If you're an avid follower of my blog, you already know that I love to write about my travels (see
Ireland,
China,
Eastern Europe). It just so happens that I had a very big birthday a few weeks ago and as a gift, Hot Stuff surprised me with a trip to New York City. That's right, despite all of my travels around the globe, I had never set foot in the Big Apple. I was super excited to celebrate the big 3-0 in one of the biggest cities in the world. So to give you the highlights of our journey, I give you the ABCs of NYC.
A is for
apple...the big one.
B is for the
Brooklyn Bridge. As we walked across the bridge I explained to Hot Stuff that on Sex and the City Steve and Miranda met there to solve their relationship, but he seemed to be a bit more interested in the fact that this bridge was built in 1875. Okay, so that made it cool too. But whatever our reasons for taking the walk across this amazing feat of architecture, the Brooklyn Bridge was one of my favorite things that we saw and did. Plus you could sing "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" for the entire stretch, a win for everyone!
C is for
Charging Bull. Hot Stuff was pretty excited to see the infamous Charging Bull in the Financial District. What we didn't expect was the hoards of people that had the same idea.
As I waited for a pickpocket to steal my wallet, we got aggressive and pushed our way to the front of the mob. I was pretty proud that we ended up getting a picture with only one extra hand. Word of the wise, if you go here be prepared to use your elbows.
D is for
dirty subway. Okay, before you judge me, know this- I've traveled a lot and I have a mother whose hobby is to try out different types of public transportation. I know the dirt that's involved with transporting massive amounts of people through the bowels of an old city. All I'm saying is that the NYC subway was sub-par to those that I've been on in the past. It's the cheapest way to get around, but the trains are slow and the spores are real.
E is for
Ess-a-Bagel. There are few things that I'm willing to wait in line for, and a genuine New York bagel is one of them. My research on Pinterest told me that this was one of the best bagel places in the city. I waited in line for 45 minutes which yielded me a pretty tasty bagel with lox. A bit on the salty side, but still pretty dang delicious.
F is for
Fifth Avenue. Also known as places I cannot afford to shop.
G is for
greasy deliciousness from Shake Shack. We're big fans of Anthony Bourdain so we watched 24 Hour Layover before our trip. He told us to stop in at the iconic Shake Shack just under the Brooklyn Bridge so we happily obliged. The strawberry shake was pretty amazing as was the view.
H is for
High Line Park. This was another one of my top favorite things that we saw in NYC. The High Line is an old railroad line that has since been turned into a park. This elevated strip was a little piece of heaven in the madness of the city filled with beautiful plants, pieces of art, and countless benches and lounging areas. I love how New Yorkers have found a way to bring nature back to the city. We liked it so much, we went there twice!
I is for
Imagine. Most people know that I'm a Beatles fan and because of that, I was super excited to visit Strawberry Fields, a small section of Central Park that is actually across the street from the apartment building where John Lennon was killed. The only marking in the area is a small mosaic with one of Lennon's most famous song titles. The moment was complete with park benches engraved with Beatles lyrics and a sweet little hippy singing "Hey Jude." I ate up every second.
J is for
Jimmy Fallon who we tried unsuccessfully to see. But at least we got to see the studios.
K is for
King Kong, who as you know, climbed the Empire State Building. We didn't go to the top, but did make it to the lobby so I could at least pretend to be Meg Ryan running to the desk to see if Tom Hanks was waiting at the top for me...I mean Dr. Marcia Fieldstone would've been disappointed if I didn't, right?
L is for
Lady Liberty who we sailed by on a lovely sailboat ride down the Hudson River.
M is for
Mafia. This was what I requested from the concierge when he recommended a good Italian restaurant- homemade pasta, cannoli, and possible Mafia ties. I figured they'd know the best places. We went to a place called Rubirosa in Nolita (North of Little Italy), it was molto bene!
N is for
Nine Eleven Memorial. Like most people who lived through this day, 9/11 is a memory that I will never forget. I remember exactly where I was, what I was doing, and how scared we all were. Therefore going to the this relatively new memorial was a definite priority. Seeing the fountains and names etched into the side was incredibly powerful and I found myself rather choked up. I'm so glad that they have found a way to honor those who were lost on such a terrible day.
O is for
One World Trade. We knew we wanted to go to the top of one of New York's many skyscrapers and ended up choosing the Freedom Tower. I figured, when else would I get a chance to go to the top of the 4th tallest building in the world, right? Well, the ride up was quick and included a virtual history tour in the one minute that it took to get to the 109th floor. Hot Stuff freaked out and stayed away from the edge, but I managed to get some pretty incredible pictures where I felt like I was an eye in the sky.
P is for
Park...Central Park. This may sound silly, but Central Park was what I was most looking forward to visiting. I love the idea of having a giant park in the middle of a giant city. The bikers soaring by were a bit unexpected, but I enjoyed the horse drawn carriages, fountains, and numerous performers. We found a shady spot and got to picnic with the nephew which is always the best way to spend a day. Sadly, we did not find the bird lady from Home Alone 2. Next time...
Q is for
Queen because we stayed at The New York Palace on Madison Avenue which sounds really impressive, because it was. It was pretty swank, overlooked St. Patrick's Cathedral, and they gave us free cookies. #winning
R is for
Radio City Music Hall which was just down the street from us. I pretended to be a Rockette, but luckily this was not captured on film.
S is for
sailing on the Hudson which if you ask me is the best way to see the city. We started on the Jersey side and looped around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island back up through Manhattan. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't yelling, "Hard to starboard!" like I was on the Titanic, but luckily we encountered no icebergs. It's easy to forget that Manhattan and New York is home to many islands and this was a great way to see the sights.
T is for
Time's Square. Time's Square is exactly what everyone says it is- touristy, packed, bright, and obnoxious. But who goes to NYC and doesn't go to to this iconic place? We stayed long enough to snap a few quick pictures, check out the New Years ball, and discover the largest bottle of Hershey's syrup in existence. Apparently if you stand around there long enough you can also locate the Naked Cowboy and topless ladies, but we decided this wasn't worth waiting around for with the hoards of tourists.
U is for
unbelievable banana pudding. My baking takes me to many iconic bakeries around the world. In this case, I was determined to visit Magnolia Bakery which gained its fame from yet another episode of Sex and the City. While Carrie ate a pink vanilla cupcake, I opted for the famous banana pudding. Initially I thought I wasn't going to like it because pudding is pudding, and bananas are just okay. Holy. Cow. Seriously the best dessert of the trip complete with softened bits of Nilla Wafers and whipped cream. Holy. Cow.
V is for
village...Greenwich Village. We visited a lot of the neighborhoods in Manhattan, though I couldn't tell you which ones. My favorites were Chelsea and Greenwich Village. They both had great vibes where the people were hip and the delightful restaurants were plentiful. Google really pulled through for us and sent us to a little Vietnamese restaurant called Saigon Shack. The food was pho-nomenal!
W is for the new
Wolf on Wall Street. Hot Stuff loves the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. I haven't been able to figure out why quite yet. At any rate, we stopped by Wall Street and stared in awe at the money-filled building towering in front of us. I envisioned lots of guys running around, throwing papers, and making hand gestures like in Ferris Bueller. Hot Stuff, on the other hand, was beating his chest and singing a la Matthew McConaughey. I think we may watch too many movies...
X is for
eXit at Grand Central Station. For some reason, I had it in my head that Grand Central Station was the epicenter for romance- something about rushing to get on a train or meeting people that you haven't seen in ages. I wasn't sure what to expect when we got off the subway, but I knew that a place worthy of Justin Timberlake's flash mob would be sure to impress. It did. There were constellations built into the ceiling, old ticket windows, and chandeliers sparkling overhead. Just the kind of romantic notions I was looking for.
Y is for
yellow cabs. When my mom found out we were going to NYC, she laughed and said, "Make sure you don't get into any cabs that have monkeys hanging from the mirror!" She laughs, but
The Bone Collector instilled a very real fear of cabs in me. Luckily our cab ride was more like this:
Z is for
'Za. Now that we've made it to Z, you've probably realized that the majority of this trip, (as with all of my trips) was devoted to history, Pinterest suggestions, and food. New York style pizza encompasses all of these things. It was crisp, dripping with hardened arteries, and ultimately delicious. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.
Well, there you have it, everything about my trip celebrating the big 3-0 in the Big Apple!
