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No this isn’t an ancient version of the iPhone, it’s just part deux of my NYC escapade. As I said in last week’s post, my mom and I went for a quick trip and packed in a few activities she had long been wanting to do. After we hopped off the plane, we took the subway into Manhattan to drop off our luggage and have breakfast. We ate at La Grande Boucherie at 145 W 53rd Street. They have 3 other locations in the city in Union Square, West Village and Christoper Street. It reminded me of my time in Paris a few years ago. The food and service were wonderful, but you must go just to see this place. It is so beautiful, you will forget you’re in NYC as you take in the ambience of the French atmosphere. http://www.boucherieus.com/
After having a sizable breakfast, we were ready to tackle our itinerary. We had a couple of scheduled activities that were located geographically close. If you are short on time while visiting New York, I highly recommend choosing activities/sights that are in the same neighborhood. You have to allot for more time getting from one place to another, and this could eat up a lot of your day if you’re not efficient about what you want to see and do. Let me first mention, that these are some of the typical tourist attractions, so don’t roll your eyes at me. That’s job, my husband tells me I’m great at it.
For museum lovers, you have some great options here, but we chose The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue. It is magnificent in size and content. Now I’m not one for staying at a museum all day, but you can certainly spend 7 or more hours here. You can look online and see what exhibitions are going to be available at the time of your visit. If time is not a luxury, then I would recommend having an idea of what you would like to see and grab a map when you get inside. There are plenty of employees around to answer any questions or guide you in the right direction. Word of advice, know exactly what it is you might be looking for. Funny story, my mom kept calling a sculpture she wanted to see, “The Ballerina” when in fact it is “The Little Dancer” by Edgar Degas. No wonder the woman looked at us like we didn’t belong in The Met, maybe we were looking for Julliard? I don’t know. Anyway, I digress. Let’s continue…
We easily saw what we wanted within 2 hours and made our way to the gift shop before we left. Museum gift shops have some quality merchandise and there is plenty of it. If you never get a chance to visit The Met, but do have an appreciation for art, you can buy many of the items online. Now as far as cost for entrance to the museum, usually discounts are for senior citizens or children. A wonderful benefit is available if you live in NY, NJ or CT. You pay what you like when you arrive. I believe all you need to show is your driver’s license to verify you are a resident of the state. Take advantage of this perk! General admission tickets are as follows: $30 for adults, $22 for seniors and $17 for students. My mother wanted to buy our tickets online ahead of time and we had to change our visit by one day. I had emailed The Met and explained that we purchased tickets but were pressed for time due to a flight change. They were very kind to change our admission date and we had no problem gaining entrance to the museum. We appreciated their courtesy in the matter. http://metmuseum.org
We decided after the museum to have a light lunch at Sarabeth’s on Central Park south. It was right next to our hotel and close to our next adventure. It was around 1:30-2:00 in the afternoon and surprisingly, we were seated right away, even though the place was bustling with patrons. http://sarabethsrestaurants.com
I have to say for as many times that I have been to New York, I’ve never had a chance to see Central Park, other than walking the perimeter. As corny as it sounds, we took a carriage ride. My mom was so excited, as she has been wanting to do this for quite some time. I have to say, it really was beautiful and so relaxing after a day of walking. We booked a 45 minute ride online several weeks before with NYC Horse Carriage Rides for $140 (plus tip). It included the sites above including Wollman Rink, the Chess House, the Loeb Boathouse and others. As you can see, we had a sunny and blue sky day which made it all the more enjoyable. Our driver stopped a couple of times, so we could take some pictures along the way. There are several companies to choose from and they are all relatively the same price. They also have special packages, day or evening, and different lengths of rides depending on what you would like to see in the park. Even if you don’t want to take part in a tourist attraction like this, the park is a refuge from the hustle and bustle. I can see why so many New Yorkers spend their time walking, biking and having picnics here. http://nychorsecarriageride.com
After a day of activities, we were able to check in to our hotel. We rested and freshened up for our dinner reservation at Piccola Cucina at 160 E 60th Street (there are 2 other locations in the city on Spring and Thompson Streets). You can take a look at a recent post of the food we consumed here (and the rest of the weekend) on my instagram account allora_travel_. The atmosphere and staff were quite charming. http://piccolacucinagroup.com
If you haven’t guessed by now, these images are from the wreckage on 9/11. It is one thing to remember exactly where we all were on that fateful day, but it’s a sobering reality to be so close to this devastation. It has been over 20 years and it was quite emotional walking through this museum. The sheer terror and fear of thousands not knowing if they would make it out alive, is something I would not dare try to understand or relate to. I can not wrap my mind around posting a picture of a loved one on the side of a building, like thousands had to do. This museum was a beautiful memorial of not only the frailty but the resilience of mankind.
The grounds outside have 2 reflecting pools where the Twin Towers once stood with all the names engraved of those who perished. It is sacred ground here and if you have a couple of hours to make it into the museum, it will be worth your while. I purchased our tickets through Viator https://viator.tp.st/33IL2Unn. It is possible to buy timed tickets up to 6 months in advance. Prices range from $16-33 for respective age groups. We did not do a guided tour or purchase headsets as there are descriptions for all displays. http://visit.911memorial.org
My mother and I were in NYC for about 36 hours and did everything we planned to do. We certainly wanted to have more time for shopping, but as I said before, transportation can chip away at your allotted time. We took the subway, bus and taxi a couple of times each, and used Uber for our ride back to LaGuardia. And of course, we walked quite a bit. As far as I’m concerned, the best place to see any city is to walk and get lost along the way. The subway is the quickest and cheapest way to get around, but you have to be willing to go up and down flights of stairs. Not all subway stations have elevators. You also have to be quite literally, on the correct side of the tracks (no pun intended) or you will end up in the opposite direction. I definitely think explaining the modes of transportation, especially in large cities, deserves its own blog post. But for now, I’m going to give you an idea of the cost. We took a taxi twice while in Manhattan, each costing $20-25 plus tip, while the meter ran for almost a half hour. I made an executive decision to use Uber to the airport. It was also about 30 minutes and cost $57 plus tip! Quite the difference. We asked 3 people what was the better option, two of them said Uber. Now I am no expert, but I really do think it had to do with the time and day of the week. I have to believe it would be a different scenario if you took a cab in rush hour going 15 blocks. I’m sure watching the meter run as you barely make it through traffic, has created anxiety for many.
Well, there you have it, my most recent NYC trip in a nutshell. I know I will be visiting again and sharing a completely different list of things to see, do and eat! The great thing about The Big Apple, is there are so many resources and websites dedicated to tourism. There is a wealth of information out there. If you haven’t yet made a trip, I hope this has inspired you to head down for a few days. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions, I would love to help direct you in any way on a future trip. For now, so long!
