Last week, I wrote my NYC Bucket List since I was finally traveling to the Big Apple that weekend. But I was only in town for less than 48 hours, so how much could I possibly have gotten accomplished?
Here's how it happened:
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Friday, 10:00 a.m.: our flight from Orlando took off.
Noon: flight landed at LaGuardia. I traveled with my roommate, Elizabeth, whose mother lives in the Bronx, and we were fortunate enough to be able to stay with her while we were in town. She picked us up from the airport, and we promptly drove to Manhattan. I hung out the window the entire time, of course, snapping photos.
2:00 p.m.: we were dropped off in Soho, where we hit the ground running with a walking tour of Soho, Little Italy and Chinatown. Our tour guide was Dante, and he was extremely knowledgeable and thorough. We used Free Tours by Foot, which I highly recommend. I could hardly keep my eyeballs in my head as we spent two hours seeing the Cast Iron District, buildings from "Sex and the City" and "Ghost", and explored Little Italy and Chinatown. I sank my teeth in luscious Bavarian cream-filled pastries in Little Italy and the most amazing dumplings of my life in Chinatown. New York Street food, check!
4:00 p.m.: the tour was over, so per my request, we found the nearest subway entrance and rode the 6 train to Grand Central Station. I finally got to view the spectacular New York Public Library, which is the most beautiful building I have ever seen. Someday I'll have to return to take a tour of the building and a book here, but we didn't have time to stop since there was so much to do.
5:00 p.m.: we walked around 42nd Street, Broadway, and Times Square, stopping for a hot dog along the way. I've seen Times Square in movies countless times, but nothing really prepared you to see all those massive screens constantly changing. It was definitely awe-inspiring.
6:00 p.m.: we took the subway to Chelsea for our second Free Tours on Foot experience that day. We explored Chelsea and the High Line with Jon. Chelsea is every bit as sophisticated and chic as I imagined NYC to be. Sadly I didn't spot any celebrities, but I did see plenty of amazing art on the High Line Tour. Jon told us in-depth info about the origin of the New York High Line and how the park came to be what it is today. It was truly one of the most beautiful and peaceful experiences I had in the city -- ironic, since few would ever describe NYC as peaceful, but it's true.
8:00 p.m.: we quickly toured Chelsea Marketplace and stumbled upon a steakhouse for dinner. We were drawn to Old Homestead by a photo on the window of a filet mignon hamburger. Umm, get in my mouth. It was delicious, as were the cocktails.
10:00 p.m.: we went back to Times Square for one last hurrah in Manhattan for the evening. Times Square at night is truly spectacular, sensory overload, and a tiny bit overrated if I'm being honest. I'm thrilled I got to see those giant screens lit up against the night sky, but I was not thrilled with the obvious tourist traps and mass of fellow tourists! I think next time I find myself in the city at night, I will spend it sipping cocktails after a Broadway musical. After a little shopping, we took the subway back for a 47-minute ride to our beds in the Bronx. And passed out immediately after taking 30,000 steps to over 12 destinations in less than 12 hours.
And that was only day one! Stay tuned next week for a recap of day two in NYC.
