I Happen to Like New York {Part 2}

I would start day 2 pretty much like day 1...with a good breakfast. There really isn't a shortage of food options in NYC. Some neighborhoods have a lot fewer, or more expensive, or less delicious options, but you can always find food. We love using Yelp for good suggestions on what to eat in certain neighborhoods. With lots of customer reviews you can generally find something close and quite delicious in any neighborhood.

-Once you feel well-fed you are ready to finish off the touristy stuff on your to-do list! Today start out by heading down to Canal Street where you can buy yourself (and everyone else on your list) an I (heart) NY t-shirt. Here you will find plenty of cheap souvenirs and you are able to barter with most of the vendors in the area. The more you buy, the more you can save. But, BEWARE of really bad knock-offs, especially with the perfume and handbags. There are some good fakes out there but they are pretty tough to find and even the savviest of shoppers end up getting pressured into buying some pretty awful (and super fake) stuff. In my opinion, its way more worth it to save up your pennies and buy the real deal...right across from the World Trade Memorial (see below) there is a store called Century 21 where you can get high-end designer brands for a fraction of the price. Still pricey, but definitely more affordable AND you get the genuine article. None of this Choach or Channel stuff. 

-After walking down (or up) Canal Street, you can head uptown on Broadway and see SOHO (the area SOuth of HOuston). This is a great neighborhood where you will find shops, boutiques and flagship stores for lots of famous designer brands. It also happens to be a great spot for celebrity sightings...in case you are into that kind of thing. If you want to know more, just visit: www.sohonyc.com, where you will find all the information you will need on this chic neighborhood. 

-Once you have gotten your retail fix, you can head back into Chinatown for an authentic dining experience. Our personal favorite happens to be Shanghai Cafe Deluxe (100 Mott St.) where the soupy dumplings and lo mein are fresh and you can feed 2 for under $15. Don't expect great service...just enjoy the food and the experience. Once you have found something to eat (or not) continue downtown to see the 9/11 Memorial Fountains as well as One World Trade Center. A museum also opened in the Spring of 2014. If that is something you would like to see, I would definitely suggest getting tickets in advance because the wait to get in can be quite long...or so I have heard.

-After visiting Ground Zero, you are ready to see the Statue of Liberty. You can see her pretty well from Battery Park city, but I recommend taking a ferry to get a closer look. You can buy tickets in advance to actually go to Liberty Island which includes passage to Ellis Island as well. It is a fun experience but also takes a good chunk out of your day...and if you want to go to the top of the crown, you usually have to buy tickets months in advance. Another option, which is my favorite, and totally free way to see her from afar is by taking the Staten Island Ferry. They leave every 30 minutes and you get to rest your feet! When I started doing this 10 years ago, it wasn't as well known and you could always get a good look at the statue. Now, more people seem to be savvy on the idea of saving time and money so sometimes you've got to elbow your way in for a picture or two. Once they start letting you on-- head to the right, in an orderly and civilized manner (of course), and you shouldn't have a problem getting a prime spot. The back of the ferry is also awesome for a great view of the lower Manhattan cityscape. Staten Island is mostly residential, and unless you have some friends you want to visit, you probably want to hop off the ferry and hop right back on.

-Once you arrive safe and sound back on Manhattan soil, I suggest taking a bike ride. There are lots of companies you can rent bikes from in this area, usually they charge anywhere from $10-$20 per hour. But, in 2013, NYC jumped on the bike-share band wagon (finally!) and put little stations with rentable Citi Bikes all over downtown and parts of Brooklyn (and some expansions into Queens and uptown coming this year) where you can rent the bikes for a flat fee of $10 for 24 hours. Now, unless you have a yearly pass the bikes are only yours for 30 minutes - but we are usually able to find another station and re-rent another bike pretty quickly. It sounds tedious, but after doing it once or twice it becomes easier and it is a fun way to see more of the city aaand its a lot quicker than walking. The closest bike stations to the ferries are located at either Bus Slip & State St. or South St. & Whitehall St. (map of stations found here: www.citibikenyc.com/stations).  I really love riding around the South Street area. South Street Seaport used to be NYC's big fish market, but has since turned into a dock for boats and a shopping center. Although there isn't much there besides water taxi tours and shopping it's a great place to find a bathroom - which doesn't come easy in Manhattan, trust me. You can also get great views of Brooklyn and the bridges of downtown Manhattan - great spot for pictures! If you want to get cheap tickets to a Broadway Musical or Play you may have heard of the TKTS booth. There is a booth located in Times Square, but the lines can be pretty brutal. We have had great luck at the South Street Seaport booth (on the corner of Front and John streets) where the same shows are available at a heavily discounted price. Just remember, tickets are for shows that night or matinees the next day and they aren't open all day. Visit their website for more information: www.tdf.org.

If you wanted to, from here you could ride your bike across the Brooklyn Bridge or take a more adventurous ride through the city to the Williamsburg Bridge. Both letting you out into cool parts of Brooklyn. Williamsburg is great for food and people watching, while downtown Brooklyn gets you Grimaldi's pizza - delicious whole pies, no slices and expect a wait - and Barclays Center, if you really venture in. Both places will provide you a place to return your bikes and public transportation close so you can get back to Manhattan fast.

If you didn't see Times Square last night, now is the time to make a quick stop and enjoy some of the city's finest people watching.

Are you tired yet? I'm exhausted just talking about it! If you are looking for some more local experiences - look at my breakdown of day 3. 

I Happen to Like New York {Part 1}

It is no surprise that I have liked living in New York City more than Benson has. Although he enjoyed being here, I don't think he finds it quite as charming as I do. I'm super excited about our big move to the D.C. area, and I honestly welcome the change, but I can't help but feel a little nostalgic and sappy as I look back on our time in NYC.

Lately I have been in contact with lots of friends and friends of friends (serious amounts of friends) who want advice on traveling to the city. While I don't consider myself a Big Apple expert, I do know a few things and don't mind sharing what knowledge I do have. So, in the spirit of letting the NY memories live on, I want to write about some of my favorite city sights, eats, activities, etc. - maybe even give a few of my favorite itineraries for when visitors come sans plans.

This post will focus on getting all the touristy stuff out in a day or two, so you can use the rest of your time more wisely and see the stuff that really makes NY the real deal. When people come and see us I always tell them to make a list of what they want to do/see. This is what the list almost always looks like (more or less depending on their personal interests):

-Statue of Liberty
-9/11 Memorial
-Empire State Building
-China Town (knock off bags - don't do it!)
-Central Park
-Ride in a taxi
-Eat a hot dog
-Eat some pizza
-Eat some cheesecake
-Get an I love NY shirt
-Shopping
-See a Broadway (always with the side note - if we can get cheap tickets - ha!)
-See the Mormon Temple
-Brooklyn Bridge
-Metropolitan Museum of Art
-Anything you guys think is cool and isn't "touristy"

I always laugh at that last one. Sometimes, people come to visit and that last one is all that they have on their list...and I want to say, "I charge a hefty fee for planning your entire visit. So pay up or make some of your own choices, dang it!" Anyway, I have gotten pretty good at seeing the basic "touristy" stuff super fast. Depending on when you start and how much stamina your group has, you could do it all in one day. I will lay it out in three days so that I can throw in a few of those non-touristy activities that I think are cool.

*FYI - we live in Washington Heights (up above Harlem) so my schedule works from uptown to downtown and then into the other boroughs. Feel free to get creative and start somewhere else if you are staying in other parts of the city.

Day 1
-Start out the day at a diner - every neighborhood should have one. If not, the delis and guys in the carts make killer ham, egg and cheese sandwiches.

-First stop, Mormon Temple on 66th and Broadway

-Once you've awed at how much it doesn't look like a Mormon Temple and snapped a few pics, head across the street the see Lincoln Center - the grounds of Juilliard and the Metropolitan Opera House, just for some culture.

-Head east to Central Park. After walking into the park there are quite a few maps accessible to visitors. There are lots of great things to do while in the park - some of our favorites include: Bike rental and riding, Turtle Pond, boating on the "lake", picnics in Sheep's Meadow, Belvedere Castle, and so much more! But, at this point you could also go and check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 81st and 5th Avenue. Just make sure you plan to have a good two hours, it's hard to want to leave once you go inside...

We stumbled upon this skating party in Central Park and stayed to
watch for 20 minutes. You never know what you might see! 

-If you skip out on the museum and once you've had your Central Park fill head to the East side of the park and come out somewhere on 5th Avenue.

-Walk down 5th Avenue towards 42nd St. While you trot down this famous and fancy street you can get some of that "shopping" done (don't worry, if Louis Vuitton and Bergdorf Goodman aren't your thing there are plenty of budget friendly shops). Also, don't forget to stop and see Rockefellar Square (huge Christmas tree and ice skating from November to January) and across 5th Ave you can enjoy self-guided tour of the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral.

-Once you are on 42nd and 5th you might be getting hungry for some lunch. Head to any corner cart to try that hot dog you've always wanted...or, for those with finer taste, head to Grand Central Terminal - 42nd and Vanderbilt - where you can admire the gigantic ceilings, whisper to each other from the corners of the outer corridors and head to the basement for a variety of delicious NY eats. We personally like Shake Shack (a real must-have in my humble opinion), Two Boots Pizzeria (go inside and order a whole pie, you won't regret it), and Magnolia Bakery (skip the cupcakes and get the blueberry cheesecake, its worth the $8).

         

-Once you are back outside, head west on 42nd Street and either go to Times Square (I think it is cooler at night though) or head to the famous NY Public Library to see yet another beautifully built, historical building in NYC. If that isn't your thing, no problem. Keep walking down 5th Ave (the street numbers should be counting down...).

-Once you get to 34th and 5th you will see the Empire State Building...if just seeing it is enough for you this area is another good one for shopping. Walking west on 34th you will see plenty of stores worth checking out, although lots are repeats from 5th ave...until you get to Macy's. It's huge, and totally overwhelming, but some people love it. My favorite thing to do in the store is find the old wooden escalator and take a ride or two.

*Side Note: This neighborhood is also a crafters dream. The garment district is technically between 34th and 42nd streets between 5th and 9th ave. A few of my visitors have been especially interested in Mood the fabric store made famous by Project Runway. Around Mood (37th St. btwn 7th and 8th Ave - on the 3rd floor) there are lots of other specialty shops that I happen to think are amazing. If you are shopping for notions, there are stores dedicated solely to each and every one. Stores that have only buttons and zippers, elastic and ribbons. Even a warehouse that sells only spandex. I got the fabric for my wedding dress (not spandex, although that would have been neat) in one of the shops around the area for $10/yard and couldn't find it anywhere in Utah for less than $25/yard. It really is amazing.

-Once you have made your way west around the 34th Street area, head on down to 30th and 10th Ave. so you can walk the High Line. Originally a freight rail line, this elevated park is truly amazing. You can choose to walk all the way down to 14th street  or use one of the other exits on your way, but don't miss the vendors as you go. Most are located at the lower end of the park (closer to the 14th Street entrance) and are seriously worth a visit or two...seriously. Our favorites are Newyorkina and Melt Bakery (best ice cream sandwiches around), but the others won't really disappoint, in all honesty.

  

-If you exit down by 14th street and you are looking for more treats, I would suggest checking out Chelsea Market. It's home to plenty of good eats, an Anthropology and a store front that usually holds a sample sale for some cool, designer clothing company.

-Once you are back outside head east on 14th street towards 8th ave. There you can take the subway and head on uptown, or you can continue walking down towards Union Square. If it isn't too late in the day you can enjoy the beautiful farmer's market (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) or check out the other vendors selling art and jewelry. From November to December there is also a cool holiday market where you can buy unique gifts from independent vendors. If you are in town during the winter months and looking for something cool to take home, this is a great place to stop.

-Are you exhausted yet? Because there is one last place I hope you can stop before you call it an evening. If it is cold outside, don't miss out on some seriously rich hot chocolate at Max Brenner (on Broadway btwn 14th and 13th) and then head over to Strand Books (Broadway and 12th) where any bibliophile might feel like they have died and gone to literary heaven. They don't have every book, but I can almost 100% guarantee that they have at least one book for every human being...and that is pretty impressive. You can also pick up a cool Strand Books tote as a souvenir and voila! You have a non-traditional souvenir from NYC that the locals use too.

-IF you are really feeling adventurous, head on up to 42nd street and Broadway so you can experience Times Square at night. Most retail in the area is open 24 hours a day so you won't miss out on anything once you get there. If it isn't too late and you are looking for a chance to snag some delicious Italian food, there is an Olive Garden right in Times Square! Super kidding. Please try not to eat at any restaurant you can find back home...for a real NYC experience, try John's Pizzeria (on 44th btwn 7th and 8th ave) where they do whole pies, no slices. These brick oven pizzas, made to order with fresh dough and homemade tomato sauce are no joke. Plus, the restaurant is located in a super cool old building that used to be a church and a theater. Seriously, it's a great dining experience.

-Now, after the sensory overload you've just experienced, you should be tuckered out and headed home for the night. Go enjoy the best night's sleep you have every had so you can get up and be back at it tomorrow morning!


A Few More Pointers:
-We have found that the Google Maps app on our phones gets us anywhere we need to go in the city. You can even specify whether you want walking directions OR public transit directions and they are pretty spot on. You also don't need to know a specific address. Just put in the name of your destination, ex: Times Square, and it will get you there!
-Also, if something on my list above doesn't make you swoon its no prob. You can easily leave out something you don't want to do and plug in something that fits your agenda better. Just do your research beforehand so that you don't spend your day traveling from one place to another place and then back to the same place again.

Sometimes, I just imagine that they are singing to me and not Judy Garland...