New York...: Day 3: Central Park, Upper East side

Today was quite possibly the coldest day of the whole trip! The snow didn't stop falling all day, beautiful as it was, it made shopping and walking around Central Park almost unbearable. However the cold weather was worth the beautiful views that Central Park had to offer.

The day started off with a trip on the Subway to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Of course, a popular tourist destination and often film destination for popular TV show Gossip Girl. Sitting on the Met Steps, fulfilled one of my dreams to become alike the cast from Gossip Girl. The Met museum had beautiful architecture with a contemporary edge to it.

From here, we went on to explore Central Park. A man made park opened in 1857 and covers 843 acres. The park was stunning, especially in the snow. In the middle of the park was a quaint little cafe. A much needed place to stop where we got a hot drink and sat by the fire. We then continued to look around Central Park taking in the breathtaking views.

We then went off for a spot of shopping on the Upper East Side. This is where more luxury shops are including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Dior etc. Of course it is also home to Tiffany's. Looking in the Tiffany's shop window reminded me of the scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's with Audrey Hepburn. The building was huge, with each floor focusing on a particular style of jewellery. I went to the third floor which was sterling silver. Having looked at various different necklaces, I finally chose the Tiffany notes heart tag charm and chain. Another one of my dreams was fulfilled, to own a Tiffany necklace. The service in the store was exceptional. Even in the lift I didn't have to lift a finger, I simply stood and told the door man which floor I wanted to go to. The staff were very passionate about their job and willing to help. This shopping experience was something that I felt I could get used to!

Louis Vuitton certainly captured my attention with its beautiful window displays. NY is a place for creativity which is reflected through this. The styling of the window fitted in well with the current collection and emphasised it, putting it to its best potential. Owls were enclosed in a glass capsule along with the Louis Vuitton products. This highlighted each product individually and was a great way to showcase them. Another stunning building was Dior. This time instead of using window displays to capture its customers, the store itself acted as a window display. Decorated in lots of tiny LED lights, making it appear as if the store was encrusted in diamonds, certainly an eye capturing feature. Above this was the silhouette of a girl which was animated, which provided visual entertainment for its customers.

For lunch, we stopped off at Primeburger, a classic American style Diner. The diner is famous in NY as Sarah Jessica Parker is often spotted eating there. The diner was authentic and had a rustic feel to it showing off the traditional side to America. The food was of a good quality. The seating area had little tray/tables which you would unfold and put back in to place when seated, which was a cool feature.

After this we visited popular shopping stores such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Diesel, Ralph Lauren. Of course, all are traditional American brands that are available in the UK, but it was interesting to see how they performed in their own territory.