While Veronica Stivala is not a city person, she found herself lured into the wonderful city that is New York. She shares a few of the highlights of her itinerary.

I am not a city person. But I love cities. By this I mean I prefer living away from the city and closer to nature. However, I love experiencing cities in small doses and getting a satisfactory taste of that non-stop life, that feeling that there is always something to do and the thrill of discovering a new hangout, be it a bar, restaurant or cafe, a wonderful theatre performance or a downright side-splittingly funny standup gig. And what better city to discover all of this than the city of cities, the city that never sleeps, New York City.

I look back at my week-long trip and see flashes of tall, tall buildings, of flashy lights and lots and lots of people walking by in Time Square, of awesome exhibition halls and of big burgers, big fries (where do they get their potatoes from?) and bacon flakes for your milkshake (no comment).

New York is characterised by flashes of tall buildings, flashy lights and lots and lots of people.

The thing with New York City is precisely this: whoever thought you might want bacon in your milkshake? I, definitely, would not because I do not eat meat, but if I did then I might entertain the admittedly bizarre combination of dairy, sugar and pork. But this is New York, there is everything and anything to do there and you will never run out of things to keep yourself entertained.

The corollary to this, is, unsurprisingly, that you may find yourself not knowing when to stop or what to choose. However, I think one of the best choices I made was to buy a New York City Pass. Depending on which package you choose, this pass really is a good deal and lets you get into many of the top attractions for a fraction of the price. It also helps you choose.The following are some of the highlights of my trip.

My saving grace from the fast life were Central Park and Cadman Plaza Park

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is so big and houses so many works of art that it deserves to be a holiday destination in its own right. We mistakenly only allotted two hours for this and barely scraped the surface.

My travel guide book came with a convenient “Plan of Attack” for this mammoth museum. I hardly know where to begin, so I shall just list a few items that struck me and leave you to explore at your own pace: the armour of Henry II of France, the painting of Washington crossing the Delaware, Caravaggio’s The Denial of St Peter and Picasso’s Blind Man’s Meal.

The High Line former railway station has now been turned into a public park.

My travel guide book also told me to go to the very top floor, where there is a roof garden, which features rotating sculpture installations by contemporary and 20th-century artists. But its star features are the views of the city and Central Park and possibly the Martini Bar. I say possibly because on the day thunder storms were predicted and the area was closed off. Very sad. Also, if you do plan to try your luck both at the roof garden and to visit the museum in general, make sure you go early, because although the museum is open till 5.30pm, it starts closing by about 5.10pm. The bar closes at 5pm and you will find yourself rushing through and not enjoying things fully.

Central Park is one of the top touristy things to do, but you can still enjoy some time-out here.

At risk of giving readers a list of things I didn’t manage to do, I must mention visiting the Empire State Building at night (after 10pm). Going to the top of this classic site is a must, but many encouraged an evening visit when there is live jazz (Thursdays to Sundays) and you can enjoy views of the city at night. You won’t believe it but the day we decided to go there were storms, rain and lightning yet again.

I also loved the High Line, an old railway station above street level converted into a public park, a gorgeous three-and-a-half hour trip around Manhattan, a bout of standup comedy at the famous Comedy Club (make sure you reserve your tickets in advance) and an immersive theatre show at The McKittrick Hotel.

My saving grace from the fast life were Central Park and Cadman Plaza Park. It is so refreshing to be able to get away from it all and take a sip of water from the conveniently positioned water fountains, lie down on the grass, sit under a tree or on a bench and recharge before heading out for the next attraction.

I, probably, could have easily done another three months there

Central Park is one of the top touristy things to do but, unlike many of these must-sees, one does not feel like one is just another number, surrounded by hoards of likeminded experience seekers.

Brooklyn Bridge

The park is huge and, at least during my trips there, was always empty enough for some downtime. If silence is not your thing, Central Park is still your place and you can enjoy the voices of the likes of Scarlet Johansson, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Bacon, Yoko Ono and Julianne Moore by means of the free audio guide of the park which you can download as an app.

Cadman Plaza Park is definitely a lesser known park and can be found just at the foot of Brooklyn Bridge. The most famous park here is the Brooklyn Bridge Park, but it was a pleasant break to enjoy a picnic here among schoolchildren playing under the watchful eyes of chatting parents perched on nearby benches and office workers on their lunch break and feel like I was just one of the locals enjoying some grass and sun.

It’s funny how I got sucked into this wonderful world and really did not want to leave once my week was up. I, probably, could have easily done another three months there. However, I must admit that once I moved on to my next city, the calmer Boston, I found myself enjoying the more peaceful life by the ocean there. Looking back at New York, it almost feels like a dream, but one I know, and will, return to.