All the record-breaking things I saw on my first-ever trip to New York City
You don’t have to look far in New York City to spot something record-breaking.
Heading off to the Big Apple for the first time ever, I was excited to see one of my favourite artists perform live at Madison Square Garden, take in a Broadway show, see the Statue of Liberty in real life, and most-importantly, spend time hanging out with Kirsty, one of my besties who headed stateside a few years ago.
After a long old time of talking about how much I wanted to go, I’ll admit it was Demi Lovato who finally gave me the push.
When she released her latest album It’s Not That Deep, I knew it could be my chance to finally see her live. And when she announced a string of US tour dates, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to visit the record-breaking land of NYC.
After all, as the city with the highest population of millionaires and billionaires, it sounds like it’s the place to be.
In Times Square with Kirsty
So, here’s a rundown of all the record-breaking things I saw in my first-ever (but certainly not my last) trip to New York City…
Staying right in the heart of NYC, I couldn’t believe it when I looked out of my hotel room window to see Times Square below.
On the rooftop bar of my hotel overlooking Times Square
One of my first stops was the Empire State Building and a ride all the way up to the 102nd floor in that famous glass elevator to take in the views.
At 1,454 ft (443.2 m) tall, it was once the world’s tallest building, holding that title for 40 years.
Of course, it’s now dwarfed by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa (2,717 ft; 828 m), but that doesn’t make it any less impressive.
Back in 1944, an American woman named Betty Lou Oliver unexpectedly broke the record for longest fall survived in a lift (elevator) when she plunged 75 storeys (over 1,000 ft; 300 m) in a lift after a plane crashed into the building in a thick fog.
On the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building, look closely and you can see the Statue of Liberty in the distance
Many people have skipped the lift at the Empire State and opted for the stairs instead.
In 2006, Andrea Mayr (Austria) set the record for fastest run up the Empire State Building (female) by scaling the 1,576 steps to the 86th floor observation deck in just 11 min 23 sec.
Paul Crake (Australia) broke the male record in 2003 with a time of 9 min 33 sec.
Suzy Walsham (Australia) holds the record for most Empire State Building Run-Up victories (female) with 10 wins as of 2019.
The record for fastest time to hop up the Empire State Building (if you fancy your chances) is currently unclaimed. You’ll have to beat a minimum of 1 hr… but I’m happy taking the lift, thanks.
Read about more records like that in our Sports and Fitness section.
It was from my viewpoint at the top of the Empire State Building that I first laid eyes on the Statue of Liberty. She was pretty tiny from there, but I didn’t have long to wait for a closer look.
Taking a trip on the Circle Line Best of NYC Cruise proved to be the perfect way to see Lady Liberty in all her glory.
Riding up and down the Hudson River for 2.5 hours, I saw all that NYC had to offer me while picking up fun facts from our charismatic tour guide.
Posing with Lady Liberty
As we rode closer to the Statue, I couldn’t help but smile. After seeing the famous monument more times than I can remember in movies and TV shows, seeing it with my own eyes was completely surreal.
Given to the United States by the people of France in 1885, the Statue officially known as Liberty Enlightening the World, holds the record for largest gift – statue. It stands at 151 ft 1 in (46.50 m) and truly is a sight to behold.
Weighing in at a total of 24,635.5 tonnes (27,156 tons), it’s also the heaviest statue in the world.
I also took a stroll through Central Park and towards The Dakota, the scene where record-breaking Beatles star John Lennon was tragically shot dead in 1980.
The Dakota
I visited a few Sex and the City locations, including Carrie Bradshaw’s iconic apartment, Magnolia Bakery and the New York Public Library.
Did you know Carrie actress Sarah Jessica Parker set the record for most expensive wardrobe for a film?
Her lavish designer wardrobe for Sex and the City 2 (2010) cost an eye-watering $10 million.
Outside Carrie’s apartment
After that, I headed to the Friends building. To many, it will look like any other apartment building in New York, but fans of the sitcom – the highest rated television show of the 2000s – will recognize it from exterior shots of the homes of Monica, Rachel, Chandler and Joey.
Outside the Friends building
In 2004, the show also set a record for highest advertising rate – TV series with an average cost of $2 million (£1.1 million) per 30 seconds during the hour-long final episode.
I got around using the New York City Subway, which set a record in 2000 as the most extensive underground rail system with a total track mileage of 1,355 km (842 mi).
Kate Jones (Switzerland) visited every single station in a time of 22 hr 14 min 10 sec in 2023 to claim the record for fastest time to travel to all New York City Subway stations, but I took a much more leisurely approach to my exploring.
I also stopped by the Rockefeller Centre, developed by John D. Rockefeller, the richest person (ever) – adjusted for inflation, who was worth $900 million, equal to around $631 billion today.
But of course, the main event was seeing Demi in concert.
Waiting for Demi at Madison Square Garden
As a long-time fan, seeing her first-ever performance at the iconic Madison Square Garden was incredibly special.
In another first, she brought her husband Jutes out on stage for their first public duet, singing “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls, the song they had their first dance to at their wedding.
Of course, Demi is a record-breaker too. At the age of 19 years 9 months 5 days, she became the youngest X Factor judge on the second season of The X Factor USA in 2012.
If you’re interested in the non-record-breaking things I did, I also walked the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan to pose for a picture in that famous Dumbo spot you’ve seen everyone get a picture at, went shopping in well-known stores like Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue, checked out the Friends-themed Central Perk coffee shop, and walked along the High Line.
Standing on the Brooklyn Bridge
I also watched The Lost Boys and Death Becomes Her musicals on Broadway – both amazing, by the way, visited the Ghostbusters fire station, stopped by Taylor Swift’s neighbourhood of Tribeca (thanks to my NY-based colleague Kylie who came along to meet us for brunch and gave me that fun fact), strolled through China Town and popped into Peter Dillon’s 36th for a pint. It’s a Newcastle bar, so as a Geordie, I basically had to go, and yes, I announced my North East England origins.
My trip also included a visit to pay my respects at the 9/11 memorial and a stop by Grand Central Terminal, singing along to showtunes during brunch at Ellen’s Stardust Diner, and relaxing in Bryant Park with an iced coffee and chocolate chip cookie to reflect on all the amazing things I’d seen and done during my five days in NYC.
Posing at the iconic Dumbo photo spot
After walking around 20,000 steps each day, it’s fair to say I was pretty knackered when I touched back down in London (you can tell I had one particularly busy day based on all the pics of me in the same outfit), but it was an unforgettable trip that will certainly go down in my personal record books.
Thank you, New York!
P.S. If it was up to me, my mate Kirsty would be officially named the world’s best New York City tour guide.