From Notting Hill to New York . . . Actually (36 page)

I hear Oscar gasp behind me.

I watch mesmerised as Sean opens the padlock that releases the box. Then he turns towards me.

‘Did you know that it’s a tradition for a couple to secure their love by locking a padlock to a bridge and then tossing the key into the river?’ he asks.

Speechless, I shake my head.

‘Yes, I’ve seen that movie,’ Eleanor says. ‘
Tre Metri Sopra il Cielo
? It was based on an Italian novel.’

‘That is correct, Eleanor, thank you,’ Sean says, smiling at her. ‘It is indeed an Italian tradition, and it reached New York and the Brooklyn Bridge as a result of the movie. So, Scarlett,’ he asks, looking
at me again, ‘would you like us to secure our love?’

I look at Sean in astonishment. Yet again he was amazing me with all this, just like last year on the London Eye.

‘But you’ve just unlocked the padlock,’ I point out. ‘We’d need to lock it again.’

Sean shakes his head. ‘I don’t mean with the padlock. I mean with this.’ He drops to one knee and opens up the box, and this time I hear gasps from all the female members of the party as well as Oscar, as a diamond ring glints in the setting evening sun.

‘Scarlett,’ he continues, as I gaze down at him with a mixture of love and wonder in my eyes. ‘I hope you have enjoyed today. I’m sorry lately if life has been a bit dull, but I want every day of your life to be just as exciting and amazing and wonderful as I hope today has been for you. And I want to be the person that makes it that exciting. I want to be there to share it all with you, every step of the way. So if you’ll have me, Red, I’m asking you if you’ll be my wife.’ Sean takes the ring from the box and holds it up in his hand. ‘Will you marry me, Scarlett?’

I open my mouth to speak, but the words won’t come out. It’s as if my mouth has just ceased functioning. I look at the others standing next to us, all the most important people from my life back home that Sean has gathered,
along with everyone from my time here in New York, to share this moment with us.

They gaze back at me, just willing me to say the right word.

I look down at Sean again. This wonderful, incredible man … and suddenly I find all I need to say.

‘Yes.’ I nod happily. ‘Yes, of course I’ll marry you, Sean.’

And as the sun continues
to set
across the East
River, everybody that’s important in my world gathers around me.

And for the first time ever, my life feels truly complete.

Before you go

Best Map:
The New York Mapguide: The
Essential Guide to Manhattan
(Michael Middleditch, Penguin). I lost my copy of this the last time I was there and immediately bought a new one ready for my next trip! That’s how good it is!

Best App:
NewYork2Go
Shows you your exact location in NYC on a street map, gives you a map of the subway, plus a helpful guide to the city. (And most importantly no wi-fi is required to use it!)

Movies to Watch: Anything set in New York will get you in the mood! Some of my favourites:
Serendipity
,
When Harry Met Sally
,
You’ve Got Mail
, and
The Adjustment Bureau
. Or if you’re lucky enough to visit near Christmas there’s
Elf
and
Home Alone 2 – Lost In New York
.

Music to
play!

In the book Scarlett has a playlist on her iPod she listens to constantly before she leaves. This is what’s on it:

When you’re there

Tourist stuff

You can get many books that will tell you all about the tourist attractions in more detail, but the main paid ones are:

All these (plus some others) come under the New York City Pass – best value for seeing all the main attractions. It will
save you loads on entrance fees, plus you get to skip a lot of the queues! Talking of queues, one of my best tips would be GET UP EARLY to avoid them; all the main tourist attractions have massive queues at peak times, so go early. Your body clock is still on UK time, so getting up early is easy, as is going to bed early, you’ll be exhausted from all the walking!

Places From the Movies

Again, there are loads. This is a great book if you want to do a New York ‘spot the location’ movie tour.
New York: The Movie Lover’s Guide
(Richard Alleman, Broadway Books).

But some key ‘rom-com’ ones would be:

Food

There are
so many great restaurants in Manhattan that it would be impossible to list them all here, but I’ve picked these for the main NYC food groups: Pizza, Burgers, Coffee, and a good breakfast!

Free Stuff

A trip to New York
can be expensive, there’s no denying it. But there’s lots of free things you can do too.

But if you’re in a hurry, here are some key places:

Hotels

I can only recommend
the two hotels I’ve stayed in while in New York. They are 70 Park Avenue (which is the hotel I based Scarlett and Oscar’s on) and The Grand Hyatt. Both I managed to pick up on an internet/flight and hotel deal. Definitely worth shopping around for. Both lovely places at the time of writing.

Shopping

You might be tempted to do a little bit of shopping while you’re here …

The two most famous department stores, Macy’s and Bloomingdales, offer visitor discount cards, usually worth 10% off your purchases (some exclusions) – just remember to take some ID in with you, i.e. a passport, and head up to the visitor centre when you get to the stores to pick up yours.

But other than that, I suggest you either go with one pretty empty case, or travel with an airline where you can pay to take an extra case home with you rather than risk excess baggage charges, because you’ll need it. New York truly is a shopper’s paradise …

Misc

Tipping

New Yorkers
working in service industries rely on their tips as part of their wages; they actually get taxed up front on it! So please tip while you’re there, unless the service is truly awful, which is unusual for New York; it’s usually service with a smile!
I’ve found if you’re nice to people, people are usually nice in return.

And my last piece of advice would be: it’s not
Sex and the City
! If you’re going to New York for the first time to see the sights and shop, you will be walking – a lot! So dress appropriately. Unless of course you’ve got lots and lots of dollars in your Gucci purse for yellow cabs to drop you off at every doorstep!

But most importantly – enjoy, and have a great time!

New York is a fantastic city and I love it.

Ali x