New York City in the fall has been a dream of mine since my first trip to the Big Apple three years ago. Unfortunately, the end of September was a little too early for the fall colors and we had to deal with a bit of rain. All things considered,, it was a fun girl's weekend with Clara, Angie and Becky.
We got in Thursday afternoon and a quick stop at the hotel and we were off. Lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and then picked up our tour tickets. We thought we'd start off with a downtown tour, however once we got on the bus and started taking a few pics the rain started. Not just any rain, a slight down pour, which resulted in us getting off the bus at the next stop. Running towards the subway with our bright, yellow ponchos, getting drenched and laughing all the way. That evening we decided to try again and got on the bus for the night tour. No rain and the lights of the city were amazing!
Friday we got up early for the Today Show. Angie got a great pic of Al Roker. Matt Lauer and Ann Curry were out of town, so we hung out for a bit then went on our way. We realized we were very close to the site of the World Trade Center. When we got there my heart just sank. It's crazy to think that was 10 years ago and how many lives were destroyed. We were fortunate to be able to go into the memorial and see the north and south pools up close. It was eerie and quite and beautiful.
Next stop was the Statue of Liberty. Love that lady! That evening we met a fellow Kingmanite in Greenwich village at a nice, little Italian restaurant. Andrea has been in NYC for 7 years. She was able to get a job after college at the same place she interned and is having a blast! Part of me wishes I would have had the courage to do something like that.
Saturday we slept in, which was nice, considering we had been up before 6am the past two days. A harbor tour and Central Park were on the agenda for the day. Harbor tour gave us some great pics before the rain. We spent most of our time in Central Park in a pedicab – cart driven by a bicycle. We didn't get to see as much as we would of liked, but had a good time anyway. Highlight was taking a photo in front of the fountain from the TV show “Friends.” That night we spent in Times Square. A couple shots at Planet Hollywood, shared a dessert with a stranger and ate some delicious pizza at John's Pizzeria.
Last day in NYC and I did not want to leave. Clara and Angie had an early morning flight, so Becky and I were on our own. The hotel concierge helped us get theatre tickets to Rock of Ages. Before the show we had to get our shopping in and H&M was first on the list. The show started at 3pm, which we thought was enough time to get back to the hotel by 5:30 for the car to take us to the airport for our 7:30 flight. At 5:15 they were still rockin' through the ages and we decided not to chance it. As we ran out of the theatre the rain started again – how appropriate. We made it to the subway right before the train took off and made it to our hotel with a little time to spare. I was sad to miss the end of the show and sad to leave one of the most fabulous cities in the US of A.
I have been to NYC the past three years and really think I need to make this an annual trip. So much to do and so much to see. I've done a lot of the touristy things, so next time I just want to enjoy the city. Things on my to do list 1) walk across the Brooklyn bridge, 2) spend some more time in Greenwich village and SoHo, 3) can't leave without seeing a show, 4) Coney Island, 5) day at the Met and 6) picnic or winter wonderland in Central Park. See why I need to make this an annual trip?
Links to share from this trip:
9/11 Memorial http://www.911memorial.org/
John's Pizzeria http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/index2.htm
