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As summer is coming to an end, I believe it’s time to share all that I’ve been up to these past few weeks!
It all started when a friend of mine from the UK called me up and asked if I’d be free to show her around while she was visiting here for a wedding that we both were going to attend. And so since I am always ready for adventures, I said yes!
The big thing on her list of places to see was New York City which ended up working out nicely because it was a 3 hour drive to NYC from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where we both would be. Between the wedding festivities and sight seeing, we only had two days for NYC, so I knew it would be hard to fit everything in. But somehow, we managed to do it all! Mostly because we were both very determined to not waste a minute of our time.
We headed out early Wednesday morning at 5 AM and got there at 8 AM. We actually drove straight to the hotel which I booked via booking.com. And before I go any further, let me tell you about this hotel. It was La Quinta Inn & Suites Brooklyn. The location was good because it was a 10 minutes walk to the metro station that took us right into the city. The deal was also great, I got it for $150/night including parking! They were very limited in the parking and it was first come first serve (I got lucky and found parking), but they were so nice! They let me park there way before check in and way after check out! I definitely recommend staying with them. The hotel itself was clean enough and perfect for our need, which was just a night to sleep.
BROOKLYN BRIDGE
Okay, so once we parked, we took the train right to the Brooklyn Bridge which was on my list of top things to see in NYC mainly because I had been to this city many times before but never got the opportunity to walk it. And man were we lucky to be there on this clear beautiful not-so-humid day.
I absolutely loved walking on this bridge! Not only was it a great day for pictures, but the views were really incredible too. You could see the NYC skyline and other bridges as well as a very distant view of the Statue of Liberty.
But honestly, most of all I could not get enough of the bridge itself. I loved its design and all the patterns the cables made.
This steel suspension bridge was designed by John Augustus Roebling and was the first of it’s kind in the world to span 1,600 feet from tower to tower.
911 MEMORIAL
After we were satisfied with our pictures here at the Brooklyn Bridge, our next stop was the 911 memorial which was close to the other side of the bridge!
These pictures really do not do justice to the memorial but I really really liked it a lot. The design is simple and…well, magical. There are two waterfall pools in the spot where the twin towers once stood and when the sun reflects on the falling water, it looks like glitter is falling down.
It’s one of those places that you have to see in real life so put it on your list of things to see!
CHELSEA MARKET
Next up was lunch so we headed towards the Chelsea Market that I had heard so much about.
Once again, I was faced with the problem of choosing a place to eat at from so many choices!
We settled on Los Tacos No. 1 because I’m always up for tacos and I figured if it’s number one then I’d better try it. Plus my friend had never really had a good taco and that was unacceptable.
I had steak tacos with all the salsas they had to offer in their salsa bar! It was pretty good. The steak was tender and flavorful and the salsa was fresh.
As we walked through the market, I really enjoyed this art piece made of twinkling lights. It was fun to spend a few moments there while someone played an instrument underneath it.
On our way out we came across a donut shop called Doughnuttery which looked like it was making fresh mini donuts so we had to try it.
There was a little machine that was plopping out cute little donuts into oil that were being fried before our eyes! It was so cute! We got 6 to share. I got 3 powdered sugar ones and my friend got the cinnamon sugar ones. Mine, were good, hers weren’t as much.
WALL STREET
Then, when our stomachs and eyes were full, we headed towards Wall Street.
We didn’t see the famous bull, but instead we walked into Trinity Church which was beautiful!
We got there just when mass had finished so I was able to take a couple of pictures.
After the church, we stumbled upon Federal Hall which is the place where George Washington took the oath of office as our first president. I didn’t even know this was here so it was a nice surprise!
And on the plus side, it was FREE to get in! Once you enter, you are greeted by beautiful columns and dome.
There are also a few exhibits you can check out while you are there.
THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
We didn’t take a long time here, it’s a quick thing to see on your way through the city and on our walk towards our next stop, the Empire State Building!
We went here near sunset which was such a beautiful time to go! I suggest you book a ticket for this in advance to save time.
This is such a good spot to go to get breathtaking views of the city.
We probably spent an hour here and could have spent even longer (if we weren’t on a time crunch) admiring the views of the city against the colorful sky as well as the twinkling city lights once it got dark.
There were so many people here so it was a bit of a struggle to find a place to stand without someone’s head blocking the view. However, do you know where there’s even more people than this? Time freaking Square!
TIME SQUARE
Which was our next and final stop of the day. We went here because it’s a big tourist attraction but honestly I don’t think it’s anything special. What you’ll see is a bajillion people and a bunch of huge digital billboards.
(Except this American flag was cool.)
I may be smiling in this picture, but from the inside I’m crying. I mean just look at all the people! lol
Well there you have it, day one of our NYC trip! Stay tuned next week for part two! YAY!
Have you ever been to NYC before?
15 Comments
I enjoyed this, can’t wait for part 2!! 🙂 the pictures are excellent! loved the bridge photos a lot 🙂
Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind words! I also loved the bridge, it was just so picturesque. 🙂
You’re welcome Tay 🙂
Thank you! Yea, there is tons to see and do in the US. I hope you get to come one day!
What a lovely post. Your photo’s are fabulous. I love the twinkling lights in Chelsea Market and there are so many great places to visit that this has to go on my ‘bucket list’ .. Thanks for sharing and inspiring with this post! x
Yes, definitely a lot of must see places here! And thank you for the kind words! 🙂
You’re very welcome! x
Loved the article and the pictures!! Also, the last part (the one with time square) was hilarious. Thank you for sharing this with us. It’s always good to hear an honest, real opinion 🙂
You’re welcome, and thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Thank you for your sharing of this lovely post. I had been there a decade ago and miss my big apple so very much. your post get my smile….thank you so much!
Gosh I love New York!
Your blog is amazing 🙂
I am refreshing mine and turning it into a travel diary, go check it out!
Thanks,
https://christysdiaryblog.wordpress.com/
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