After a long flight into the Big Apple, I needed a hot shower, something delicious to eat and, well… a warm bed. I was meeting my little sister who was currently on a three month secondment program stationed in Manhattan, so what better time to finally tick New York off my bucket list than now?
The flight was long. Too long. Eleven hours long to be exact.
But thankfully, it was a fairly empty flight which meant that I could stretch out and have some decent leg room.
We landed in the early hours of the morning to a reddening sky. The New York skyline is beautiful no matter what time of day you see it in.
After making my way in to central Manhattan, I met my little sister (Jins), gave her a huge hug and then let her get on her way to work. I needed a hot shower and a good few hours of sleep. Jins mentioned that she had made dinner reservations for us that night so I took the rest of the day to relax and just process that I had actually (finally) made it to New York City!
Two sisters in the Big Apple! What could go wrong?
The views were amazing all round. That’s the thing with New York though… it just oozes feels of this big city life that buzzes constantly. Even at 2 am you’ll hear cars honking on the streets below.
Just look at this view from the bedroom…
My sister had left little notes all round her apartment to welcome me home. It’s just a little something we do when either one of us is living abroad and then the other visits. I mean, if your sister doesn’t know what you need then who will? She marked out the cupboard of junk food and where the coffee was, because well, you know me.
And to celebrate the release of my new seven series science encyclopaedia, she got me a whole tray of mini cupcakes from Baked by Melissa. Yum!
I spent the day, unpacking, resting and relaxing (and eating flaming hot Cheetos).
Before I knew it, it was 7 pm and we were finally on our way for dinner! Off to get some…. um… ramen… in New York. Say what? Ramen? In New York City? I was totally confused. Why would we be going out for Ramen in the Big Apple? I thought we’d do some iconic NYC grub like pizza… but I was wrong.
Little did I know Ivan Ramen was one of New York’s most famous little restaurants and is undoubtedly known for serving some of the best ramen in the city.
The food was absolutely incredible. I had been to Japan before, so my expectations were quite high but Ivan Ramen in New York City was quite impressive!
We got a spot alongside the bar, which, like any other bar was a little cramped and crowded. It didn’t matter too much though because we were right in front of the kitchen so we got to see our food being made. The cute and fun manga designs of characters eating ramen all around was also great. The place itself is pretty small so if you plan on visiting be sure to make a reservation.
Read the full review on Ivan Ramen here.
For dinner, we went family style and ordered a range of starters off the menu.
Lots of sweet and crispy Japanese fried chicken…
And endless stuffed steamed pork buns…
Absolutely delicious! I couldn’t have asked for a more unusual and delicious dinner on my first night in New York City. I didn’t know it then, but we were definitely going to be back for more. Seems this was the start of all things unexpected in the glistening City of Lights!
Let the New York City adventures begin!
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