So it turns out I was needed at work back in London earlier than originally thought and suddenly I found myself with only three weeks left in New York, instead of the seven I thought I had. This only meant one thing – it was now or never when it came to doing all those things I had been meaning to do but not got around to!

First up, getting a cwoffee and a doughnut from a street cart in the iconic “We are happy to serve you” cups. This was my breakfast one morning on the train to work – I definitely had a sugar crash two hours later but no regrets for starting my day with icing and sprinkles!

I also wanted to swim in the Atlantic from this side so that meant a trip to the beach was on the cards. Dara, Emily and I decided not to drive and instead hopped on a ferry to the Sandy Hook beach on the Jersey Shore (not the part from the reality TV show!) We got some amazing views pulling away from New York!

 And when we arrived, I got to ride on a school bus as a shuttle to the beach – very exciting! There was even someone kicking the back of my seat to add to the authenticity!

The beach was lovely and calm, without too much in the way of amenities so you definitely want to take a picnic but you also benefit from uninterrupted views of the water with picture-perfect blue skies and water.

I had a dip (or three) in the sea…. I still hold by the philosophy that swimming in the sea is good for the soul and should be done at least once per year.

And all too soon it was time to call it a day and get on the ferry home – the ride was equally beautiful as the sun silhouetted the Statue of Liberty – all we were missing were some dolphins leaping in the wake! However, the wind did turn my already-salty hair into a knotted mess – the first time I’ve had to do shampoo, rinse, repeat, condition, then brush when I got home!

And then we rounded off the day by selflessly offering to help Dara check out after-party venues for her wedding by watching the sunset at Pier A and then digging into some lobster – what a hard life we lead!

“Watching the sunset”

I’m also stocking up on all the things which are cheaper here than in the UK before I leave, including new running shoes which necessitated a run round the reservoir to test them out – it looks cloudy here but it was a balmy 30 degrees at 7pm… I made lots of new running friends as we all kept spurring each other on to keep going in the heat!

The lobster boat has now got a level of notoriety amongst my friends (maybe I’ve talked about it a bit too much) and Keryn and Cynthia were both keen to give it a try so I happily accompanied them one sunny Sunday!

Cynthia and I always struggle to keep the b(u)oys away when we’re together…

Believe it or not, the photo below is just taken using Cynthia’s incredibly long arms – who needs a selfie stick?!

We kept the ice cold drinks coming and filled up on shrimp and lobster tacos – not a bad way to pass an afternoon while taking a sail on the Hudson!

I think there’ll be one or two more posts to cover this week’s adventures and my final days here and then I will be back in London. My time here in New York will always be a part of me and I hope I can stay in touch with the friends I’ve made here!