We went full-tourist when we visited New York both in 2015 for a friend’s wedding and when we celebrated New Year’s 2017/2018 with our friends from Iceland. The northeastern United States has such an interesting and diverse history. There are still so many places we need to visit in the area. The trip in 2015 was during the spring, and the weather was gorgeous. The second trip, well, was cold. But, it was still such a great time seeing the sights, having a few drinks, and catching up with some of our dearest friends.
Pre-trip Notes
At the time, we found using public transportation was always faster than Ubers. Also, we are insanely jealous of the public transportation (cough cough…looking at you, Houston).
What We Did
Wall Street (’15): We mostly stopped in to see the Charging Bull (Nick insisted to “grab it by the horns”) and Fearless Girl statues. On the same street is also where the Standard Oil building is located (26 Broadway).
Statue of Liberty (’15): The weather was super windy and rainy, but I’m glad we visited. The copper statue was designed and gifted by the French to the American people in 1886. For about $25/adult, we visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island via one of the National Park ferries. If you want to visit the crown of the statue, you’ll have to book far in advance. So, obviously we didn’t make it to the top. It’s definitely worth a visit at least once.
Ellis Island (’15): We could have spent so much more time here! We know our families immigrated through here at some point, so we took our time perusing the museum and shuffling through the computer database with our last remaining minutes. It was so impactful seeing the spaces our ancestors once occupied and the tests they had to overcome while vying for a better life in the U.S.
NBC Studio and Radio City Music Hall (’15): We mostly circled the main level and the network of shops and restaurants underground in hopes we’d see someone famous (we didn’t...).
The Book of Mormon on Broadway (’15): We love South Park, and all of our friends raved about this musical. Honestly, it didn’t live up to the hype. But it was still a nice show to see while visiting the city.
Flatiron Building (’15 and ’17): Even just looking from afar, we had to visit the iconic 1902 build designed by Chicago’s Daniel Burnham.
Time Square (’15 and ‘17): Now closed off to traffic, the iconic space is splashed with colorful electronic ads making it quite the site to see.
Grand Central Terminal (’15 and 17): We had to visit the famed train station featured in so many cinematic moments, even if it was just to sit on one of the benches for a short while.
Empire State Building (’17): For $38? Yea, okay, we’ll go to the main deck. The building was once the world’s tallest from about 1931–1966. I’m really glad we visited at night, because NYC has such a colorful skyline.
One World Trade Center, 9/11 Memorial, and Westfield Mall (’15 and ’17): We really wanted to visit the 9/11 Memorial after having “lived through it” during junior high and high school (to be clear, we merely experienced it through the news). We all remember where we were and what we were doing on that fateful day. Everyone really should visit (if able). Afterwards, we checked out the Westfield Mall to admire the incredibly unique architecture both inside and out.
Central Park (’15 and ’17): During the 2015 spring trip we obviously walked around quite a bit. Honestly, we walked most of the park, including the perimeter. It was designed by Fredrick Law Olmsted and “completed” in 1876. Having blasted away dirt to expose bedrock and creating a space that would grow into Olmsted’s ultimate vision of the 843 acre space, Central Park (to this day) is undoubtedly one of the greatest feats in landscape architecture.
Boat rental: Nick loves to row, so here we were, in a boat in Central Park. For $15/hour (cash only), we actually had a lot of fun. It was during our boat ride that we got a better appreciation for being inside a massive park in the middle of the most populated city in the U.S.
Rockefeller Center ice-skating (’15 and ’17): We saw the Rockefeller Center on both trips, and it was a cool building to see. And, it was really neat seeing the MASSIVE tree during the holidays. We did partake in ice-skating, you know, to say we did it. It was fun, don’t get me wrong, but the ice skates are basically made of plastic with no insulation, and it was frigidly cold that year (thank you, polar vortex). We spent about $33/person (general admission) at the end of December. The little girl in line ahead of us summed it up perfectly, “Mom, you mean to tell me that we’re skating during the coldest AND most expensive time?” I was the big baby of the group. Nick and Kari had a great time and didn’t have an issue with the cold, and I’m pretty sure G was just being nice by suggesting we go get some coffee. Thanks, G.
NYE restaurant/party ('17): This was a much nicer way to celebrate NYC NYE, rather than standing in the freezing weather in Time Square all day. Those people are stuck in there once you enter (no bathroom or food) - Nope. Our dinner/evening cost was $200-300/person, which included a several-course meal and unlimited drinks. And to top it off, about 30 minutes prior to midnight, the organizers took us to Time square to get a good view of the countdown/ball drop. It was really cool! The safety precautions were insane, but it made me feel better. There were huge trucks blocking off every single cross street with the Time Square area, and we had to prove where we were going in order to get through to our party.
Food
BXL Zoute (’17): We stopped in for a couple drinks to escape the cold. It’s a really nice place with excellent beer.
Hometown Hot Pot and BBQ (’17): It was our first hot pot experience, and we loved it. Even if it isn’t this place specifically, you should give hot pot a try!
Tavern on the Green, Central Park (’15 and ’17): We enjoyed a couple of drinks outdoors in 2015, and then a few more indoors in 2017. It’s a nice spot conveniently located within Central Park.
O’Haras: We got some beers here outside of the WTC. This pub really showed solidarity of our nation with first responder patches on the walls from every state in the union.
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