There are five boroughs within New York City and you’ll have heard of most, if not all. Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Staten Island.
The main tourist area is, of course, Manhattan but we wanted to at least venture out to another borough so we rolled a dice, not literally, and went to Brooklyn. We’re glad we did as that one day ended up being our most picturesque single day, probably in all of our time in the US.
10 days into our New York experience and we can understand why people claim it’s their ‘favourite city in the World’. In fact, at least four people reached out to me on my social media feed to wish us a good time and to specifically point out the aforementioned.
Despite how many people I know that have been here, not one has ever explained to me the origin of New York’s name. Specifically, that New York was named by the British to honor the Duke of York, the brother of England's King Charles II.
It was a pleasant five-hour bus journey from DC to NYC and we were dropped off right in the centre - or “midtown” as I now know it to be. I’m talking right next to Madison Square garden so we picked accommodation close by at reasonable rates.
We stayed in midtown Manhattan for the next couple of days and Vivian manages to get us a room with a view of the Empire State building for a good price. The rate doubles on the weekend - that’s how the American hospitality system works. It sucks, believe me.