Headed to NYC

Good morning! I am on a plane bound for New York City by way of Newark, New Jersey! This time 3 years ago, I got on a plane for the very, very first time! My mom & I flew to New York City, and it changed my life forever. I was immediately in love with New York, flying, and traveling! The rest, they say, is history! I am so excited to be heading back to where it all started! I'd planned to share about our trip to Seattle while we are gone, but I've decided to take a week off & just enjoy the week! In the meantime you can follow along on our trip on my Instagram & Facebook page (follow buttons to the right), and enjoy the photos from our last trip below.. I hope you have a great week! See you in a jiff NYC!

9/11 Memorial 

Cathedral of St. John the Divine 

 Views of Lower Manhattan from the Empire State Building

 Grand Central Station

 Radio City Music Hall

 Central Park

Do you recognize this bridge from the movie Elf?

Views of Central Park & Upper Manhattan from Rockefeller Center

NYC Wrap Up

Welcome to New York City, it's been waiting for you! I can't believe I've already shared so much from our New York City trip with you! It's been so fun to relive the memories, and talk a walk down those city streets again. To wrap things up, I thought I would share a few things to help you plan a trip to THE big city, mostly focusing on Manhattan. I've put together a list of places to stay, restaurant spots, shopping, attractions and more.

Stay
Millennium Broadway Hotel: This was our hotel choice, and it was perfect! The location was right in Times Square, within walking distance to so many places, and the fab Art Deco facade and lobby were picturesque.
Waldorf Astoria New York: Yes, one of the most famous hotels in NYC is atop my list. Before you strike it out, do some research, price checking, and bargain hunting. You can often find amazing deals for this amazing hotel!
Holiday Inn NYC Midtown: This hotel is in an amazing location, and perfect for a budget! It's close to Central Park and Times Square, and it's roof top has a Sex & the City vibe.

Eat
Serendipity: You can't miss out on the famous Frozen Hot Chocolate! The meatloaf is also worth the wait! In a hurry? Grab a package of the hot chocolate to take home for later.
Red Rooster Harlem: This down home, comfort food cafe is perfect for Sunday brunch. Best part, no reservation required!


Shop
Most of our shopping was big box. Next go 'round, I plan to shop quaint little spots & markets.
Bloomingdale's: I loved it for it's Art Deco vibes, amazing store windows, and variety of shopping. It's a great stop on your walk to Serendipity, which is just a few blocks away. They happen to house a Magnolia Bakery as well!
Forever 21 Times Square: Need great little not-so-kitschy souvenirs or an outfit for a night on the town, this is your spot! They sell men's & plus sizes as well.
Macy's Herald Square: Besides amazing sales, you have to check out the original to the building escalator. One of my favorite "historical bit" from our trip. Head in at Christmas time to catch a glimpse of Santa.

See
9/11 Memorial: Take your time here, even walk around the area outside the memorial, reflect. Make the time to go. You won’t regret it.
Top of the Rock: Skip the lines at the Empire State Building, and head to Rockefeller Center for amazing views of Manhattan and beyond. In my opinion, the views here trump the ESB, because you'll see the Empire State Building & Central Park from above.
Central Park: One of my biggest regrets from our time in NYC, not seeing more of Central Park! It's sheer size is incredible to me, and there's so much history here. Take a morning, an afternoon, or even a whole day to explore!

History
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: This world famous museum is chock full of world history. We enjoyed the Egyptian exhibit, but hate we missed The Costume Institute's collection. Plan your visit ahead to decide what your must sees are, or you could find yourself wandering around here for days!
Empire State Building: I said before, I loved the views at Rockefeller Center best, but the ESB is booming with history! Learn historical facts, see famous photographs, and watch videos of it's history on your journey up.
Cathedral of St. John the Divine: This Gothic Revival cathedral has been around since the late 1800s, and is full of some of the most incredible architecture I've ever seen. Take a tour to learn about it's conception, along with it's years long wedding waiting list!

Touristy Musts
Rockefeller Center: Take a stroll through one of New York City's most famous areas along 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Plaza. Sight see, catch an airing of The Today Show, or swipe that credit card at some amazing shops. From there, take a walk Uptown to see The Plaza Hotel, Tiffany's, and Central Park.
Statue of Liberty: Whether you catch views of Lady Liberty from shore or ride out to her island, you won't want to miss seeing this icon piece of American history.
Good Morning America: Wake up early, and try your hand a being seen on TV! Get there around 6 to get a top spot. Be sure to bring a sign so your friends & family can easily spot you on air.


Of course there are so many other places too see and things to do in New York City, but these are some great highlights I hope you'll enjoy. Thank you again for taking this ride with me! I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. Take a look at all the details of my NYC posts and enjoy a few more photos below. Thank you again for exploring with me!

Trip Highlights
Trip Wrap Up
Bus Tour & City Pass
Planning a NYC Itinerary
Museums
9/11 Memorial
Sweets & Shopping
Rockefeller Center
Empire State Building
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Central Park
Radio City Music Hall + The Rockettes
Broadway Shows

If you are interested in more information on New York City you can contact me here to book your own Big Apple vacation!

Christmas Time in the City

Hey there! I'm just about ready to wrap up our trip to New York City, but I wanted to share one more bit before I did. Our December trip was truly magical with Christmas decorations around every corner & snow flurries falling from the sky! We had the most wonderful time, and I wanted to share that magic of Christmas time in the city with you!

We enjoyed every bit we saw, and since I've been reliving these memories with you, I'm dying to return! Though anytime would be wonderful, in my opinion December is the most magical time to visit. Tomorrow, I'll be wrapping up the trip with my favorite spots to shop, eat, stay, and see. See you back then!

If you are interested in more information on New York City you can contact me here to book your own Big Apple vacation!

NYC Broadway Shows

Hi there! I thought I'd continue with sharing the shows we saw in New York. Yesterday, I spoke about seeing the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular, which was a treat! Along with the Rockettes, we saw 3 other shows. We'd planned on more, but ran into a bit of a snafu towards the end of our trip which cut that short. Nonetheless, we enjoyed every single show we saw! The first show we saw was The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center with the New York City Ballet.

The ballet and the theatre itself we incredible! The NYC Ballet is the crème de la crème of ballets, and it did not disappoint! It was lovely and elegant and lively and childlike. We enjoyed the story, one we hadn't seen before. The costumes were beautiful, and the sets were over the top. The theatre and lobby itself were equally stunning! It was an amazing way to kick off our first days in The City.

 Later in the week, we picked up discount tickets for Cinderella at the TKTS booth in Times Square. There are several of these booths throughout the city. They offer day of discount Broadway Show tickets for various shows. We planned to use TKTS for more show tickets, but later in our visit our debit cards were shut off!! Both of ours! So, thank you stupid hackers for that. :) We still enjoyed every show we did see, including Cinderella. We were in such awe of this performance. This was our first Broadway Show, and right away we were hooked! The costumes, the set, the acting, the singing, the magical costume changes, all of it was wonderful! To top it off, the show was at the Broadway Theatre, what a treat!

I've already spoke about the last production we saw, The Rockettes, but our last Broadway production was The Lion King. We planned this show ahead of time, purchasing tickets online months in advance. This made waiting lots of fun! ;) But the anticipation was worth it! This was and still is the most incredible show I've ever seen! The set & costumes were the most amazing things I'd ever seen! The way the animals are depicted is true Broadway magic! If you ever have the chance to see this, I highly encourage you to. You will love it!

Broadway Shows when visiting New York City are an absolute must! I enjoyed all of the shows we saw, and have enjoyed every show we've seen off-Broadway since. Let's just say theatre in NYC got me addicted! And remember f you're ever in New York and want to catch a show on a whim, check out the TKTS booth for a great deal on tons of great shows! Thank you so much for allowing me to share my travels with you. I hope you'll be inspired to travel and find some tips you can use as well. See you back soon to begin wrapping up our trip to New York City. 

If you are interested in more information on New York City you can contact me here to book your own Big Apple vacation!

Radio City Music Hall

Well, the Christmas season is in full swing, and few things scream Christmas more than the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular! So I thought now is the perfect time to share our night at Radio City Music Hall. The show, the hall, even the outside were all truly spectacular, and decorated to the nines with themed costumes, chandeliers, giant light trees all for Christmas.

The show itself lives up to its name a million times over, Christmas Spectacular! I loved that it incorporated new technology, like holograms & 3D action, and trends with vintage, age old Rockettes costume styles, like the toy solider. I particularly enjoyed the live nativity set. The show had a wonderful meaning and moral perfect for any age. Along with the show, I was smitten with the hall's lobby decor. The enormous crystal Christmas tree chandeliers were absolutely incredible, and really set the tone for all the elegance and excitement to come in the show! Of course the front of Radio City was decked out to the nines as well! We even saw Santa, who happens to be excellent at photo bombing!

The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular is truly perfect for any age. The show, the building, and all of the Christmas glory will surely get you in the Christmas spirit. I will add that we were a bit disappointed with our orchestra section seats, as it was hard to see over and around the heads in front of us. So I would honestly recommend a higher up section (this actually applies to any theatre I've ever been to) that way you can catch every second, obstruction free! I hope you enjoyed the photos. I can't wait to share the details on the other theatre productions we attended. See you soon!

If you are interested in more information on New York City you can contact me here to book your own Big Apple vacation!

Planning a NYC Itinerary

 Hi there! I'm so excited to have you today, because I'm sharing one of my favorite parts of traveling, itinerary planning!! I LOVE researching and making a list of our must see places, then putting it all together. It's like a puzzle! :D Today, I'm focusing on New York City Itinerary Planning, but these tips could work well for other places as well. Here are a few of my tips to get the most valuable out of your time AND get more bang for your buck!

1. Write a wish list of must see places, things to do, and eats to eat. Start out with your absolute musts, then add in others.
2. Determine your method of transportation & routes of public transportation. Will you taxi, ride the city bus, the subway, walk, or take a tour bus. We chose a hop-on/hop-off style tour bus and walking. You may want to ride the subway, so get an idea of the various stations and stops.
3. Consider your must see places and group them by location and hours of operation. One group may have several different intinerary spots, but only require one stop. For example: take a bus or subway to Rockefeller Plaza, but also see Central Park, famous 5th Avenue shopping, the Plaza Hotel, and Central Park all in that area. Get more bang for your buck AND time by grouping these places together to minimize backtracking (no doubling back=time to see more) and paying fares twice (less cab fare=more shopping money). From there, determine hours of operation. For example: the first bus may begin running at 7am. If you get to Rockefeller Center by 7:30am, touring or Top of the Rock won't be open, so plan to explore Central Park first. Then take an NBC Studio Tour or a ride up to the Top of the Rock reservation deck. Taking hours of operation in mind gives your time more value so none is wasted waiting around. Later in that day you might want to go to The Met or Guggenheim. On other days explore other areas, grouping everything together by location/area (example: Wall Street, the 9/11 Memorial, and The Statue of Liberty are all in close proximity). (Times are for example only. I'm not sure of the hours of operation on these examples)
4. Finalize your itinerary. Buy tickets ahead of time when/where you can to save time waiting in lines, plan around times of tours, shows, etc. 
5. Be flexible! Things happen, like bad weather! Switch things around when need be. If the skies are gloomy & gray, ask if you can change your ticket times/date for places like The Empire State Building and Top of the Rock. Expect you will run out of time. There's just no way to see it all! Don't fill the day with too much, and take time to take in everything around you! Most important, enjoy yourself and all the city has to offer!

Central Park & Rockefeller Center are both in or in close proximity to Midtown.

 The 9/11 Memorial & The Statue of Liberty are in (or in close proximity to)

 the Financial District and Lower Manhattan.

Though these tips are catered to work well for a New York City, these are really great for any big city. I hope they will help you narrow down and plan well for your upcoming trips! Feel free to comment below with any questions or specifics. I love helping where I can! Thank you so much for stopping in. See you soon!