I hadn't expected to find myself in New York this year, but somehow it happened, and I'm perfectly okay with that. Come to think of it, all of the trips I took this year were relatively unplanned - I only made up my mind about them a few months before. That was certainly the case for going back to New York, which I bought flights for back in August (not long after coming home from Disney World either. I really don't know why it's so hard for me to sit still, but oh well).
Anyway, this was my third time in New York, and while I did revisit some familiar places, I also got to check out some areas I hadn't been to before. Here's a short recap of my four days in the city that never sleeps.
This was my mom's first time in the city (which was actually my excuse for booking the trip in the first place), so I thought it'd be nice to start with a great view to get the feel of where we were. Top of the Rock is the perfect place for that, of course. It was my second time there, and I was once again awed at how beautiful the skyline looks against the clouds. You can see the Empire State building from here of course, but also the One World building (near the center to the right) and, if you look closely, the Statue of Liberty even further away.
We then visited Hillsong Church, which is one of my favorite things to do if I happen to be in New York on a Sunday. Afterwards, we grabbed some food and explored Rockefeller Center and TImes Square, which happened to be the area of our hotel. I'd heard a lot of things about avoiding a hotel in Times Square, but I actually really liked it. Our room wasn't noisy at all, and it was so convenient to be near so many shops and restaurants. Times Square is definitely overwhelming and I used to avoid stopping there more than once, but I got so used to it during this trip, that I might actually like it just a little bit more. You truly do see all kinds of people there.
The next morning, we walked the Brooklyn Bridge! This was my first time seeing this bridge in person, and my first time in Brooklyn at all, and neither of those experiences disappointed. I loved walking the bridge. It was an incredible view, of course, and it was nice to do one thing for a long time without worrying about the next activity for awhile. In Brooklyn, we headed straight to Dumbo because I really wanted to visit the Feed Shop Cafe, since I really like that brand and I'd never been to what used to be there only physical store. We then walked a few blocks to an area with a perfect backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge. This is also in Dumbo, and you don't have to walk very far to find it.
Next we headed to catch the Staten Island ferry, which gives you a nice, free view of the Statue of Liberty. This was also a first time experience for me, and I liked how easy and calm it was (aside from scrambling to find a good spot on a certain side of the ferry). I'd never seem the statue that close up before, so it was nice to be able to get a few pictures.
There she is in all her glory, with a helicopter overhead.
Another neat thing about the Staten Island ferry is you also get a lovely view of Manhattan, pictured above.
Afterwards, we headed to the World Trade Center. i didn't get many photos here, since I'd already been a few times before. Must stop spots are the 9/11 memorial of course (never fails to make me cry), the Oculus, and Century 21, which is across the street from the WTC.
That night, I also went to Broadway for the first time! We stood in line at a TKTS booth near Brooklyn (which has much shorter lines than the Times Square one, by the way) to get discounted tickets for Anastasia, and it was so worth it. I really wanted to go to a Broadway show this time because I hadn't yet, but also because since it got dark so early in NYC (about 4:45pm every day), it was good to have some sort of activity that didn't require daylight for the evening.
The next day was a packed one, so bear with me. We got tickets to see Live with Kelly and Ryan several weeks ago, so our morning started before 7am, as we waited in line to see the show (which featured Michael Bublé who of course performed a Christmas song). It was so worth it though! I'd never been to any sort of live taping before, so it was neat to see how it all really happens. Central Park was only a block away from the studio, so we headed there afterwards to see all the gorgeous fall colors.
Guys, I don't ever see colors like this here in Houston (save for the occasional orange tree), so Central Park in the fall was an absolute dream.
I mean, look how red those leaves are! Is it obvious I'm a lifelong Texan yet...?
After grabbing some lunch, we headed to a nearby museum my mom wanted to visit, and caught sight of the lovely Guggenheim museum on the way.
We also managed to catch the sunset right over the Onassis reservoir in Central Park, which has to be one of my favorite spots in the entire park.
From there, we headed to Grand Central. It's so convenient to head straight there on your way to the NYPL, since the station is for both trains and the subway. So of course, afterwards we walked the two or so blocks to the library.
the beautiful ceiling of Grand Central
the NYPL is already prepared for Christmas
probably my favorite photo I took on my iPhone.
I didn't even realize this couple was in the shot like that until afterwards.
Afterwards, it was back to the hotel so we could change for our activity that night: a show at the Metropolitan Opera. I'd never been to an opera before, so just listening to the incredible vocals and being in that beautiful building made walking in the cold in a dress worth it (dressing up isn't required, but is there really any proper excuse not to?). The show was in French, although they do provide English subtitles (Les Pecheurs des Perles, aka The Pearl Fishers). While the story wasn't my favorite, it was an incredible experience that I'm glad we made time for.
You would think we would have taken it easy on our last day before heading back, but as much as we meant to, we ended up doing a lot of things anyway. Since the next day was the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, the balloons were getting blown up that day, and a walkway was set up for anyone who wanted to walk through to see it. The walkway took longer than I expected, but it was pretty neat to see some of the iconic balloons like Charlie Brown and the Pillsbury dough boy right before they took flight the next morning.
heading to see the balloons in the Upper West Side
Kevin Jonas took his family to see the Paw Patrol balloon getting blown up that day too,
so you could say I almost met a Jonas brother...
After a stop by Levain Bakery to bring some cookies home for Thanksgiving, we headed back to Houston just in time for the holiday. Well actually, we did miss our flight (might have been due to my need for Levain bakery cookies just as much as the terrible traffic!), but after getting rebooked we managed to make it home just in time for a whole lot of baking and eating. :)
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