A Week In NYC | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

A Week In NYC

So much to do, so little time.

9
A Week In NYC
Pexels

This past week, I had a five day weekend and a seven day New York Pass. Cue the busiest, craziest week of my life. Even though I’ve been in New York for almost six weeks, I’ve been waiting to have a long weekend off to do all the typical tourist things that I’ve always wanted to do. And finally the time came.

Day One

On the first day, I did the Liberty Cruise to the Statue of Liberty and then to Ellis Island. I feel like this was the perfect way to begin my New York City tourist week; how do you get more New York than the Statue of Liberty? It was also an incredible experience visiting Ellis Island and learning about the history of immigration to New York. The amount of deep, complex history this city has will never cease to amaze me.

Later in the day I visited the 9/11 Tribute Center and then the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. The afternoon was intense and emotional. It made me see the city in a new light. While I’ve studied 9/11 in high school, it was an entirely different experience being there, seeing parts of the towers, looking at found objects and clothes. And by far the most emotional experience, was seeing photographs of the victims. Hearing a number is one thing, but seeing walls covered with images of real people is indescribable.

Day Two

For the second day of my week, I went to the Top of the Rock. Even though it was raining, the city still looked as breathtaking as ever. It was an incredible view and so odd seeing New York from above, rather than being in the middle of everything. From all the way up there, the city almost looked peaceful. Almost. Next, I did the Rockefeller Center Tour, which was amazing. It’s fascinating how much history a group of buildings hold and how important they are to the city.

Later in the day I did the Radio City Music Hall Stage Door tour. Getting to walk on stage at Radio City and then meet a real Rockette was an unbelievable experience. It blows my mind that I got to do that. Again, it was crazy learning just how much history is packed into one building. I was beginning to learn that in a city as old and as ever changing as New York, every brick has a story to tell.

Day Three

Day three kept me in and around Times Square. I started the day at Madame Tussauds, which is somewhere I’ve never been but have always wanted to go. I took a lot of selfies with my favorite stars and must have annoyed all my friends on Snapchat, but it was a fun way to spend the morning.

Later, I did the Madison Square Garden tour which was amazing. We went up to the top balcony and right down to the floor. We saw the arena from every possible angle. I’d love to go back and see a game or a show!

I finished off the day doing an Inside Broadway tour, where I learned about the history of various Broadway theaters. I heard stories and inside gossip of the lives of Broadway actors, past and present, which was a lot of fun for someone who loves the theatre.

Day Four

This day was dedicated to art and culture. Beginning at the American Museum of Natural History, the morning started off wonderfully. I even had to drag myself away from the museum to make time for the other two on the itinerary, which wasn’t easy to do. I spent two hours there but could have easily spend longer! However, there was more to do and more to see. So next up was The Metropolitan Museum of Art. While it is an incredible building, it is so huge that you could spend the entire day there and not see everything, especially if you keep getting lost like I did. I loved the modern art section at the Met and could spend all day in that area alone. Lastly, I went to the Guggenheim Museum, which was a let down. The building itself is wonderful and the permanent collection is not bad. However, the current collection by Agnes Martin was awful. It was the first time I felt disappointed all week and it made me glad I hadn’t spent my money. Maybe I just don’t understand or appreciate abstract art, but I’d wait until January to visit again, if I were you.

Day Five

On day five I did an NYC Slavery and Underground Railroad tour, around the lower East Side. The tour allowed me to see places I wouldn’t have otherwise and more importantly, learn about an aspect of New York’s history that I wasn’t really aware of before. It also made me realize that in this city, we pass by historical buildings and significant places every day, without every realizing what they are. In the afternoon I visited the Brooklyn Museum. While the exhibits were okay, I wouldn’t say it’s worth the subway ride there.

Day Six

This was the day I finally did The Ride. After trying and failing to get tickets twice, on this morning I was determined. I got up at 7 a.m. and was at Times Square by 8 a.m., and I managed to get a ticket. Fast forward to 7 p.m. and we were off! It was such a bizarre experience, riding around the Times Square area in a bus with seats that felt like I was at the theatre, while "random" people stopped by to dance and rap for us. Perhaps the funniest thing about the tour was how uninterested the New Yorkers on the streets were. It became immediately clear who was a tourist and who was a New Yorker, judging by who smiled at us and who didn’t even look up from their phones.

Day Seven

I saved the best for last. On my final day of the week I went to the Empire State Building. I went to the observation deck on floor 86 and it took my breath away. Seeing New York from that height, especially at night, was like being in a dream. It was the first time I truly understood the sheer amount of buildings, people and lives that exist on this island. It's the New York you see in films; it feels unreal that I'm here. Even after a week of doing some of the most exciting things New York has to offer, I will never stop falling in love with this city.

Total entry fees: $460.90

Cost of pass: $271.20

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

729
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

2052
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

2608
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments