New York is one of those cities that never gets old. I have been several times but I am far from a local and definitely have not seen it all. This spring, my mom and I met in NYC for a girl’s weekend (she was on her way to South Africa). We wanted to see more of the city, we didn’t want to repeat the same tourist sights and we needed to keep the weekend affordable. Here is what we came up with…I hope it helps generate ideas for your next trip.
Day 1, Morning:
I took an early train up from DC. I recommend checking prices for both train and bus if traveling relatively local. In this case, the train was only slightly more expensive than the bus, was faster and had better departure times. But on the way home, I took Megabus in order to save over $100 and the times better fit my schedule. Travel Tip: If taking Amtrak I recommend arriving at the station 30-40 minutes prior to departure. This keeps my stress level down by allowing enough time to grab a cup of tea and read for a few minutes but not sit there forever. For Meagbus, follow the instructions on the ticket. It is also worth springing the extra couple of bucks to reserve a seat.
After dropping off our bags at our hotel we headed to Bloomingdales on 59th and Lexington to look around at spring fashions and visit the Sprinkles cupcake ATM. Neither of us thought the cupcakes were very good but it was worth the price to use the ATM and see that little pink door open. Too cute for words…
Walked downtown to the high line. The high line is a recently developed park on the West side that parallels the Hudson River and stretches from West 34th all the way to West 12th in the Meatpacking District. I am not sure what I expected but it was fun to see the city from a different view.
Day 1, Afternoon:
Hopped off the high line in Chelsea for lunch at Cookshop (great food).
Continued to walk South along the Hudson River Park to Battery Park where we caught the Staten Island Ferry.
Dinner at Enoteca Maria on Staten Island. Every night the chef is a different local grandmother and a different menu. We passed on the sheep’s head and went with the lasagna, which was ok. But the pear salad was outstanding and worth talking about months later.
Topped off the evening at Night Court which was fascinating. It was very similar to the show from the 1980s but also an interesting look at America’s justice system.
Day 2, Morning:
Stopped by St. Patrick’s Cathedral on our way to the NYC Public Library. Spent a while in the library visiting the rooms, seeing the art, browsing through the book store and most importantly seeing the original Winnie the Pooh and Friends.
Walked across Brooklyn Bridge and visited the flagship Hagen Dazs store and had ice cream.
Day 2, Afternoon:
Returned to Manhattan and walked around the East Village and had a superb lunch at Franks. And walked around the East Village before heading North on Broadway to Times Square and then to see a show.
By the way we saw The Play that Went Wrong which was laugh out loud funny.
Day 3, Morning:
Headed South to the Financial District and went to church at Trinity Chapel. Then returned to Little Italy for lunch.
Wandered around Little Italy and Soho and found my new favorite bookstore, McNally Jackson, where we spent a long time browsing through their awesome collection.
Some other thoughts:
I am a huge fan of Hotwire. Their prices are always great and the hotels have never been anything other than what their website says.
For a new location I tend to pack each day to the max. For a repeat location, I like to have 1 to 2 anchors for the day and then leave some time to explore, walk and eat from place to place.
Life Kinetic Travel Research 