I have a lot to catch up on around here.
I feel like 2017 is slipping through the cracks as I know 2018 will be upon us before we know it. I'm sure I will "catch up" on here eventually with daily life and all of my thoughts at some point but figured I would update with my most recent trip.
My roommate, Natalie and I headed up to New York City last Tuesday night arriving bright and early Wednesday morning after an interesting arrival - more on this another time. We hit the ground running and spent all Wednesday on our feet, I actually think the minimum we walked throughout the week was 25,000 steps.
We stayed in smack dab in between Hell's Kitchen and Time Square which could not have been a more perfect spot. If it was not December we would not have needed to take a taxi or Lyft anywhere, everything was very walkable.
I also apologize in advance, I left my camera at home so iPhone pictures it is.
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Our first stop was the 9/11 Memorial & Museum which I think is one of the most moving things I've ever experienced. My first trip to New York was in 2012 on my senior class trip while the memorial was open the museum was under construction. The size alone was amazing but I also think it is the one place in the city that you can hear a pin drop. The respect was outstanding and the reverence for the exhibit itself was immeasurable. If I was to recommend one "must see or do" to anyone visiting this would be it.
We spent around 2 hours there and I think we could have spent much more, there is just so much to see and it is self guided so you can view at your own pace. I would also recommend looking into the guided tour, we ran into a tour group and the guide was super informative with some amazing stories.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring on our way back to our Airbnb, we Lyfted down but walked back stopping in Tribeca, SoHo, and West Village. We made a pit stop at the Frye store which happens to be one of my weaknesses. I will not confirm nor deny if I left with any purchases this time.
Christmas trees were for sale on what seemed every corner, it was crazy to see live trees being sold in the city compared to being at home where you can cut them directly from the field.
We saw many people throwing their tree over their shoulder on their way home from work, completely different way of life.
We headed to Carmine's on 44th for dinner and I think it was my favorite meal of the trip. We made reservations there months ago, when I called they had one single spot left for the day so I snatched it up and it did not disappoint.
Carmine's is apparently a staple for anyone visiting but I had never heard of it, based on recommendations I'm so glad we went. Everything is served family style, our chicken parm was honestly enough to feed four people and their wine was incredible. We ended up eating around half, packing up the rest and giving it to a homeless person on the way to our show. Highly recommend and everything on the menu including their amazing cannolis.
I've dreamt of seeing the Rockette's at Christmas for as long as I can remember, I watched a TV special about it with my Nana as a little girl and I've never forgotten it. It was a bucket list item and it was even better than I anticipated, I like to think my Nana has the best seat in the house.
Radio City was a gorgeous venue and it just sets the tone for the holidays. Everyone was dressed up and festive, it was actually a pretty long show and a great first evening. Everyone was so very talented and I think we were both super impressed, tickets were also super reasonable which is always a plus.
The next morning I woke up pretty under the weather, I ended up with the stomach flu for the rest of the trip. We actually ended up heading home a day early. Someway somehow we ended up continuing our activities, I don't think I'll ever know but lets just say that this food lover did not have much interest in any sort of food for the remainder of our time.
Besides this bagel. Oh this bagel was so good from Ess - A - Bagel.
Everything bagel, shallot cream cheese, bacon, and cucumbers for $5. Simply amazing & I have a special place in my heart for Gena from Queens who made it.
We explored the rest of the day, venturing around the upper east side and Central Park.
I promised my Aunt Ginny that we would go see the department store decorations and I must say Ginny was right, they did not disappoint. They were actually gorgeous at every large store we saw. We also explored The Plaza which lived up to the stigma that it holds, it was absolutely stunning inside and out.
Central Park is so stunning and was one of my favorite places last time I visited New York. It is huge and so hard to see it all, we didn't spend a ton of time here as it was pretty chilly in the 30s on Thursday but we did venture over.
It was a gorgeous day without a cloud in the sky and proved an excellent choice for people watching.
We headed to a place called Hell's Chicken for dinner, confused with Hell's Kitchen - I wouldn't recommend as it was a terrible meal and I didn't eat a thing.
Afterwards we headed to Book of Mormon, I saw Phantom of the Opera last time and I can't say that it was my cup of tea.
We had gone back and forth regarding Broadway and what show we wanted to see let alone if we were going to see a show. All the tickets that we found were $230+ so we had somewhat crossed it off our list and didn't want to settle to see something we didn't really care about. I spur of the moment checked again the day before we left and found very reasonable orchestra seats and I'm so happy we did. It was actually a fabulous show and highly entertaining but not something I would recommend for anyone easily offended or religious.
After the show we headed to Serendipity for their infamous frozen hot chocolate which was even better than I anticipated. I apparently live under a rock and was unaware of the following of this place due to a movie in the early 2000s, don't worry Natalie made me watch it before our trip. The restaurant was quaint and gaudy at the same time while being super cozy all at the same time. It was really cute and a great
Friday morning we woke up super early and headed to NBC Studios for a tapping of Megyn Kelly Today, which I typically have on in the background when I work from home. It was actually an awesome experience and amazing to see how behind the scenes ran. We spent around 5 hours there and I must say Megyn was super personable and very genuiene.
We left with free stuff and gift cards, well that is the way you win me over. Also a plus, it was all inside and there was no bitter cold wait.
We spent the rest of the day exploring, we headed down to Chelsea where we had some of the most amazing pizza at a hole in the wall called "John's Pizza". We headed over to Chelsea Market which was basically an underground meca of food and boutiques. Super cute and I'm somewhat sad we didn't have more meals to eat and my stomach wasn't my usual appetite.
Afterwards we headed to the Holiday Market at Union Square Park which was 50+ vendors and absolutely adorable. I live for little markets especially ones at Christmas time, they had some very unique items and a lot of food stations as well.
We walked home that evening and enjoyed the night time scenery, New York truly is a different world at night. Some would describe it as magical.
Made a pit stop at Rockefeller Center to see the infamous tree which I must say was much smaller in person than I had anticipated. We had seen it in the sunshine but had to make it back before we headed home.
New York you were an adventure and an amazing few days. There is something unique about you that cannot compare to any other place I've been in my 23 years so far. Something that sets you apart from all the other places.
You remind me to take a step back and breathe. To enjoy the moment and not be in such a rush and sometimes that is just what you need. They say that timing is everything.
So thank you for that New York.
Until next time.
