Four Nights in New York
We headed straight out to explore the area and get our bearings. I had planned a route before we left and we made our way up 8th Avenue up to 48th Street where I wanted to see the memorial to FDNY Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9 who lost the most members on 9/11. There is a beautiful memorial and we really felt the need to go and pay our respects before we began our New York adventure.
Before we left home we had been keeping an eye on the weather as it had been bitterly cold on the run up to our trip and on the day we arrived it was -10c. Walking into Times Square is something that I’ll never forget… it’s the only place I have ever been where you need sunglasses at night! The lights are amazing and to stand on the Red Steps looking out over Times Square was quite surreal. We headed back to the hotel and had $1 a slice pizza for tea… and the slices are huge!
Next morning, we went straight round to the cute coffee shop next door, where everything was $2 plus tax, for a coffee fix and of course the obligatory New York bagel. Had to also sample a blueberry muffin too so breakfast for 2 came in at just over $11, not bad for NYC!
First thing on our list was the hop on/hop off bus. We'd purchased New York Passes before we travelled to give us access to lots of the main attractions and sights at a much-reduced cost. We worked out that we had saved over half the cost of paying for things individually whilst there so a great buy for us as first-time visitors!
We used the HOHO bus to head downtown to the financial district and onto the 9/11 memorial/museum etc. The bus was great, and it made getting to know the city very easy. The guides are excellent and locals, so they have a lot of insider knowledge. We headed down past the Flatiron Building (one of my favourite buildings – Google it and you’ll see why!) before reaching City Hall. We jumped off the bus and headed down to the World Trade Center site. It’s really hard to believe the two massive towers that stood in that small area. It’s quite serene and wasn’t what I expected at all. It was very respectful though. We went straight to the museum and used our passes for entry. Even now security is still very high in the area (and in NYC in general) so you’ll constantly be going through scanners, bag checks etc. It became normal as our stay progressed. The museum is built into the concourse area that used to run under the WTC. The remains of a fire truck with the back end twisted and mangled is something that I’ll never forget. We spent a little time at the reflection pools where all the names of those lost are inscribed on the outer of the pools.
We then headed back to Wall Street for photos and back onto the bus to go back up to Midtown. The bus took us back to Times Square where we decided to go and check out Juniors Cheesecake. We walked into what looked like a real old-fashioned US 50s style diner. We were seated straight away, and I decided on strawberry milkshake and chocolate mousse cheesecake. It wasn’t the cheapest meal in the world at just under $20 for the 2 items, but it was worth every penny. I would go as far as saying that the milkshake was the best I’ve ever had! We finished our afternoon at a little Irish bar across from Juniors where we enjoyed the local Brooklyn lager (highly recommend) before heading back to the hotel. Our hotel had a great rooftop bar that encircles the entire roof so you can get great skyline photos of the city without having to go far at all. In the summer it would be fabulous to sit up there with a cocktail and take in the view.
The next day we were booked onto the Best of NYC river cruise (also part of our NY Pass) so after a late brunch we took the short walk to the Pier. Chunks of ice had formed in the Hudson and East Rivers and our cruise was supposed to go around the entire island of Manhattan but because of the ice they could only go so far along each, but it was still a fabulous trip. The guide was funny and informative, making this a trip I would do every time we're in the city.
We then popped to the next pier and visited the Intrepid Air, Space and Sea museum much to Andy’s delight (this was also included on our New York pass so even when we hadn’t planned on going, we could throw in extra things when we wanted to).
Our last day in New York was visiting all of the Midtown sights including the top of the Empire State Building, seeing the Chrysler Building, visiting the New York Public Library (anyone who is a Ghostbusters fan will understand!) then to Grand Central Station which has the most amazing food court with every type of food that you can imagine… I was desperate to try authentic tacos so took the opportunity to find a great little place whilst in Grand Central to give them a go.
Then it was on to Top of the Rock, where you can view the city with the Empire State Building in the skyline. You can also see further North to Central Park which is a pretty spectacular sight too! I preferred Empire State Building and Andy preferred Top of the Rock.
Our final night in NYC was spent at the Theatre where we had pre-booked tickets to go and see Jersey Boys just off Broadway. We were on the balcony which gave us an excellent view of the stage and I have to say that this finished our stay off perfectly.
Getting around was super easy as most of the time you could walk everywhere (definitely pack comfy footwear) but cabs and Uber are easy and reasonable and if you wanted to be a bit more adventurous the Subway is a cheap and simple way to get around, especially on longer journeys. We didn’t eat at many restaurants because to be perfectly honest we were so tired from all the sightseeing that most of the time we grabbed a takeaway on our way back to the hotel. I’d highly recommend 9th Avenue/Hell’s Kitchen for food as there is every cuisine you can think of and much better value than eating on and around Times Square and only a couple of blocks over.
I loved NYC and can’t wait until we get to go back again!