Ohhhh, New York. Such a lovely, exciting, fast pace, extravagant place. Those four adjectives don't even begin to cover all of what New York is about. I'm not exaggerating when I say there is always something to do and always something to see. When I took a trip there last spring with my boyfriend for our college graduations we were on the go for 12 hours a day for 5 days and we still didn't see everything on our list! Our only down time was during meals and people watching in parks. Now that I've done the majority of the touristy things that are recommended to do while you're there, on my next trip I can see some more obscure places that are recommended to visitors. However, here is a small list of spots that I would love to see every single time I visit the Big Apple!
*These sites are listed in no particular order and all photos were taken by yours truly.
*These sites are listed in no particular order and all photos were taken by yours truly.
1. Statue of Liberty
I know, super touristy, but she's a beauty. I had this incredible sense of amazement when we took a boat ride out around Manhattan, and we got to see her. Think of it this way...you get to literally experience what all those immigrants got to see when they first came to America. This beautiful welcoming of freedom. I think she's worth the trip. The way we saw her last spring was by taking a Circle Line Cruise around Manhattan. You got to see her from every angle and it was fantastic. However, next trip I take there, I would like to actually go on Ellis Island to take in the full effect.
I know, super touristy, but she's a beauty. I had this incredible sense of amazement when we took a boat ride out around Manhattan, and we got to see her. Think of it this way...you get to literally experience what all those immigrants got to see when they first came to America. This beautiful welcoming of freedom. I think she's worth the trip. The way we saw her last spring was by taking a Circle Line Cruise around Manhattan. You got to see her from every angle and it was fantastic. However, next trip I take there, I would like to actually go on Ellis Island to take in the full effect.
2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
This is not a place you can tackle in a day. Probably not even two days. The Met made me speechless. There is so much rich art and history in there, it is mind blowing. They have a giant collection of Monet and the Sculpture Garden is grand. I highly suggest taking a stroll through this museum. Set aside a big portion of your day and just marvel at everything in there. Either before or after, I chose after though, sit on the steps of The Met and just people watch. You will see so many different kinds of people and it is fascinating. New York attracts people from all corners of the world. Grab a frozen yogurt from the stand across the street and just sit and relax. It's a fun way to rest your feet from the long walk you just had to get to the museum or you had while inside the museum.
This is not a place you can tackle in a day. Probably not even two days. The Met made me speechless. There is so much rich art and history in there, it is mind blowing. They have a giant collection of Monet and the Sculpture Garden is grand. I highly suggest taking a stroll through this museum. Set aside a big portion of your day and just marvel at everything in there. Either before or after, I chose after though, sit on the steps of The Met and just people watch. You will see so many different kinds of people and it is fascinating. New York attracts people from all corners of the world. Grab a frozen yogurt from the stand across the street and just sit and relax. It's a fun way to rest your feet from the long walk you just had to get to the museum or you had while inside the museum.
3. Chinatown
Apologizes for no awesome picture...I failed at taking one while I was there. The main reason for that though is because of how fascinating of a neighborhood it was! I was too busy buying ridiculously cheap pashminas. They had so many different shops with so many different trinkets. It was a shopaholics dream come true. One thing I wish we had done while we were in Chinatown though
was eat at one of the restaurants. We had dinner in Little Italy, which is right next to Chinatown, so we weren't hungry. But I can guarantee you we will pick a place next time!
Apologizes for no awesome picture...I failed at taking one while I was there. The main reason for that though is because of how fascinating of a neighborhood it was! I was too busy buying ridiculously cheap pashminas. They had so many different shops with so many different trinkets. It was a shopaholics dream come true. One thing I wish we had done while we were in Chinatown though
was eat at one of the restaurants. We had dinner in Little Italy, which is right next to Chinatown, so we weren't hungry. But I can guarantee you we will pick a place next time!
4. Battery Park
This park doesn't get a whole lot of attention, but it is quite amazing. It is right on the water and you can see the Statue of Liberty from it. This is where the Vietnam War Memorial is (see picture to the left.) It's located at the very lower tip of Manhattan. It is more of a history based park yet still filled with beautiful nature. The coolest part about it...they have wild turkeys roaming around it. I have no clue why, but we definitely saw one, and it was hilarious.
This park doesn't get a whole lot of attention, but it is quite amazing. It is right on the water and you can see the Statue of Liberty from it. This is where the Vietnam War Memorial is (see picture to the left.) It's located at the very lower tip of Manhattan. It is more of a history based park yet still filled with beautiful nature. The coolest part about it...they have wild turkeys roaming around it. I have no clue why, but we definitely saw one, and it was hilarious.
5. Central Park
My favorite place in New York, hands down. There are so many different areas to this park with so much to do. They have tennis courts, a lake, a little pond for toy speed boats, running paths, street vendors, food trucks, a mini Strand bookstore...shall I list more? I think Caleb and I visited Central Park every day except for one day when we took our trip. My favorite Central Park excursion we had was when we picked up some groceries at the Grand Central Market and had a picnic by the pond. A close 2nd would be when Caleb and I bought macarons from Laduree and sat on a rock and people watched. A very close 3rd would have to be when we bought hot dogs from a food truck and sat in Strawberry Fields and listened to a guy play Beatles music on his guitar. And yes, you guessed it, in last but certainly not least would have to be when we bought ice cream from a food truck and walked around the Jacqueline Onassis Reservoir. All simple adventures, but all very memorable. Next time I head back to NYC, I plan on bringing my running shoes and tackling the rest of this park with a jog!
My favorite place in New York, hands down. There are so many different areas to this park with so much to do. They have tennis courts, a lake, a little pond for toy speed boats, running paths, street vendors, food trucks, a mini Strand bookstore...shall I list more? I think Caleb and I visited Central Park every day except for one day when we took our trip. My favorite Central Park excursion we had was when we picked up some groceries at the Grand Central Market and had a picnic by the pond. A close 2nd would be when Caleb and I bought macarons from Laduree and sat on a rock and people watched. A very close 3rd would have to be when we bought hot dogs from a food truck and sat in Strawberry Fields and listened to a guy play Beatles music on his guitar. And yes, you guessed it, in last but certainly not least would have to be when we bought ice cream from a food truck and walked around the Jacqueline Onassis Reservoir. All simple adventures, but all very memorable. Next time I head back to NYC, I plan on bringing my running shoes and tackling the rest of this park with a jog!
6. The Strand
Another one of those places that I was too fascinated by to take a picture of it. I literally could have lived in there. I was completely in heaven. Their famous tag line is that they have 18 miles worth of books. I believe it. This store was 3 stories and had hundreds upon hundreds of bookshelves. You could buy brand new books as well as old books. They are reasonably priced, too! If I lived in NYC, I would probably stop by this store at least 3 times a week if not more. I'd be dead broke, but I'd be perfectly okay with it. The Strand is located right across the street from Union Square Park. So imagine this, you go buy a new book, grab an iced coffee, and go find a cozy bench to sit on and get lost in your new book. That to me, is a perfect moment.
Another one of those places that I was too fascinated by to take a picture of it. I literally could have lived in there. I was completely in heaven. Their famous tag line is that they have 18 miles worth of books. I believe it. This store was 3 stories and had hundreds upon hundreds of bookshelves. You could buy brand new books as well as old books. They are reasonably priced, too! If I lived in NYC, I would probably stop by this store at least 3 times a week if not more. I'd be dead broke, but I'd be perfectly okay with it. The Strand is located right across the street from Union Square Park. So imagine this, you go buy a new book, grab an iced coffee, and go find a cozy bench to sit on and get lost in your new book. That to me, is a perfect moment.
7. Grand Central Market
Located inside Grand Central Station. Yes, the station itself is cool with its bright blue ceiling, windows, and Apple Store in it, but this little market is out of this world! The market is where we purchased our groceries for our picnic in Central Park (see above.) They have a meat counter, a bread counter, drinks, fruit, veggies, desserts, just everything! Not only can you get any food you want there, but it's also delicious. They even have macarons...yeah pure heaven. So whether you follow in our footsteps and have a picnic or you grab some treats for elsewhere, I do believe this little market is worth your time to grab some food at least once while you're in NYC.
Located inside Grand Central Station. Yes, the station itself is cool with its bright blue ceiling, windows, and Apple Store in it, but this little market is out of this world! The market is where we purchased our groceries for our picnic in Central Park (see above.) They have a meat counter, a bread counter, drinks, fruit, veggies, desserts, just everything! Not only can you get any food you want there, but it's also delicious. They even have macarons...yeah pure heaven. So whether you follow in our footsteps and have a picnic or you grab some treats for elsewhere, I do believe this little market is worth your time to grab some food at least once while you're in NYC.
8. Brooklyn Bridge
This was one of my favorite experiences in New York! We took the subway in to Brooklyn and walked back across it to Manhattan. The view was spectacular! You could see the Statue of Liberty, the entire skyline, the Manhattan Bridge, too. Caleb and I took our time walking across. We would just randomly stop and look over the edge to watch the water. It was so peaceful. And lucky for us, the day we went on this little adventure, it was drizzling. I love walking in the rain, so it just made the moment so much more special. This bridge is grand to look at and even more so when you're walking across it. It is definitely an excursion worth taking.
This was one of my favorite experiences in New York! We took the subway in to Brooklyn and walked back across it to Manhattan. The view was spectacular! You could see the Statue of Liberty, the entire skyline, the Manhattan Bridge, too. Caleb and I took our time walking across. We would just randomly stop and look over the edge to watch the water. It was so peaceful. And lucky for us, the day we went on this little adventure, it was drizzling. I love walking in the rain, so it just made the moment so much more special. This bridge is grand to look at and even more so when you're walking across it. It is definitely an excursion worth taking.
9. Tout va Bien
This little French restaurant is out of this world! It appears to be in the basement of a house. It is located in the Theater District and is the perfect dinner spot to eat at before you go see a show. The staff is so French and adorable. They played along with my gosh awful French and were just so friendly. The atmosphere is very quaint, too. However, the best part about this place is of course the food. When Caleb and I had dinner here, we ordered the cheese plate and chicken cordon bleu. Yes, I literally remember what we ordered, it was that good. I will never forget this place and will always go back here whenever I am in NYC. The cherry on top of the experience was that they bring you this giant bowl of sangria at the end of your meal when they bring you your check. Oh and they also gave us chocolate mousse on the house. I mean come on, how can this restaurant not be my favorite when they are encouraging me to drink as much sangria as humanly possible and providing me with delicious treats? Tout va Bien, you have my heart. Je t'aime!
This little French restaurant is out of this world! It appears to be in the basement of a house. It is located in the Theater District and is the perfect dinner spot to eat at before you go see a show. The staff is so French and adorable. They played along with my gosh awful French and were just so friendly. The atmosphere is very quaint, too. However, the best part about this place is of course the food. When Caleb and I had dinner here, we ordered the cheese plate and chicken cordon bleu. Yes, I literally remember what we ordered, it was that good. I will never forget this place and will always go back here whenever I am in NYC. The cherry on top of the experience was that they bring you this giant bowl of sangria at the end of your meal when they bring you your check. Oh and they also gave us chocolate mousse on the house. I mean come on, how can this restaurant not be my favorite when they are encouraging me to drink as much sangria as humanly possible and providing me with delicious treats? Tout va Bien, you have my heart. Je t'aime!
10. Ladurée
If you know me, you knew this was coming. I love macarons. Especially Ladurée macarons. To say I'm obsessed is an understatement. I have even begged them on Twitter to bring a store to Chicago. No such luck yet. But these little cookies are pure heaven. As I spoke of above, Caleb and I went and got 1 of every flavor and ate them in Central Park on our first day in New York. It was one of the best moments of the entire trip. It is a cute little shop and all they have is macarons. The staff all speaks French. The men are all in suits and the women are all in dresses. It's quite classy and a place you don't want to skip.
If you know me, you knew this was coming. I love macarons. Especially Ladurée macarons. To say I'm obsessed is an understatement. I have even begged them on Twitter to bring a store to Chicago. No such luck yet. But these little cookies are pure heaven. As I spoke of above, Caleb and I went and got 1 of every flavor and ate them in Central Park on our first day in New York. It was one of the best moments of the entire trip. It is a cute little shop and all they have is macarons. The staff all speaks French. The men are all in suits and the women are all in dresses. It's quite classy and a place you don't want to skip.