There are so many beautiful places to travel in the US. There are beautiful sunsets and mountains. There are great hiking trails and oceans in which to swim. But to me, one of the prettiest views is the outline of the New York City skyscrapers. I love New York! Give me a city street to hike, give me the stores to shop, the people to watch, and the buildings to explore. There is a great deal of history to learn in the city itself. There are many college campuses tucked in amongst the rest of hustle and bustle. There are great restaurants and a lot of spirit to be felt. I could spend weeks at a time there and never see it all. But here is a list of 5 of my favorite things to do in New York City.
1. Broadway shows- there is always a great show to see in New York. There are plays, musicals, on Broadway, off Broadway. It can get expensive, but one reasonable way to see a few shows is to purchase tickets at the TKTS booth in Times Square. They offer same day tickets for a discounted price. You are going to go to Times Square anyway (see number 5), you may want to pick up some show tickets.
2. Buildings- I know that sounds weird to go to New York to see the buildings, but let me explain. There is the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the new Freedom Tower and many more. There are beautiful cathedrals and churches. I toured the Empire State Building for the first time two years ago and wished I had gone much sooner. It’s simply amazing to get to the top of that towering structure and look out across the city. If you prefer an indoor view not so high up, consider Grand Central Terminal or the basement Apple Store.
3. Museums- I love museums. I like to go and read every plaque and ponder every exhibit. Some of my favorite museums in New York are the Natural History Museum (think Night at the Museum), MOMA (Museum of Modern Art), and the Guggenheim. I’m heading to the Met on my upcoming trip and I’m pretty excited.
4. Bridges- there are several bridges and tunnels that get you in and out of New York City. You can take a night tour on a bus, which will take you on every bridge in and out of the city. Many people say New York is too expensive. But one of my favorite things to do is free (okay actually two of my favorite things to do are free, but I don’t have room to tell you about the Staten Island Ferry in this post!). I love to walk out on to the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s a pretty cool structure considering it was built in the late 19th century. If you time it just right, you can catch the sun setting behind the Statue of Liberty. All for free!
5. Times Square- so I’ll wrap up this list with the cheesiness of Times Square. I might as well; you’re going to be curious. You’re going to walk through there while in town. It’s SO touristy, it’s so overrated, it’s so busy, but it’s so fun, you gotta go! You can stand around and just watch the people or the flashing billboards, you can have your picture made with one of the “characters” down there (please tip them, if you’re going to take up their time, just tip them. That leads me to a whole other post which I would title “always have about $20 in small bills reachable in your front jeans pocket”), or your can shop the many fun stores. There is a huge M&M’s store, giant Toys R Us, Hershey’s, Sephora, the NBC store and of course- Disney Store! Go to Times Square with the rest of the sea of humanity and hang on to your wallet.
So whether you want to spend a week (go at Christmas time) or just a long weekend (Adventures by Disney offers an action packed trip), I hope you love New York City as much as I do. Email me and I will help you plan your trip. Because (cue the music!) if you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere. It’s up to you, New York, New York!
Jeri@TravelwiththeMagic.com
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