Georgina Does

48 Hours in New YorK

Wednesday, 5 March 2025

New York in the winter is something special. I’m sure that’s the best way to see it; scarves blowing in the wind, steam rising from sewer grates and bright sunshine breaking through the gaps between skyscrapers. It’s a classic NYC image.

I was there for a few days earlier this month and it was bitterly cold. But that’s all part of the experience. Having packed three coats, there was no way I was going to let a little -9 degree temperature ruin my fun.

Here’s how we spent our time:

Walking the High Line

One of my favourite things we did was The High Line, an elevated urban walkway built on a former railway line. What an amazing idea! I thought it was super unique and a great way to see the city. I feel like there was a lot of life to be seen up there.

Skyline Views at The Edge

We stumbled upon The Edge after wandering off in search of banana pudding & were able to find discounted tickets online. Up on the 100th floor, we took in the iconic New York skyline from an outdoor viewing platform. It was freezing on the ground level but in the streaming sunlight, it was very warm and peaceful at the top.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t realise just how beautiful the New York skyline was until I was up there but from this point on, I was in awe of every tall building we walked past.

P.S If you don't like the idea of paying just to see the view, we also had a great skyline view from the bar at the top of The Ritz which cost us much less.

Endless Wandering

More than anything, we walked, and that was really all I wanted to do. We spent hours exploring the streets, marvelling at the towering buildings around us and poking our heads into every cafe, bagel shop and dessert parlour we walked past.

Central Park

Just as pretty and instantly recognisable as it is in the films.

Times Square

Dazzling.

The Guggenheim

Not really my thing, but Dan wanted to go, so of course, we did. Culture. Tick.

Citi Bikes

We took the Hudson river cycle path, along the river, down to the to the financial district and Battery Park. Highly recommend, it was a really lovely and easy to cycle route.

9/11 Memorial

Seeing where the Twin Towers once stood was a powerful moment. Sobering, but I’m really glad we went.

Lumon Industries

We are both big fans of Severance and after a little research, discovered that the building they used as Lumon Industries HQ was a couple hours drive outside of NYC. So of course we made the journey to NJ to go and have a look. Turns out its actually a big shopping centre in real life.

Food

Oh, we ate, but that is my #1 favourite thing to talk about so a little section here wont do it justice - there’s a whole other post to come for that!

I didn’t have many expectations for New York, but I’m leaving in awe of its towering skyscrapers, impressed by its high energy buzz, and feeling incredibly grateful to have finally experienced it for myself.

Thursday, 23 January 2025

Less that a year old, Cunard’s Queen Anne has just set off on its maiden world voyage. This was big news in cruise world and only a few days earlier, I was aboard, with my family, for its previous journey to Hamburg and back.

The Queen Anne is one of 10+ ships I’ve been on and even as Cunard’s second largest, it still felt very intimate - carrying only to 2,996 passengers. So, whilst there isn’t a huge amount to do, it was surprisingly easy to keep myself busy.

Here’s what a typical day on board looked like.

We are a family of early risers, so breakfast at 8:30 would typically be the plan. I was sharing a room with my brothers and they often stayed in bed until the last minute which meant I had undisturbed access to the bathroom; a surprisingly spacious one for a cruise cabin. The shower was huge.

We chose to eat breakfast at the restaurant rather than the buffet which meant heading down to to Deck 3 for a more formal dining experience with white tablecloths and waiter service.

Breakfast, like every other meal on board was a multiple course occasion. We all started with the smoked salmon, it’s a die hard Goodman favourite, and it was delicious - served with cream cheese, a slice of lemon & some zingy capers.

I liked to keep breakfast light as I knew how much eating the rest of the day involved. My brothers and dad, however, went all in and ordered second and third courses.

After breakfast, it was time to disembark - we’d arrived in Hamburg today. Getting on and off the ship was as simple as scanning the room card at the exit and stepping off the boat. A shuttle bus then picked us up from the terminal and dropped us in the middle of the city. It was a minimal hard work situation.

Germany in January was cold so we didn’t get a lot done. We wandered around the shops for a while, but after failing to find a cute café to enjoy some German treats, we decided it was just too cold and headed back to the ship for lunch.

I’d planned on having a light lunch, as I was determined not to miss afternoon tea again. However, that plan quickly went out the window when I joined my family at the buffet on Deck 9. I ate a plate of roast pork with mash and vegetables and then a bowl of ice cream. Despite my love for food, I found the constant availability overwhelming, and by this point, I was eating more out of habit than hunger - an aspect of cruising I didn’t enjoy this time.

After lunch, it will come as no surprise that we headed straight down to the tea room - a couple of hours early - to secure a good spot before the next round of eating began.

Afternoon tea was delicious, and this was one meal I truly enjoyed - not just for the food but for the theatre of it all. White gloved waiters served finger sandwiches and miniature desserts from silver platters, followed by freshly baked scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

As you can imagine, I was completely delirious afterwards, so I headed straight to the gym for refuge and to try and restore some normality.

The gym on board is small but perfectly functional - and honestly, how often do you get to work out with a view of the ocean right in front of you? Since it was a port day, the gym was pretty empty with most people off exploring, which meant I could get through my workout without any interruptions and was able to hang around afterwards. I find the gym really peaceful and often end up lazing on a yoga mat for half an hour after I’m done, simply enjoying the tranquillity.

I then headed back to the room to have a shower and get ready for dinner. Tonight was a formal night which meant getting dressed up. I wore a black dress and my new heels while my brothers both put on a suit jacket and tie. During the formal nights, there are photographers set up all around the ship taking photos so on our way to meet my parents for dinner, we stopped for a photo.

This evening’s dinner was the best one we had on our four day voyage. The veal that my dad and I both ordered was nice, but nothing special so as we watched everyone else go on about their beef wellington, we decided to order ourselves a second main course to share; and they were right, it was a standout dish.

For dessert, I was stuck again between the brownie and the pineapple so I just ordered them both, it seems such a normal thing to do on a cruise ship. The brownie again, was unremarkable but the rum roasted pineapple, was I think, my favourite dish of the whole cruise.

After dinner, we wandered into one of the big lounges and found a table with some nice chairs around it. Not that I needed to eat any more, my mum ordered the hot chocolate she had been telling me about for the last three days, which arrived in a teapot enough for two so I shared that with her. It came with three accompanying plates of chocolate shards, whipped cream and marshmallows.

As we were enjoying our drinks, my brother pulled out two packs of cards and told us about one of his favourite games by which everyone had to guess the rules as you go. A very confusing concept at first but we enjoyed it so much that we were up playing it, in that lounge until 2 am; before heading back to the cabin and swiftly falling asleep. I always sleep very well on a cruise ship!

Tuesday, 21 January 2025

I went to Plaza Khao Gaeng last night, and I'm still thinking about the food this morning.

Actually, it wasn’t just the food - it was the whole experience. It was so good, in fact, that I have very few photos to share from the evening. Sorry about that.

Plaza Khao Gaeng is the lesser known little sister of Soho's currently very popular Speedboat Bar. Walking through Centre Point’s bustling Arcade food hall after work, I was surprised at just how busy it was for a Monday evening. Even with the cold, people still love to go out, I love London.

I found an unassuming staircase tucked away at the back - you wouldn’t really know it was there unless you were specifically looking for it - leading to a small mezzanine brimming with energy. Packed tight with tables covered in plastic tablecloths, trays of cheap pressed metal cutlery, and a roaring wok at the back that would burst into flames every few minutes. Chaos.

If I hadn’t spent a lot of time in Thailand, I might have thought it was a bit of a hot mess for a central London restaurant. But this wasn’t a cheap gimmick - it was very Thai - all that was missing were the tiny plastic stools, although I’m sure the public were much happier with Londoner-sized chairs. Regardless, it was the most authentic dining experience I’ve had since leaving Thailand, and the menu reflected that same authenticity.

This was not a restaurant for unadventurous taste buds. I was a little bit confused about what to try, and I’ve spent years eating who-knows-what from street stalls in Thailand. The Massaman curry was an obvious favourite, although it didn’t look like the Massaman I knew. Two huge chunks of beef and two potatoes sat in a broth-like sauce. It was all over Instagram, and lots of plates of it were whizzing past.

Both of my friends ordered it, but I had a yearning for a plate of morning glory, which is hard to find in England. Unconventionally, I built my meal around that and decided on sticky rice and fried chicken to accompany. It took me straight back to a particular meal I ate on a street in Bangkok, sitting opposite the party hostel I was staying in, eating a meal like this for breakfast - except that one cost 20p. Not that I’m complaining. The fact that I was able to get it in London made it worth it, and actually, the price wasn’t that bad. We had three mains, three sides and two drinks (yay Thai iced milk tea) for £81.

By 6:30 PM, the restaurant was packed and stayed that way for hours, though atmosphere was super casual and inviting. We sat there chatting for a while after dinner, and by the time we left at 9:00 PM, things had calmed down, but the magic lingered.

If you’re looking for an authentic taste of Thailand in London, I’d highly recommend Plaza Khao Gaeng.

and a perfect opportunity for me to post some old photos from Thailand.

Monday, 30 December 2024

From solo adventures to romantic getaways - and seeing much more of the UK, this year's travel looked a little different than it has done in the past.

Bali 2.0 - April

My adventures for the year started in April, a little later that usual when I realised I hadn't left the country since my last Bali trip, six months prior.

Promptly after I had this realisation, I was on my way back to Indonesia.

The last trip was a little chaotic, and that's how I like it sometimes! But this trip wasn’t about escaping or chasing something, it was about relaxing and truly enjoying the moment - and that felt like a bit of a turning point for me.

I realised that I finally felt at ease with my life on this trip. I was more free and easy with my money so I just had a really nice time.

Apart from the usual joys of solo travel I skipped the hostels and stayed in nice hotels, paid more for the fancy spas and pretty much bought myself whatever I wanted. That being said, I still enjoyed the usual indulgences of solo travel. I went to two different cafes for breakfast most days, booked motorbike Ubers to nowhere just for the experience of being on the back of a bike and cancelled hotels on a whim because I changed my mind at at check in.

There was no rush, no stress, nothing to achieve, just the luxury of time and space to savour it all. I also took my skates with because I missed them on my last visit so I managed to squeeze in a couple of skating sessions amongst the swims and massages.

Dubrovnik with friends - June

Last year, I vowed no more girls’ holidays because whilst I loved spending time with my friends at home, the trips themselves never quite did it for me. But when the boys decided they wanted to join, I took a chance - and it completely changed the experience. Strange, isn’t it?

I think that, and the length of this trip made all the difference. It was only a couple of nights and we all shared a three-storey air bnb in the centre of town. While holidays with friends still aren’t my style, I enjoyed this one more than the others, exploring within the city walls, sharing big group meals, and soaking up the amazing weather.

Spontaneous Mallorca - June

I remember waking up one sunny Saturday morning and booking this trip on a whim because I fancied a paella.

There are still so many places on my bucket list, but there are also a few that I will happily go back to again and again - because they are easy. I hadn't been to Magaluf since I was 18, but this was definitely one of those not needing to think about planning it trips.

It was quite comforting to be back as an adult. I knew where everything was but no longer cared for the party scene, just the beach day clubs that I couldn't afford before, the nice restaurants by the ocean and the serenity of an early night.

I took my skates again - and of course I managed to eat at least one paella a day! Mission accomplished.

Suffolk Countryside Retreat - June

As our relationship started to change, Dan took me on a couple of weekends away! The first, was a cute little countryside lodge, that we arrived at as the sun was going down on a warm Friday evening. With a Chinese takeaway & bottle of wine in hand, we lit the fire pit outside and ate by the flames.

Waking up the next day was very peaceful, looking out the window to we were surrounded by woodland grass, wildflowers and the sounds of birds chirping in the morning sun.

We took advantage of a slow, lazy start before going to the local town and the beach beside it. After that, Dan took me to Thorpeness Mere and rowed us around the lake on a boat. This was before I knew he'd spent a chunk of his childhood on a rowing boat so I was both surprised and impressed. It was all very romantic.

On the way home the next morning, stopped off in Cambridge for a private punt on the river Cam, complete with more wine - and pizza.

Discovering Bath - July

A week later, Dan took me to Bath to show me around the city where he went to uni. We stayed in a very cool apartment for a couple of nights, drank cocktails in the sun & wandered around the campus. Bath is very cute.

East Coast Road trip - July

A three week, American road trip with my boyfriend - of just two weeks at the time.

It was a big risk, agreeing to that many hours in a car with someone I'd not spent a huge amount of time with but those long journeys on the road became my favourite part of the day and created the kind of connection that only comes when you have nowhere to be but together.

We spent two days driving through the blue ridge mountains, watched a space rocket launch, ate breakfasts in old school diners, got caught with the roof down in Storm Debbie and decided we'd like to live in Washington one day.

To top it all off, we were upgraded on the way back and flew home first class. What a dream.

Devon Seaside - August

I actually visited Devon multiple times after this trip, (I'm posting this blog from there after spending Christmas by the seaside) although this was the first and we stayed for a whole week so it felt more like a holiday!

We were there the Shaldon regatta - a lively week of traditional water activities in Dan's cute and very small hometown. It was a relaxing week by the water and a good chance for me to see where he grew up. I tried paddle boarding for the first time, went for lots of dog walks and got to spend my birthday on a boat!

Canal Barging in Rugby - September

My mum went a bit rouge this year and decided she wanted a family holiday on a canal barge. It was totally out of character but we all agreed and six of us spent three nights on the water in Rugby.

While it was an interesting experience, the weather really wasn't on our side. I did however still very much enjoy the family time and the many pub stops along the way!

SkateLove'24 in Barcelona - September

Barcelona holds a special charm for me after last years solo visit, and this year, I returned with Dan for a roller skating festival set up right by the beach.

We accidentally booked accommodation outside of the city so it was quite a long commute into the centre, but the plus side of that was that it had an awesome private beach which we spent both mornings on.

Once we were there, we enjoyed a skating, exploring and, of course, more paella.

As I said last year, I'd always avoided Barcelona but it has since become one of my favourite spots in Europe.

Tagging along in Brighton - September

We actually went to Brighton twice this year but in October, we stayed overnight. Dan had a meeting and I decided to join him. We arrived late and left after work the next day but I was able to get a table at The Burnt Orange, a restaurant we missed out on when we were there in August and it alone was worth the visit!

I also really enjoyed the drive there and back, it reminded us of road trip.

Bali 3.0 - November

My third Bali trip in a 12 month period but this time was different because I had company! Highlights include tree house villas, concrete bathtubs, late night discussions over exotic cocktails, hourly Gojek orders, lazy pool days & lots of steak.

Travel is one of my greatest joys in life and 2024 brought some very happy trips. Beyond that, this year was hugely transformative for me. Filled with personal growth & self development, big changes in who I spent my time with, a deep sense of connection and happiness that I've not really felt before.

I'm entering the year ahead feeling more positive and excited than ever!

SLIDER

48 Hours in New YorK

Wednesday, 5 March 2025

A typical day aboard Cunard's Queen Anne cruise ship

Thursday, 23 January 2025

plaza khao gaeng

Tuesday, 21 January 2025

2024 Travel roundup

Monday, 30 December 2024