New York City
View of the city from Top of The Rock!
January 2023, I took a girl’s trip to NYC with my family. My mom and my mother-in-law were there. My sister in laws, my niece and a few other family friends all went for a long weekend as most of us had never been. Ok, so I have technically been to New York City once before but it was in high school and we stayed in New Jersey and then came into the city and we only came into the city for one day. Meaning, we did not come at night so I had never seen the city lights before. So, in my mind this trip was my first time visiting the city. One of my sisters in law has been to NYC many times and she was our quote-on-quote tour guide. She planned everything for our group of ten. This was so helpful because without her and her knowledge of the city it would have been very hard for us to maneuver around the city not knowing how anything worked.
So, this trip was your quintessential tourist visits New York City trip. Our goal was to go and see all the things that you hear about in New York. We rode the subways, went to Grand Central Station, went to Times Square, we saw the 9/11 memorial, we went to the Top of the Rock, we saw a couple landmarks from Sex and the City, we went to China town, and we saw The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. So, if you are taking your first trip to NYC or you have been a few times but maybe not done something that we did on this trip don’t worry I’m going to tell you a little about all of these so you can experience it like we did!
Subway platform
One thing that would have been very difficult and I’m quite sure we would have gone the wrong direction was the subways. Living in North Carolina I have absolutely no experience or knowledge of subways. Riding the subways in NYC could be its own blog post but for now I will leave that to the pros as I need more experience under my belt to talk to you more about that. What I do know is where you wait to get onto the train is called a platform. And there are platforms that go uptown and ones that go downtown. So, it would be very easy if you are not sure which train to be on that you are on the wrong side of the subway. And if you are on the wrong side of the subway you have to go back up the stairs and go to the correct entrance and go back down because there is nowhere to cross the tracks at. Not to mention you have to read the signs and know the streets you are getting off at. Thank goodness we had my sister in laws knowledge because we would have probably never figured it out. Let me take that back, we would have figured it out because we would have had to do our research before we went. But if I go back in the future which I would love to visit again I will have to make sure that I do my research on how to make sure that I know which direction I am going and what street I am getting off at. Because just writing this my brain is confused, haha!
Times Square!
Times Square, is just how it looks on television. It is very crowded, there are hotdog vendors on the streets, lots of tourist shops to go into and huge screens all around you advertising everything. It is a really cool experience to have and its different in the day verse nighttime. When you are there at night time it is so bright and there are so many people out at all hours its crazy. It may be 10pm and you would think its 5pm and work has just ended with the amount of people walking around. As always where ever you go you should always be aware of your surroundings and make sure that you are being safe. When walking around New York in general if you are a tourist, I would recommend carrying a cross body bag with your bag in the front of your body. This is helpful for a few reasons. One, it is smaller and when you are squeezing in between people all over the city you will not bump into others. Two, it is small and close to your body making it not as easy for someone to potentially pick pocket you. And in my opinion, it is just easier to have your hands free and not have to worry about carrying a shoulder purse, especially if it is cold and you want your hands in your pockets.
9/11 Memorial
The 9/11 Memorial is something that everyone should see atleast once in their life. It is a somber moment of your visit to walk the ground there where everything took place that day in 2001. The memorial is at the sight of The World Trade Towers and it contains the names of 2,983 victims of the 1993 and 2001 attacks. If you visit you may see white roses scattered about the memorial. These white roses are placed at the name of the victims who have a birthday that day. To see this sight with your own eyes is something that as an American I believe is important. For me walking around the memorial the morning we went was a time of reflection to take in exactly what I was seeing and what happened at that spot in years past. It was a time of reflection and prayer for me. There is also a museum that you can visit, unfortunately we were unable to visit the day that we were there but that is something that I have on my list to see in the future.
Top of The Rock with mom!
70 floors above Rockefeller Center, Top of The Rock is a sight to see! There is 360 degree unobstructed views of the city. There are 3 levels of indoor and outdoor decks to see the views from. General admission tickets are Adult - $40, Child (6-12) $34 and Senior (62+) $38. You can visit daily from 9am to midnight and you can stay as long as you would like. It is best to buy your tickets online so you are not waiting in line at the box office. When you purchase your ticket you select a time that you can enter for your visit. They do understand that plans change so if you need to change your time slot you can do so up to 24 hours before your visit. Please know that if you come at Primetime as they call it, which is just the most popular times people want to visit there is an additional $15 per ticket fee. These times would be from 5pm to 8pm. There is also an option called Express Pass if you would like this for your visit. You will get immediate entry at any time of the day, priority elevator access and 20% discount at the gift shop. I will say when our group went we did go during this primetime so we paid the uncharge. However, it was so worth it! It is considered Primetime because during these times the sun is starting to set and all I can say is wow! The views are amazing and you will have to claim your spot to see that magic moment the sun goes down as there are lots of people waiting to get that perfect picture. Some with professional cameras and others with phones like us. When you arrive you will make your way through a security line with a metal detector for everyones safety. After this you will wind your way through a line where you can take a picture as if you are enjoying lunch on a metal beam all that way up in the air. Next thing that is important to note is if you scared of elevators then this part will be a little scary but it will be over in a flash! Once you step inside the elevator and you start making your way up and if you look above you, you will see the inside of the elevator shaft and a movie like clip playing on the glass ceiling. The lights will go dark at this point so that is a good thing to be prepared for if you're nervous. It is a quick 42 second elevator ride so it will be over quick. Once at the top like I said before the views are something that you have to see if you are in the city! Once at the top you will be able to see Central Park, The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty to just name a few views. If you have never had the chance to experience this when in New York before next time please check it out, it is really worth the time and money!
Mom at Carrie’s Apartment from Sex and The City!
If you are a Sex and the City fan then a quick train ride from Times Square you can get to The West Village at 64 Perry Street and see the infamous front steps to Carrie’s apartment. This is a private residence and the owners have a chain at the bottom of the steps asking people to respect their property and not come up the steps for pictures. I totally get this and I would feel the same if I lived there but just seeing it if you are a fan was really cool! You can always do like my mom and I did and go down a couple apartments and take a picture on another set of steps so you have a cool picture to take home. Close by is also Magnolia Bakery. This bakery had a 30 second clip in season three where Carrie and Miranda ate cupcakes outside but since that time the bakery has exploded with popularity. And if you are there for a picture don’t forget to go inside, the deserts they have are delicious!
China town is something that most tourists what to go to and see. If you are wanting to take home souvenirs to friends and family this is the place to buy them. They are cheaper than in Times Square. It is also a cool place to visit as there is so much culture there to see it all is really something! The most important part of going to China town however is……the food! Make sure you eat while you are there. I would recommend the dumplings. O my goodness I cannot explain to you how amazing they are. I have never tasted anything like them before, they were life changing! And we even had some in our group that do not like food like that and when they tried the dumplings they were in love. So if you get nothing else out of this post, make sure you remember to eat the dumplings in China town when your in New York next!
Mom and I enjoying Grand Central Station!
Grand Central Station, wow! This is just as cool as it looks in the movies and it has been in a lot of movies. There are so many people moving about and getting from point A to point B it is really cool to just spend a little time there looking at everything and taking it all in. We went so we could see what it looked like and to take a picture of course. Its definetaly something to mark off your bucket list of New York.
Phantom of the Opera!
Last thing to tell you guys about is Broadway. Half of our group had seen a Broadway show and the other half had not. We saw Phantom of the Opera while we were there and wow is all I can say! I was so excited to see a show and I knew that it was going to be amazing but it truly is something that everyone needs to experience atleast once. Tickets are expensive for sure so prepare yourself for that upfront but the price is worth it. You can do what we did however and go to a matinee and it is usually cheaper. You also need to make sure that you are dressed appropriately. If you go to a matinee show it is not as formal. I wore jeans with my tennis shoes as we had been walking all day, a nice sweater, my pea coat and scarf as it was cold when we visited. If you are going to an evening show then your dress should be nicer and jeans would be too dressed down. So this is something to remember when you are packing before your trip. We sat in the first row of the balcony and it was the best seat in the house in my opinion. You were not blocked by others in front of you, and you could see everything happening from all parts of the stage. I will not go into details of the show as I do not want to ruin it for those that may not know what happens but no matter the show you choose to see while visiting the city you will have a great time! For the time you are in the theater you will forget about the outside world and you will become a total part of the play you are watching!
This was a lot of information to tell you guys about and there are other tourist things that you can see and do while in the city but this was our trip in a nut shell. We wanted to see as much as we could so if we didn’t get to visit again we felt like we really soaked in everything we could of the city in this long weekend! I hope you get to visit New York in your future travels and experience a change of your daily routines. And I hope I could tell you about some cool experiences to add to your list for your visit to make your travel to NYC anything but regular!