Today I’ve got an awesome guest post for you all. My good friend Kat is a bit of a travel bunny and is often found in different corners of the world (I’m just a little jealous!) so I asked her if she would like to write a guest post all about her recent trip to New York. Here is what she got up to and some tips to help you plan your own visit to the Big Apple.
So over to Kat
With a long weekend off work for my birthday, I couldn’t think of a better reason to have a cheeky girls weekend to New York with the bestie! New York is everything and so much more! It is big! Something I will tell you over and over again! It’s so varied too, with each district having its own distinct style and feel.
Where to stay
We stayed at 70 Park Avenue, a Kimpton Hotel about 10 minutes walk from Times Square and Grand Central Station on our doorstep. The service and staff here were brilliant, and couldn’t recommend it enough! They had noticed it was my birthday so when we arrived they gave us a free bottle of wine, cocktail vouchers and an amazing room with a view! What more could you ask for!
What to eat
New York is full of amazing restaurants and everyone has their favourite. We tried a number of the popular places such as Olive Garden, Bubba Gump and The Cheesecake Factory, but by far our favourite was The View. This revolving restaurant at the top of the Marriot in Times Square offers not only amazing food, but amazing views of the New York skyline, along with some top notch food! We both had a three course meal and cocktail, and even though the bill did make our eyes water it was one of the best meals I have had, and was one we will both remember. The service was brilliant, and as soon as they found out it was my birthday they bought out an amazing chocolate torte cake! Top tip – try the rosemary focaccia with rock salt butter – life changing!
Our other favourite was a Man Vs Food special, Katz Delicatessen on the Lower East side of Manhattan. Since its founding in 1888, it has become popular among locals and tourists alike for its pastrami sandwiches and hot dogs, both of which are widely considered among New York’s best. And the critics were right! We shared a pastrami sandwich, and a beef brisket sandwich and simply died and went to a delightful food based heaven!
How to get around
We had purchased a three day hop on, hop off bus pass from City Sights NY, which meant we were able to easily get to all the tourist hot spots without getting to lost. Each bus is part of a guided tour, with some excellent and knowledgeable guides. Each one seemed to have their own personality which made each bus trip a new experience. As part of the package we also had entry to a number of museums, places of interest etc, but my favourite bit was the night bus tour. This was their only trip which didn’t stop anywhere, but instead took you over the East River to Brooklyn so you could really appreciate New York at night. We chose to go at dusk, just as the sun was setting behind the City, and it was simply breathtaking!
What to do
On our first day we headed downtown to the World Trade Centre Memorial and Brooklyn Bridge. The memorial museum is an incredibly humbling experience and the water memorials in place of the two twin towers also remind you of the extent of loss. All of this is overlooked by the new World Trade centre, which is a stunning building in itself.
With its infamous skyline and buildings such as the Flatiron Building, we felt we had to visit the Brooklyn Bridge while downtown. Already weary from a long day of walking (New York is big!) we did only make it half way across but it was great to see the city from another angle. If you do decide to walk the Brooklyn Bridge, just keep an eye out for cyclists!
That evening, after Phantom of the Opera on Broadway we walked around Times Square. Now this place is nuts! There are lights, and people, and sounds, and smells everywhere!!! There is really no other way to describe it, and words won’t do it justice at all, so you’re going to have to visit it yourself! Also, fire engines, police cars etc., their sirens are LOUD!
Day two started with a trip up the Empire State building – when in Rome! We bought fast track tickets as had heard the queues can get quite long at times, so after a visit to their visitors centre we were soon at the top of this iconic building. We were lucky with such clear weather and had breathtaking views across the city. For a first time visit to New York, I would definitely recommend this, if just to give you an appreciation of the size of everything!
Next up was my favourite bit – a 2 hour boat trip around Manhattan Island. Anyone who knows me knows I am basically a big geek who loves a boat trip and this ticked all the boxes! The guide was excellent, again very knowledgeable about the city whilst also keeping everyone entertained. One of our favourite parts of this trip was the pint sized Pina Colada slushies and nachos with the most yellow cheese sauce I have ever seen. I dread to think what was in it (had it even been shown to some cheese?!) but it was yum, so I’m not complaining! We also got to see parts of Manhattan Island and the surrounding areas you usually wouldn’t.
Our final full day was supposed to be slightly more relaxed day, but turned out to be our longest day! We started off with a bus tour from Times Square, uptown to Harlem and hopped off half way down Central Park. The plan was to find the Bow Bridge, chill out and hop back on a bus back to Times Square. Again, we kind of forgot how big everything is, and after wandering around/getting lost/finding the Bow Bridge and walking around/getting lost some more, we had accidently walked half the length of Central Park. It was worth it though, as it really is a hidden gem in the middle of bustling city. You could hardly hear any background noise at times, and was hard to believe where you really were! We also came across some amazing street performers, including a gospel a Capella group underneath Bethesda Terrace, which made us and everyone else listening cry!
The last thing to tick of our list was Top of the Rock. It was 11pm by the time we made it to the top (told you we had a long day!) and 70 storeys up the view was incredible! Everyone debates whether you should visit Top of the Rock or the Empire State building, but I am so glad we did both. The Empire State building is the Empire State building, so I think you have to do it, but the Top of the Rock offers views over NYC and the Empire state building that perfect photo opportunity. During day you are also treated to amazing views over Central Park – if that’s not an excuse to go back to New York, I don’t know what is!
Trips to NYC can both be amazing and overwhelming. It was so nice of Kat to share her adventures. The boat ride seems particularly appealing. Those of us who live near NY (like Washington, DC) don’t get there as often as we would like. Planning ahead makes all the difference. Otherwise you will end up wandering the streets and wasting time trying to figure out what to do next. We always do the public transportation route rather than driving. We take Tripper Bus or Washington Deluxe Bus into the city to start the day. Then we use the hop on hop off and subway options. Sometimes a cab makes sense too. Thanks again for this post. I am saving it for reference next time I visit NYC.
Your list will come in handy since we’re going back to New York City this summer. It’s impossible to experience everything New York has to offer in one visit. From world-class museums to iconic landmarks, there are more than enough reasons to visit NYC. It was such a fun trip, so we’re definitely going back. We already visited some museums, Time Square, Rockefeller and Statue of Liberty. We also watched free concerts at Central Park after checking out the NYC Parks website.