***Just got around to finishing this blog – actual trip Sept. 16-18th***
Last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the Big Apple. I believe 1995 was the last time I went there, so it felt like the first time, and it is way better going there as an adult. I am very grateful for having a great travel partner who enjoys going to different attractions and packing in as much stuff as possible. Oh, and a big thank you goes out to Spirit Airlines for posting very affordable travel deals. I am not going to go into a novel about everything we did, but I will write about my favorite experiences.
Times Square
On our first night, we were very fortunate that our Friday hotel was a block or two away from Times Square. When we landed on Saturday, we took a shuttle to our hotel and then we walked for 5 to 10 minutes and we were at the center of it all…bright lights, street vendors hustling, rat man, naked cowboy, police officers…it was so fast paced. We had a bite to eat at this pizza place called Rays…very yummy.
Double Decker (Deck-a) Tour Bus
I know they are very touristy, but I love double decker busses. It is truly the best way to see the city, especially when you have limited time.
Top of the Rock
Unbelievable views of the city: Central Park, Empire State Building, St. Patrick Cathedral, etc. If you visit the NYC…it is a must see!
Ground Zero
When you see the coverage on TV it is sad, when you see ground zero in person it is humbling and overwhelming. We first walked around St. Paul’s Church, which survived the attack, there were ribbons everywhere, family and friends wrote special messages to the victims. Inside there were memorials and memorial altar. The week before was the 10 year anniversary of 9-11 and they opened the memorial fountains on that day. We didn’t know that you needed to pre-order tickets, so we were unable to see the fountains, but we did see a bit of them from a catwalk at the World Financial building nearby. We also walked by the fire station and they had a poster of the firefighters who lost their lives. So very sad.
Trump Tower
My friend is obsessed with Donald Trump, so we visited the building where they film The Apprentice. The inside is Gold and Black, it’s over the top. There are display cases featuring everything Donald Trump….Trump Ties, Trump chocolate, Trump Books, Pens, Cuff Links…. Of course there was a restaurant/bar…can you guess the name? Trump Bar!
China Town
Saturday hotel rates are insane, the cheapest hotel we found was in ChinaTown. Being from South Florida, you don’t see a huge Chinese population…everything and I mean everything was written in Chinese. There were fruit stands everywhere, dirty restaurants and a constant smell of fish. I have to say that I enjoyed it though.
Broadway
We had the intention of seeing Rock of Ages, but unfortunately they were only selling individual seats. In the center of Times Square you can by 1/2 price tickets to select shows. We opted to see Chicago with American Idol’s Kara Diaguardi. It was fun and actually very good. When we left, we were on a quest to find food and we were walking by the Addams Family and we spotted a bunch of people waiting for the stars to come out….we just made it because we saw Brooke Shields!!! We did end up finding an awesome Scottish bar to eat…the food was so good.
Churches
I love churches…we stopped at St. Patrick’s Cathedral…which is amazing! A couple was getting married…that would be such a magical place to get hitched! I lit a candle in memory of the people I have lost…I felt very spiritual there. On our tour bus, I saw a multitude of beautiful churches with such great architectual character.
Central Park
We decided to take a bike ride around Central Park. I have to say that this probably the most enjoyable thing that we did! It was in the upper 50’s lower 60’s which was perfect. I had some issues with the uphill parts, but for the most part it was a peaceful ride. We saw so many people running and walking their dogs….that’s the life! We were stuck riding alongside the Breast Cancer walk which made navigation hard. We were on a mission to find the fountain that the show Friends’ intro was filmed, we found a beautiful fountain but later learned that was the wrong fountain. We played frisbee and just enjoyed our surroundings.
In closing, I really had a great time! I wish I had more $$$ and time!
Starry Musings 