland from Orlando on the morning of the 22nd July. Then on the afternoon of the 23rd July I'm hopping on another flight with all my friends to Athens. Were having a girls holiday, island hopping in Greece. We haven't had a girls holiday since we were 18 so Im really looking forward to this one. Were going to Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Ios and Crete. I can't handle drinking more than two days in a row so well see how this holiday goes!

11th-14th September. Berlin, Germany

I have a little bit of time to chill at home before I head off on my final trip. In September Im going to Lollapalooza Music Festival in Berlin with a few friends. We're going a day early to see a bit of Berlin before we dance the weekend away. Fatboy Slim, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and Kygo are some of the acts I'm really excited for!

So there it is, one of the busiest Summers of my life. Ever since I graduated from college I feel like I should do everything I wanna do before its too late and I have to be a grown up. Thats why I'm spending every euro I have on travelling and music and clothes. Next year I can start paying bills! Is anyone else heading to Lollapalooza this year? You'll find me dancing like a lunatic in the corner. See ya there! Talk soon.

Uiscebawn x

My J1 experience in Chicago

I spent my Summer of 2014 living and working in Chicago. I stayed with some great friends, made amazing new ones and had the best time of my life. If you are in college at the moment and are on the fence about going on a J1, I could not recommend it enough! You grow so much as a person, gain independence and have an amazing time! This is my J1 experience. It starts off with one bad experience that I think everyone should be aware of and then I'll talk about the fun stuff. Hopefully it'll help anyone going to the US or Chicago :)

Accommodation

We had a slight problem with our accommodation before we got to Chicago. By slight problem, I mean hundreds of other Irish students and I were conned out of their money by Amir Attaie and his company 'J1 Summer Living.' We were all saved by the hero of J1 Students in Chicago, Daniel O'Donnell. He paid for our apartments and didn't expect anything from us in return. He really saved our Summer! 
Now I've gotten the bad stuff out of the way, heres the fun stuff. We stayed in 777 South State Street in the South Loop of Chicago. We couldn't have chosen a better location. We were one street over from Michigan Avenue and Grant Park. It took a twenty minute walk to get to the very centre of town and a train station was just outside our building. the apartment was fully furnished, with wifi, tv and cable, a sundeck, laundry room and a gym! If you have to funds to pay for accommodation in full before you go, I highly recommend 777. It also means one less stress during the Summer because you aren't worrying about saving for rent.

Work

I got my job through a company called Hop the Pond. They organise jobs, trips and accommodation for J1 students. They are a great, friendly company and Kev Egan, who started up Hop the Pond, went above and beyond to make mine and my friends Summer the best it could be! It wasn't necessary to get a job before I went but it was just another thing checked off the list so I could concentrate on having a great Summer. I worked as a server in Lizzie McNeill's Irish Pub. There were about 12 other Irish working there and they were all lovely! Thats us below having a group hug on our work night out. The wage is terrible in America but tips are amazing and they certainly are enough to keep you going for three months.

The Lizzies Crew

Lollapalooza

If you are going to Chicago in the Summer, GO TO LOLLAPALOOZA! Ireland do not do music festivals like America. It was in Grant Park, literally a five minute walk away from our apartment. We would go to an act and run back to grab lunch before another act. It had a brilliant lineup including Eminem, Kings of Leon, Lorde, Arctic Monkeys, Rudimental, Kodaline and Hozier. My favourite was tied between Duke Dumont and Kings of Leon. Duke Dumont because it was a couple of hours of dancing like no one was watching with the sun beaming down on us (and probably the perfect level of alcohol in me as well ) Kings of Leon were amazing! The talent they had playing live was unbelievable and they really knew how to put on a light show. Lollapalooza really was the highlight of the Summer. My friends and I loved it so much, as soon as we heard it was coming to Europe, we booked our flights to Berlin.

Nightlife

I don't know about other cities in America, but Chicago was prepared for the Irish. They had an Irish students night nearly every night of the week in different pubs and clubs. Some of them are terrible, but some we they best nights out of the Summer. Tuesday night was reserved for Joe's on Weed Street. $2 pitchers. Do I need to say more? My friends and I also took a liking to a blues club called Kingston Mines. It didn't have an Irish night but it was so different from the other clubs playing the chart songs. 

Being Tourists

Spending a whole Summer there, we got to feel like locals. But we still wanted to see every bit of Chicago that we could. If I listed everywhere we went in detail I would be typing for days so I'll try keep this brief. Firstly, we bought the CityPass. This was a booklet that got us entry to five of Chicago's attractions including Shedd Aquarium, Skydeck, the Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry and Adler Planetarium. You save over 50% so I would definitely recommend it. Lincoln Park Zoo is a must see as well. Its free entry and probably even bigger and better than Dublin Zoo. I even got a selfie with a Rhino standing no more than ten feet away from me. There are so many festivals, like Taste of Chicago, and attractions around every corner in Chicago, there is always something to do.

Me with my Rhino friend

To summarize, I had the best Summer of my life, I don't know anyone who didn't fall in love with the city of Chicago and anyone thinking of going on a J1 should consider Chicago. I luckily didn't get in any fights with my roommates, well one fight with the boyfriend at the time but that was bound to happen. But living with the six friends I went with made us grow closer and I don't regret a second of it! Talk soon!

Uiscebawn x

Bonus Photo!

If I could describe my Summer with one photo, it would be the one below. I've always loved this photo, as awful as I look. After work or a night out, we would get pizza, eat too much and literally pass out from a food coma on the couch. Shout out to Bebhinn who came home from work and found me on the couch like this!

New Internship and Some More Summer Plans

Hey! I'm back after a very tiring few weeks! I started my internship nearly three weeks ago and I overestimated how much free time I would have working two jobs, seven days a week. Now that I say that... How did I think I would have any free time!?
I am the social media intern in a travel agents. Some of my duties are researching and scheduling tweets and Facebook posts, Instagramming, blogging, writing content for their new website and helping out with the video production and post production. I have written the last three blogs on my own and are now on their website. Tweeting may sound easy but it takes up more time than you think it would! I am having an amazing time and I'm getting brilliant experience. I am learning so much already and it will look great on my Linked In profile which currently only has waitressing jobs on it. I'm completely worn out and spending so much money on hot chocolates everyday but its worth it.
I have also been thinking that I need to update my Linked In profile. I will be adding some college projects, videos I've done on a freelance basis and go into detail on my duties in this travel agents. 
In other news, I spontaneously bought flights to Florence for the end of June. My sister and I are gonna meet up with my parents for a few days while they're on holidays with family friends. In school, my art history teacher was very passionate about Florence, the birth place of the Renaissance. This passion passed on to me. (Shout out to Ms. Foster!) I am so excited to go!

Il Duomo di Firenze

This was just a short post since I finally had a few moments to spare and I needed to vent. I am thinking of writing about my Hot Yoga experience in my next post so keep an eye out for that! Hopefully it won't be another three weeks before I get to write again!

Uiscebawn x