Welcome to New York

If I quote a Taylor Swift lyric as my post title does that make me trendy and relevant? I didn't think so. Anyways, one of my favorite things to do over the past few years is travel. I guess studying abroad the summer before my last year of college really gave me that wanderlust bug. I also learned a lot about how to travel from some of the girls I went with. David and I have gotten the opportunity to visit a lot of places over the past year and a half. I feel like we've gotten into a good groove of knowing what works for us and what kind of stuff we want to do! It has been awesome for our marriage, and we've made lots of memories. I've posted a few snapshots of travel on the blog before, but I think it would be fun to share more detailed travel posts for those of you who may be headed to the same area sometime soon and could benefit from the information. I know NYC is probably not a good place to start because many of you have spent far more time there than I have, and others have even lived there. But that's ok. I'm just sharing what we loved! 

Our first trip from PA was to New York City! Neither of us had ever been before, and I have always wanted to go at Christmas. So, with just a few days of planning we headed to the city. It really was magical! We rode Amtrak which was incredibly convenient and easy. You could not pay me to drive there. I would take the train again in a heartbeat! We got a super good deal on Groupon for the Holiday Inn Express Times Square. I am definitely a fan of clean and comfort. We don't stay in $45 a night hotels because I want to be able to rest peacefully without fear of contagious diseases. However, we also don't splurge on super fancy or iconic hotels. We would much rather spend our money and our time at attractions and restaurants! This hotel met all of those requirements nicely. It was convenient, clean, and comfy. And tiny. Because everything in this city is crowded. Now that we got those details out of the way, I'll start with..

Christmas-Specific Things to Do in the City

1) Rockefeller Center at night - Duh. It's so iconic and with good reason. It was packed, but it is gorgeous and magical and it was just simply so fun to be standing in the place you see on TV so many times!
2) Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes - Incredible! I didn't really know what to expect, but everyone kept telling me it was a "must see" at Christmas, and I'd have to agree. The whole show was so  entertaining and enjoyable. The live nativity at the end was definitely the highlight! I got tickets ahead of time on their website and I ended up getting a great deal on orchestra seats because I waited for a good promo code.

3) FAO Schwarz and 5th Ave. Shops - this you can obviously do any time of year, but it was especially fun during Christmas. We only actually went inside the iconic toy store, Macy's and Tiffany's, but simply walking down 5th and seeing all the stores and store windows decorated for the holidays was a treat. 

NYC Any Time of Year

1) A Broadway Play - We saw Wicked at the Gershwin Theater. It was incredible. I didn't even know the storyline, so we really enjoyed it. I will say, sitting on the second to last row wasn't ideal in a theater that size. We could hear everything and see all the action, but we couldn't see facial expressions, etc. I think next time we will plan ahead and try for tickets in the front mezzanine, even though it is more expensive.

2) Metropolitan Museum of Art - I am still daydreaming about The Met. It is hard to pick a favorite activity, but oh my was this one incredible. We went late, and only had about 2 hours until close. We spent almost the whole time in European Paintings because that is my favorite. I would turn a corner and see a Vermeer across the room and practically drag David with me. I saw so many classics that I've only studied. I don't even know what else to say. I get excited just thinking about it. If you are an Art History nerd like me, you'll be in heaven. And even if you aren't, it's worth a couple hours of your time. One thing I didn't know heading in is that entry is "Pay what you wish." I know money makes museums run, but just keep that in mind and don't let the $25 entry fee deter you from going!

3) The 9/11 Memorial  - We didn't have time to do the museum, but I am glad we made it to the memorial itself. There are two of these pools on the footprints of the original towers. It was breathtaking to stand there and look at it, and to see the names all around. The people who maintain the memorial place a single white rose in each name on that person's birthday, which I think was a really special touch that really drove home the fact that so many lives were lost that day. 

4) Top of the Rock  - I really like to find a high point in a new city and be able to look over all of it. There is debate in NYC over whether to go to the top of the Rockefeller Tower or the Empire State Building. We decided to go for this one because reviews said it was a more well run experience, and it was convenient. We also thought it would be neat to see the Empire State Building from the top. We had a great time and really enjoyed the way things were set up and the view. If we go back, I want to go up at night! That just didn't fit in this time.  

This view of Central Park in all it's enormity from above is a perfect segway into number five..

5) Central Park - I feel like wandering around Central Park gave me a better glimpse of what life as a New Yorker. It was really relaxing to wander, watch the ice skaters, watch kids walking home from school with their moms, and playing at the park. What a gift to have this refuge in the middle of the concrete jungle!

Excuse the poor picture but another highlight of the trip is that I FOUND THE BALTO STATUE!! We walked through the park to the Met after the Rockettes show and just stumbled upon it. David was clueless, but I know some of you watched the 1995 movie. Talk about one of my childhood classics. I even had a giant stuffed husky by the same name. At the end of the movie it switches from animation to a real girl who reads the plaque on this same statue. It all came flooding back to me, and I was embarrassingly excited to find it.  
6) The Subway - I'm sure that there is no way you could go to the city without doing this, but if you do have a good way to get around without taking it, be sure to ride it at lead once. Very stereotypically NYC, and worth it! 
7) Statue of Liberty - We were going to take the Staten Island Ferry but we got there right after it left and instead of waiting around for the next one we decided to walk around Battery Park and get a view of the statue and Ellis Island and then make it over to the 9/11 Memorial. I'm glad we did that, for time's sake! 

8) Times Square - Iconic, incredible. It was so fun to step into view of all the crazy screens and signs. That's part of when it really hit me - "I'm in New York City." We didn't actually do any shopping or anything there, but it was so fun just to take in - during the day and at night.  

Food
(Last but never ever least)
1) Shake Shack - it's isn't popular for no reason people. Yum Yum Yum! Simple hamburger, fries, and a milkshake that were surprisingly delicious. Not to mention fast and cheap (by NYC standards.)
2) Capizzi Pizza - We ate at this tiny family owned pizza place in Hell's Kitchen before seeing Wicked. It was a nice atmosphere and good wood fired pizza with very fresh ingredients!  

3) Junior's Cheesecake - We ate here late after the Met. The hamburger was fine, but OMG THE CHEESECAKE. Having a piece of real New York Cheesecake was on my list because I am a huge fan. The raspberry one on the left was the best. It was great. Also, we saw Bradley Cooper through the window coming out of his play. No big deal. 

4) Vive la crepe! - We ate lunch here in the food court below The Plaza. It was awesome! The crepes were filled with quality ingredients, not just some lunch meat ham and bagged cheddar. It was the perfect quick stop - but good luck finding a seat! 

5) OddFellows Ice Cream Co. - If you've read this blog before you know that we have a married goal to eat ice cream in all 50 states. So, even in freezing weather we had to find our ice cream, and we traveled to an entirely different part of town for this stuff. And I'm very glad we did. This is specialty ice cream, so the flavors were a little odd. But I had an Oatmeal Cookie Dough with hot fudge and I am still thinking about it. So if you're in the neighborhood, check it out! I really enjoyed walking around the East Village as well because it gave us a much better feel for what it would be like to live in New York, rather than just to see all the tourist things. 

6) Mighty Quinn's Barbecue - The hipster who served our ice cream gave us the tip for this East Village BBQ place. It wasn't my favorite of all the meals I had, but that's probably because the meat was the star of the show and I like the sides to be the star. If you are a man, or you just love meat, it is definitely worth a stop. 

7) Ellen's Stardust Diner - This place is a BLAST. The breakfast was average, but the experience was one of our favorites. The wait staff are all aspiring to be on Broadway and they take turns singing while you eat. Some of them even pour coffee while belting show tunes or pop songs. It was so much fun there is no way to leave there without a smile!