Ah, who doesn’t love the enthusiastic high energy of New York City? The first time my daughter and I visited NYC she was in her second or third year of college. The internet was fairly new and available in places like libraries and at least “I” was not yet comfortable with this new technology, so all of my research was acquired from travel books, magazines and a laminated map.
At that time I had to be more cost conscious while still attempting to enjoy as much of what the city had to offer as possible. We stayed in a cost efficient hotel near the Empire State Building that was far from glamorous, but clean and we didn’t spend much time there. While we enjoyed our time, it was more of a learning experience and an opportunity to understand the layout of NYC and how to better manage our day and the time there in the future.
Where to Stay:
The second time I took my daughter to NYC, it was the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I quickly learned from our previous visit that staying in midtown Manhattan would provide a central location to most of the venues we wanted to visit and since I did not know if this would be our last trip to NYC I booked a beautiful spacious room at the Waldorf Astoria. (Interestingly enough the hotel has been temporarily closed undergoing renovations since 2017). For some time after the 9/11 attacks NYC tourism was suffering and the price of everything had reduced substantially allowing us to enjoy a more high end hotel than would have normally been unaffordable. For additional visits to NYC later, with friends, hotels on Lexington Avenue (Hilton and The Metropolitan) proved to both provide that desired central location we were looking for.
It appears that many of the hotels have since changed ownership, are in the process of being renovated (taking years) and then renamed.. A central location makes walking to various areas easier when using a strategy of focusing on one specific section of the city per day. There is so much to do and see that if not mapped out and somewhat planned in advance, the loss of precious time will limit the experiences the city has to offer.
Transportation:
Prior to my first visit to NYC I asked around among my friends that had been to there for advice about various the aspects of traveling there. Most recommended reserving a car service for airport pick up and return. The cost in comparison to a taxi or Uber is NOT significantly more and makes the arrival special and exciting. Having three of us this time in lieu of two and seeing the size of the suitcases my daughter and granddaughter packed, on this trip an SUV was necessary to transport us and all of our luggage. A simple cab or Uber vehicle would not have been able to manage us and all of our luggage, so it is definitely something to consider. Of course there is also the option of a limousine if you want to be fancy, but even celebrities tend to go the SUV route these days.
While the options for transportation include subways, buses and even pedicabs or rickshaws, I am personally more comfortable with a taxi or Uber. Subways and buses of course are more cost efficient, but you also have to endure several stops along the way until you reach your destination. Most recently there were some reported safety (crime related) issues in certain areas of the city’s subways, so I preferred not to risk it. For this trip I chose to use Ubers.
I have used both a bus and subway in the past. In regards to the subway, New Yorkers are extremely aggressive and in a real hurry. Don’t expect any nicities or polite, “after you” gestures. Everyone is in a rush to get to work or wherever they are going and if you don’t push yourself and your group through the crowd you will find yourself standing on the side as one subway car after the other passes you by again and again. You have to aggressively go for it while hanging on to whomever you are with.
Twenty or more years ago the avenues were filled with lines of yellow cabs aggressively pushing their way through the traffic and we had to master the skill of stepping off the curb, raising our hand and yelling “taxi!!!!” to summon a ride. While the taxis are still there and usually appear as options on the Uber app (mostly in the evening hours), on this trip we used an Uber for transportation. There are so many cars available throughout the city that you simply request an Uber “now” on the app and a car will arrive within 2 to 6 minutes. There was no exchange of funds or your card for payment as it was in the past. Payments were made directly on the Uber app. (Excuse my ignorance, but it’s been several years since I’ve traveled to a place where this form of transportation was used and it was actually my first experience with an Uber.)
2024 Spring Break Trip – Intinerary
Day of Arrival: Dinner & Friends Experience
My granddaughter celebrated her “Sweet 16” in December and I wanted to take her (first trip) and my daughter to New York during their Spring Break. This trip would be different than the previous, because I wanted to plan an itinerary that would appeal to a 16 year old, while also throwing in a couple of different and fun things for my daughter and I that we haven’t done in the past.
Previously, I would usually buy theater tickets for the evening of our arrival. The majority of the day is consumed with flying and getting settled into the hotel leaving a fairly short evening. For this trip however, we left on a Sunday morning and the theater isn’t open on Sundays. So I made a reservation near our hotel for a quick dinner and afterwards we had tickets to The Friends Experience of which my daughter is a huge fan. She continues to watch reruns of episodes to this day. While my granddaughter had not watched a lot of the Friends series, she knew enough about it to enjoy the exhibit and played along with us. (I think she may go home and watch some of it now.)
Note: Another great option to consider for the evening of your arrival is a dinner cruise on the Hudson River. There is usually music entertainment, a nice dinner is served with large windows providing beautiful views of the illuminated Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and of course the city’s skyline. It’s a great way to relax and unwind after a day of traveling, but also check off one of those must do things like seeing the city and some of its iconic symbols at night.
Day 1:
- The American Natural History Museum
- Carriage Ride through Central Park
- Dinner at Lillie’s Victorian, Union Square
- The Summit One Vanderbilt
For our first full day, I had reserved a carriage ride through Central Park in the morning with tickets to The American Natural History Museum after a quick lunch. As we exited our hotel, the temperature was icy cold with a sharp wind that cut the breath as we pushed against it to walk to a local Starbucks. I immediately knew I had to rearrange the day.
(Logistics note on the planning: The Natural History Museum runs along the west side of Central Park, while the The Metropolitan Museum of Art – (The MET) is on the east side of Central Park.)
I reached out to the carriage company and they moved our reservation to 3 p.m. in the afternoon with no fuss. So we spent the morning in this enormous museum that the girls chose over the MET. We had lunch in the cafeteria inside the museum and strolled through the prehistoric dinosaur and gems exhibits until about an hour before our carriage ride.
Both the American Natural History Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are enormous and can consume an entire day without having nearly seen everything within. My daughter and I went to the MET in our prior visit to NYC and we focused on just a couple exhibits before we grew weary from all of the looking. From there we took a stroll through Central Park, finding ourselves eventually on the west side of the park where Strawberry Fields is located in memory of John Lennon and there is a clear view of The Dakota residence where he was shot and where he and Yoko Ono resided (she still resides there).
The Dakota is a historical landmark, the first of its kind built in 1884 before there was a surrounding city presence. Several blocks down we located the Natural History Museum. It was so late in the day that she only had an hour or two to look around, so on this trip both my daughter and granddaughter enjoyed more than half of the day inside.
We left the museum about an hour before our carriage ride reservation, and elected to walk through the park to the appointed area to meet our driver rather than down the west side street. The sun was shining brightly, and while the air was still crisp and chilly, it was comfortable for the ride. The ride included three stops at iconic locations often featured in movies and the driver assisted with taking photos of us. The green stems and leave of bulbs planted throughout the park had sprouted from the earth, with buds formed at the top and ready to burst within the next week or two. While I know it would have been gorgeous to see everything in bloom, I can’t imagine what it would have done to the girls’ allergies. I think all of that pollen would have made them miserable, but it would have been beautiful.
When the carriage ride ended, the driver pointed us in the direction of a little cafe where we could use the restroom and grab a cup of hot chocolate. Cafe Serafina turned out to be a very cute place where we enjoyed a nice cup of hot chocolate and ended up finding ourselves going back the following day for a late lunch.
As we walked down Broadway, we realized we were suddenly in Times Square and my granddaughter spotted several stores that she wanted to shop in. We browsed through stores until we had to redirect and call for an Uber to get us to our dinner reservation.
I saw a silly Arctic decorated restaurant in Union Square called Lillie’s Victorian on Instagram. It was full of faux white rabbits, polar bears, and white flowers something I thought would appeal to a 16 year old and of course provide the opportunity for pictures. The food was ok, not wonderful but as my granddaughter said they eat about the same thing every week and outside of that it’s hard to please them. We had a little time to burn after dinner before we had to be at The Summit.
The Summit at One Vanderbilt is a newer observation experience since our previous visits. In fact there are more than a few options now when back in the day the only option was the Empire State Building. Having been up in the Empire State Building at least four times, I opted for a new experience. The Summit‘s hours span from morning until late at night, but I wanted my granddaughter to see the city lights. Daylight savings time had just kicked in and so our tickets were for 8:30 p.m.
In the past my daughter and I, or a friend took one of the boat tours in the Hudson River to see the city from a distance in addition to a view of the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge. On our first trip we took the cruise during the day. It was just a few months after the 9/11 attacks and one of the buildings was still smoldering with a black smoke. It was a very emotional sight. On another visit, a friend and I scheduled a dinner cruise on the night of arrival. Seeing the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge lit up at night (in addition to the city’s skyline) is breathtaking. I highly recommend doing something in the evening that allows you to view the city’s beautiful lights either from below or from an eye level distance.
Day 2 :
- Rockefeller Plaza
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral
- Lego Store
- Tiffany’s
- Bergdorf Goodman
- The Plaza Hotel
- Times Square
- Bryant Park
- Broadway Musical “The Lion King“
On our second day we started the morning a little later arriving at Rockefeller Plaza around 10:15 a.m. There we walked the interior of the building and then outside where we saw the ice skating rink and Radio City Music Hall’s iconic sign.
Then we crossed the street after browsing in a couple of shops to walk through St. Patrick’s Cathedral, only to cross the street again to visit the Lego Store. Reminiscent of the Toys R Us store that was once in Times Square with NYC landmarks and icons made of legos.
The ultimate stop for every young girl, we went into Tiffany’s where I bought a little “Sweet 16” something as a keepsake for my granddaughter.
We then walked through Bergdorf Goodman so my granddaughter could see what a very high end department store looked like. We stepped inside the Plaza Hotel to take in its historical architecture and elegance. (Years ago a friend and I had high tea there. It was very lovely.) And then we found ourselves back in the same spot where the carriage ride ended the day before and the cafe we had hot chocolate in.
We decided to stop into Cafe Serafina to have a late lunch before strolling back toward Times Square where we later had tickets for the Broadway Show, “The Lion King”. With a couple of hours to spare we found ourselves in Bryant Park, a lovely park in the center of the concrete jungle as they call it, where people sat sipping coffee or healthy drinks while reading, playing a guitar or conversing. We found a table and sat for a while for a rest and to take in all that was going on around us.
We walked an average of 7 to 8 miles a day with Ubers in between in order to capture so much in a day. As we left Bryant Park the evening was near and we were pretty tired, so we stopped in a little gelato store across the street from the theater and I think the sugar helped boost our energy. This would be my granddaughter’s first Broadway Musical, and she didn’t know what to expect. This would be my third time seeing “The Lion King” in NYC. My daughter and I saw it on our last trip to the city and then a year later when I went with a friend she wanted to see it. Twenty years later here I am again, and each time it never disappoints. It’s beautiful and the performers are so extremely talented. Before calling it a day, we stopped into a Taco Bell in Times Square and then were whisked off in an Uber back to our hotel where we slept like happy tired, well fed babies.
Day 3 – Finale
- Greenwich Village
- Bleecker Street
- Noho
- Soho
- Tribeca
- The Oculus
- The 9/11 Memorial
- Brookfield Mall with view of Statue of Liberty
- Empire State Building
There were parts of NYC that I had not seen in past trips, and I did my best to get to those places this time. Greenwich Village has a handful of little shops that my granddaughter was excited about and spent time in shopping for some clothes. Along the way we found the sweetest floral shop with a cafe in the back where people sat sipping latte’s while nibbling on breakfast pastries among the intense aroma of very fresh, very beautiful flowers. We had lunch at a really pretty little Thai restaurant, walked through a small section of Soho, Noho and Bleecker Street while gazing up at the beautiful historical architecture.
As our last afternoon began to slip away, we called for an Uber to take us down to The Oculus and we paid our respects at the 9/11 Memorial. Just a couple of blocks away was Brookfield Mall where the girls looked through a couple of shops, then we sat in the courtyard where they ate a savory crepe and I had a pastry while watching a handful of folks ice skate just outside the door in front of the Hudson River.
We discovered that on the 2nd floor there was a clear sight of the Statue of Liberty through the large windows. As our energy began to falter, we found one of the largest fancy Starbucks we’ve ever seen. Again taking our rest while drinking some water, my granddaughter said there was one store she never saw that she wished she could have gone to. (Hollister) So I had her look it up on her phone and discovered it was just a couple of blocks from the Empire State Building.
So once again, we were off in an Uber for our final destination of this trip. After purchasing a few items at Hollister, we crossed the street to roam around Macy’s for a short while and then walked to the Empire State Building where I bought tickets for my daughter and granddaughter, while I to decided to retire in an even larger Starbucks on the corner of the building to wait for them. My daughter said that the Empire State Building experience had been updated from our previous experience. I’m sure with the new observatory buildings in the city, it needed to have a more modern twist.
Note:
- The Summit Vanderbilt One Experience takes place on the 93rd floor.
- The Empire State Building observatory is on the 86th and 102nd floor.
- One World Observatory at the Trade Center is the 100-102nd floor.
- The Rock Observatory or Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Plaza) is on the 67th, 69th and 70th floors.
We were back in our hotel room early enough to repack or suitcases and prepare for our return trip home the following morning. We had a lot of fun and pushed ourselves to get in everything we could. Sights that I missed again this time were the Grand Central Station (which is connected to The Summit, but it was too late to go see); the Public Library and Serendipity. I suppose we have to save some things in case there’s a next time. Our new experience was in exploring the five boroughs of the city for the first time, a new observatory, and the Friends Experience.
In my opinion the best time to visit New York City is during the holidays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The holiday decorations are enormous, elaborate and over the top beautiful. There’s a festive buzz in the air and of course like everywhere the stores are filled with special items you don’t usually see the rest of the year. There are also holiday markets set up around the ice rink in Central Park and you just have to make time to ice skate at one of the three locations (Rockefeller Plaza, Central Park or Brookfield Mall). I believe I saw another rink in my research on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge. Everything as they say is “Merry and Bright” adding a little magic on top of everything else about the city.
While we didn’t get a glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge on this trip, I hope someday to make my way to the other side of it and explore many of its charming restaurants and shops. So many place and things to do, with so little time. I’m grateful to have shared this three generations experience with my girls and hope to share another special trip with them in the near future.
S I P [Social Interactions and Parties] 