NEW YORK, NEW YORK

 

There is SO MUCH to do and see in NYC that I couldn't even begin to include it all in this blog post.  Multiple trips are definitely needed, however I will highlight our favorite spots below.  I'm hoping the map above will be useful but if it's hard to see it can be found HERE

Welcome to New York, New York!

First I will discuss transportation - I personally cannot drive in NYC or deal with parking.  We've driven in, taken a bus in, flown in and taken a train in.  The subway (MTA) is probably the easiest and cheapest way to get around.  Ubers and taxis are all around if you aren't traveling much and walking is always an option if you plan on staying in one central location.  You can purchase subway tickets at machines at each station (and there may be an app).  If you do not take a train in, it was still fun to walk around Grand Central Station it was truly a work of art and lots of shopping and restaurants plus it's been in many movies.  Each time we took a train in we always ended up coming in Penn Station.  Taking a train in to the city was my favorite mode of transportation because I hate flying and I hate driving in chaos.

We haven't done a NYC sightseeing bus or cruise tour but these are one of my favorite tours to do in a large city so you can sit back and enjoy learning about the city you're visiting and see as much as possible.  This can also help you decide what you'd like to check out more or possibly skip.  We weren't aware of the sightseeing cruises at the time and did take the Staten Island Ferry over to see the Statue of Liberty.

Times Square is probably my favorite place to see in NYC.  The hustle and bustle of the city.  All of the tourists and street performers.  Restaurants and shops.  There is so much to see, it's easy to spend an entire day and evening here.  Maybe a little cliche but I enjoy eating at Planet Hollywood and The Hard Rock Cafe when we visit NYC.  Rockefeller Center is another must see while in NYC and I was on cloud 9 when I was able to ice skate there!  Near Rockefeller Center is F.A.O Schwarz toy store which is also a must.  Also in Rockefeller plaza is The American Girl store, we enjoyed walking around this store and even booked a lunch one year when my daughter was really into the dolls.  While walking around Times Square we love running into The Naked Cowboy!  I always have to stop into the M&M's store while in Times Square.  You can also purchase tickets to go up to the top of the Empire State Building - or just walk by and take a pic from the ground.  While in Times Square we always have to eat at Connolly's Pub because they have my husbands all time favorite beer, KilKenny.

There are lots of shows filmed in NYC and you can walk up the day of and sometimes get tickets to be an audience member.  For more popular shows you need to enter a lottery online in advance and if you get selected you can plan your NYC that way.  Each show has a way to request tickets on their individual website and you cannot always pick the date you'd like to attend, you have to be chosen.  This was nice when we lived in NY and were selected multiple times to watch the Rachel Ray show - she called my husband "yummy"!  (he was in his Navy uniform)

There are lots of websites and venues to purchase tickets to a Broadway musical.  Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall also offer lots of shows/concerts.  My favorite show in NYC is the Radio City Rockettes.

Central Park is fun to see.  We enjoyed a horse and carriage through the park and our guide told us lots of information.  During this tour the guide pointed out The Plaza Hotel, which we ran over to see afterwards.  I was excited to see it from it being in Home Alone.

While in the city we also make it a point to visit the National 9/11 memorial and museum.  This is a very sad and somber experience but so important to Never Forget.

We are big foodies and fans of The Food Network, which we learned was filmed in Chelsea Market so we took a cab over there to check it out.  There were tons of shops and restaurants, it was really fun to see.  We enjoyed eating at Mesa by Bobby Flay and Morimoto by chef Morimoto but since both locations have closed.

One day we took a trip specifically to take the kids to the New York Aquarium.  After we walked around Coney Island, enjoyed a hotdog at the original Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs and walked down by the beach.  The Bronx Zoo is also in this vicinity.  We always wanted to go and never made it.

I was a huge fan of Sex and the City years ago and always intended to map out a self guided tour to do and never did.  If you google tours there are many to choose from still to this day or you can use their itinerary to make your own self guided tour.  I did stop in the Magnolia Bakery while I was there.