Arguably the best day of the holiday, although every day was pretty special to be honest…

We started by visiting the Empire State Building, in all its Art Deco splendour. It was a little hazy first thing, but the views were still stunning. Not a lot else to say really, and hopefully the photos below speak for themselves.

By this time we were feeling hungry, so it was time for a Foods of New York tour in Greenwich Village. In a word, wow! Greenwich Village is wonderful, packed with amazing architecture, delis and restaurants, and we all decided that we’d love to live there (I’m plotting a bank job even as you read this, he says, half-seriously). Our tour guide Barri was amazing (hi Barri!) and she imparted a wealth of knowledge regarding the architecture and history of Greenwich Village (you may notice the exterior of the Friends apartment in the photos below, even though the actual series was shot in LA), as well as showing us some of the best places to eat.

The food, as you’ve probably guessed by now, was superb. We munched on pizza at Joe’s (a favourite of Leonardo Di Caprio apparently, and Bea was especially keen to hang around here in case he popped in…), devoured the most delicious meatballs at Trattoria (which we were to revisit the following day), and consumed mouthwatering cookies in Milk and Cookies.

Our hungers sated, we decided it was time for a cheeky tipple. I’d been doing some research regarding the best hidden bars in New York, and discovered The Garratt was just around the corner from where we were in Greenwich Village. From the street you’d never know it was there, as it’s located above Five Guys fast food outlet. Once you enter and ascend the stairs it’s like being transported into another world; liquor bottles from pillar to post, artwork by local NYC artists adorning the walls and copper ceilings above. Even the sixties music was vibrantly cool, although I was disappointed that The Doors were included in the playlist (which triggered an entertaining conversation / rant about how I…erm…prefer other bands compared to The Doors. God I hate The Doors. Sorry).

Next stop - Grand Central again, and more specifically The Campbell Parlor and The Campbell Apartment. If you're looking for an effortlessly elegant and stylish place to drink cocktails, this is it. I did take a couple of photos while we were there, but they didn’t come out too well unfortunately. I’d like to blame the subdued and atmospheric lighting conditions (it was dark), but it was probably due to the three Roaring Twenties cocktails I consumed (I was drunk).

After we’d sampled these delicious cocktails it was time to revisit the Empire State, as the sun had now set and the city had come alive in an electric neon glow. If the views before were great, by now they were absolutely jaw dropping - lights as far as the eye can see, and it even started snowing while we were up there which was a lovely (cold) surprise.

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