As a lover of cities, Broadway, and chocolate chip cookies I have long wanted to visit New York City, and last month I finally did. I went with my mother, and we had a blast. We walked a lot, enjoyed some fantastic food, and just enjoyed being a part of such an alive, teeming city.
We arrived on a Wednesday. We took the train into the city from JFK Airport, which ended up being more complicated than it should have been. I shall blame this on poor signage (as I often do, haha). For starters, you pay for the train out of the airport when you get off it, which had us both quite concerned that we were stealing a free ride when we couldn’t find anywhere to pay when we boarded at the airport. Then you had to purchase a dual ticket that covered both the airport train and the subway, and realize that some of the money you put on the card would be lost to the initial metrocard fee, which resulted in me ending up on one side of the subway gate and my mother left behind as the card was short, meaning she had to go figure out how to reload it (along with a crowd of about 30 other people who had no idea what they were doing either). It was more stressful than it needed to be, but in the end we skipped a $70 cab fare, so we were ok with it.
Some amazing sandstone carvings in Central Park.
A sunny morning in Central Park.
Anyhow, now begins the more interesting stuff. We had dinner at Eataly, which was amazing. It’s a great big Italian emporium, with a variety of different restauraunts, shops, and cafés all blending into one another. Guys—they had a Nutella café! We ate at the vegetarian restaurant after enjoying some wonderful cheese based appetizers, and it was all incredibly tasty. Mmmm. Afterwards we walked back to our hotel. I received one marriage proposal on our way back, and caught a glimpse of the Chrysler building through the mist. We also detoured through Grand Central Station, which was downright breathtaking. It was a good idea to be there around 11PM as it was much easier to stagger about, gawking, without getting run over by hurried commuters.
This is actually in Central Park, near the fountain.
We stayed at the Pod hotel on the recommendation of a friend who has spent a lot of time in New York. It was clean, conveniently located, and not horribly expensive. The room was small, but it seems that most private spaces in NYC are, and it was large enough to sleep in and get changed, which is all I was really interested in doing there.
The next morning the walking began in earnest. We made a beeline for Central Park, and promptly fell in love with it. The day was humid and surprisingly warm because of it. Low clouds swallowed the tops of the taller buildings, making for rather mystical views out of the park. I’m not sure I can adequately describe how wonderful Central Park is, or how large.
Every aspect of it is carefully considered, and oh-so-charming. There are fountains that remind me of Versailles, and then ambling pathways through wooded forestland that remind me of a walk in the mountains. Everywhere we went we found people just enjoying being outdoors, and despite frequent glimpses of skyscrapers and the occasional distant wail of a siren, we felt removed from it all. We went on to walk the park nearly every day of our visit, and we didn’t come close to seeing all of it, despite dedicated efforts.
In the afternoon we visited the Natural History Museum, seeing barely a fraction of it, mostly limited to the gems & minerals exhibit. My mother (who is a geologist) pointed out the original minerals that make their way into many of the cosmetics I make, which was really neat.
That evening we saw Matilda the musical on Broadway. The highlights were definitely Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood and Ms. Trunchbull. They were just hilarious, and nothing quite compares to seeing a large man (Ms. Trunchbull) dancing about in an athletic kilt whilst shrieking about having a newt in his/her knickers. This was my favourite musical number.
Afterwards we got cheesecake at Junior’s (supposedly the best in the city), and it was very good, though I was relieved to find that it wasn’t so much better than anything I’d ever had that I’d never be able to enjoy any other cheesecake ever again. We finished off the evening with a short wander through Times Square, which was crowded and a bit overwhelming, to be honest. Not really a highlight.
One other food thing I should mention are the results of my chocolate chip cookie quest. I tried three cookies (chocolate chip, double chocolate chip, and chocolate peanut butter chip) from the top two bakeries in the city—Levain and Jacques Torres. I use the Jacques Torres recipe for my homemade cookies, and they are divine. I’ve tried a supposedly Levain inspired/copycat recipe as well, and wasn’t nearly as impressed with it. I was surprised to find the bakeries just around the corner from one another. Levain had a half hour line outside. I waited, and oh my, was it ever worth it. They were the best cookies I’ve ever had. My mother agreed. Crisp on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. Just chewy enough, and oh-so-flavourful. The Jacques Torres ones were pretty good, but really only ok in comparison. The whole Jacques Torres experience was also much more branded and corporate feeling than Levain as well—Levain was just a tiny hole in the ground, with a long winding line giving the only hint of the decadence contained within. Yum. If you’re doing a Calgary—NYC run, please bring me more Levain cookies. I will happily pay you in soap.
The following day we did a tour at the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side, which was a definite highlight. The museum is an old tenement building that was in use from 1863 to the 1930’s, when it was shut down and left for quite some time. It’s since been turned into a museum through lots of research a work. You book tours based around different families and groups that lived in the building. You’re taught about what life was like at the time, and taken through the building to see what it was like when it was purchased decades after being abandoned, and then into refurbished apartments that have been done up as they would have looked at the time. Unfortunately we couldn’t take any pictures, but it was a great stop, and definitely worth your time.
Me + Pier 54.
The arch over Pier 54—or what’s left of it, at least.
On Saturday we headed south to the Chelsea area as I wanted to see the pier where the Carpathia landed, and where the RMS Titanic was supposed to dock. Pier 54, where the Carpathia docked was rather sad, crumbling off into the Hudson River. A rusting arch over top of it still had a barely distinguishable “C” and “U” from “Cunard” on it. My mother obligingly took photographs of me with my sailor hat and refrained from poking too much fun at me. In an event, I looked less crazy than the fellow who was moonwalking and dancing all over the pier with his headphones in, haha. Pier 59, where the RMS Titanic should have docked is now a driving range, and I just couldn’t bring myself to get a photo with something so commercial and modern looking. All the same, I’ve now seen both the departing and landing spots of the journey, which is pretty awesome.
We spent Sunday up state with relatives, who toured us through some very charming, quintessentially American towns. We had ice cream cones, admired some utterly stunning seaside homes, and visited their club. The entire day felt a bit like something out of Gilmore Girls.
Pier 59, where the RMS Titanic was supposed to dock. As you can see, it’s now a driving range.
On Sunday evening (our final night) we went on an amazing sunset harbor cruise with Classic Harbor Line. We sailed on the 1890 Schooner Adirondack, which was a downright beautiful ship, made all the better by being significantly smaller than many of the other harbor cruise offerings we saw in the area. The views and the crew were fantastic, and we got shots of the Statue of Liberty with the sun setting directly behind her. There was also champagne, and complimentary blankets for the evening breeze. And, at just $64 per person (with three drinks included), it was really fairly priced as well.
All in all, New York City was amazing. It’s just so exciting and alive, with so much history. I’d love to go back—I can see why people fall in love with it, I think I just did.
I can’t help but be a little envious–as a dancer, a theatre geek, and a lover of all things culinary or historic, I’ve been in the process of planning my New York trip since I was about ten. It sounds like you had a perfectly lovely time! Thanks for all the beautiful pictures. 🙂
Well, the benefit of all your planning will be that you won’t miss anything when you go! I sort of decided to wing it and loved every moment, but missed a lot as well.
I was hoping you’d do your NYC post soon! We’re going from June 26-30 then taking the train to Washington (staying with my cousin an hour out of the city) for a few days at the end. We have most of our days planned out, but I’m always looking for more options! I can’t wait to get back to Central Park… definitely a highlight of my last trip, and such a bizarre/welcome escape from the bustle of the city.
dear sarah, please try to stay in the city and not an hour away. nyc is best enjoyed when you become immersed in the sights, sounds, smells of it all. you need to let it envelop you. central park is nice, but parks can be experienced anywhere. please eat in ethnic spots … don’t miss china town or little italy. be sure to get a bird’s eye view of it all from either the empire state building or atop rockefeller center, etc. a broadway show is a must. enjoy times square … the street performers and the busy atmosphere … everyone going somewhere and all at once … its glitter and bigger than life atmosphere. i could go on and on. i hope that you will enjoy your trip. my best to you. janice p.s.: mind your purse and your phone … unfortunately, there are unscrupulous people in every big city … well, everywhere these days.
Gah, I missed so much! I would definitely recommend earplugs for anybody staying in the city—if you aren’t used to the noise you’ll barely sleep (and I am a deep sleeper!).
Don’t worry, we’re staying in NYC! The Washington part is the last 3 days of the trip 🙂
As for food… unfortunately (really, considering I’ll in in NYC), I’m vegan, so I’m fairly limited in where I can eat without getting sick–dairy doesn’t agree with me. I’m sure I’ll cheat a tiny bit if necessary, but overall I’d like to not be in search of “facilities” rather than enjoying the sights. I’ve been scoping vegan eateries and have options, but it’s not going to be easy! I have a feeling we’ll be going to markets and just buying hummus, veggies and pita a lot 😛 I was in NYC in 2007 so I’ve done lots of the main attractions already, but my husband is a first-timer so I know we’ll be repeating some things. Definitely doing a Broadway show, and maybe an off-Broadway? I’d also like to see Shakespeare in the Park! I wish I could stay for weeks on end, but it’s soooo expensive. As it is, we’re staying in Harlem to save money!
vegan restaurants are not hard to find in ny. google “vegan restaurants in nyc” and you will be in vegan heaven.
btw, since you have already visited our apple, you are probably well aware that there are no public restrooms to speak of. this is another thing to research before you come here. there are listings of the scarce spots that allow non-customers to use their facilities. starbucks is one of them. google it each morning after you have set your itinerary for the day. you won’t be sorry.
and lastly, harlem can be (and often is) very unfriendly to non-black people, particularly out-of-towners. no one talks about it, but it is a fact of life. tourists can be spotted a mile away. and harlem is out of the mainstream. nothing is “walkable” from harlem. there are reasonably priced hotels in midtown. just research it. wouldn’t you rather wake up and get going without needing to get onto a smelly subway or overcrowded bus?
I’ve got a big list of vegan spots to hit, but depending where we are we may have to just eat wherever we can–hence the possibility of cheating. As for Harlem, we looked into other locations and really they were just out of our budget. The place we chose has great review (Chic & Budget), and we’re find with just taking the train or some other transportation mode each morning and spending the day/evening doing our own thing. It’s mostly a place to sleep and shower. I actually wanted to stay at the Radio City Apartments, where I stayed on my last visit (loved it, and actually decent prices for Times Square). Unfortunately, they were completely booked up even 2 months ago, so we had to look elsewhere. Even the cheapest places downtown were ludicrous and had questionable reviews at best. I know Harlem isn’t ideal, but again, we won’t be exploring the area so we’re okay with it in the end 🙂 Thanks for the concern though!
Thanks for the bathroom reminder! I had totally forgotten about the lack of public facilities. I’m sure we’ll be stopping at enough places to eat that we’ll be able to use their facilities without issue, but it’ll be good to have some idea each morning just in case. I’ll mark all the Starbucks’ on a map, haha.
We didn’t spend more than a few minutes in Harlem, but the Harlem end of Central Park is very beautiful. Lots of meandering creeks and stunning little ponds—definitely worth a wander 🙂
I will have to look at the Radio City Apartments next time I go!
The one exception I found to the lack of public loos was Central Park, which was fantastic as we spent so much time there. They were relatively clean and free 🙂 Good tip on mapping out other alternatives for each day, though!
One of the places I really enjoyed with my mom was Alice’s Tea Cup—they always had a vegan scone on hand, and a wonderfully over sized tea menu. I think you’d enjoy the whimsical atmosphere as well 🙂
Can I come with you? Ha! Do the Tenemant Tour—I think you’d really like it. Are you staying an hour out of NYC or out of Washington? I’d definitely recommend a few nights in Manhattan if you can swing it, it’s totally different from taking the train in each morning.
Sorry for the confusion! We’ll in in NYC (staying on Manhattan at a place called Chic & Budget) from June 26-30, then we’ll be leaving NYC to stay with my cousin in Maryland for 2 days. We’ll spend 1 day at the end in Washington at a hotel since our flight is at 8am out of the city (Washington, not NYC) and getting up at 4am to leave my cousin’s sounded miserable 😛
And yes, I’ve added the Tenement to our roster! What tour did you do?
We did the Irish Outsiders one—the Irish were really in the minority in that area, so it was a really interesting tour to learn why, and about their lives.
Ah! Bring those earplugs then 🙂
Earplugs are on my list! I’ve started mock-packing to make sure everything fits in my backpack–we’re not checking any baggage and I’m a notoriously “heavy” packer. Thank goodness summer clothes are lightweight!
Alice’s Tea sounds so great! I’ll have to see if it’s in an area we’ll be near. We have a pretty specific (but flexible) itinerary laid out with nearby food options, but seeing as it’s NYC we may be more inclined to wing things once we get there. If not, we have our schedule!
I’m not sure if we’ll be able to swing the Tenement museum after all 🙁 We (somewhat foolishly) bought “New York Passes” with the Hoho bus option 2 months ago when we booked our flights/hotel, and we’re now regretting it since we’re stuck trying to make sure we do enough to get our money’s worth. There are great options on the pass, but it does pressure you. No refunds, sadly. At least it’ll be convenient of nothing else? Anyway, we have lots of museums on our list as a result, and going to a paid one when we have to use the pass as much as possible just might not be the best plan. I’m sure someday we’ll go back and do those other things though 🙂
I’m so excited to hear how your trip went!
i have always counted by self lucky because i was born and bred in nyc. it is true that if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. i have travelled the world … and it all comes back to 1. nyc, 2. paris, 3. hong kong. but nyc is the center of the world. so delighted that you enjoyed your mini-bite of our big apple. come again real soon. even after a lifetime, i am still discovering and exploring this ever changing city.
I must admit I’m really rather jealous! NYC is definitely in my top 3 or 4 cities, along with Sydney, London, and Vancouver 🙂 Now I just need a seat sale 😉
Thank you for sharing your lovely photos and tour of NYC. Personally I have never had a desire to go there, but now I do:)
I can definitely relate—it’s so easy to think “it’s just a city, how great can it be?”, but then… be still, my heart!
Am so envious!
Central Park looks beautiful. Can’t wait to see it myself some day (and try those cookies)!!!
It was an awesome trip 😀 Bring me back a cookie or 5 when you go 😉
Are you going to try to duplicate the Levain cookie? I would so love t have the recipe if you do! Thanks!
Try the recipe I linked to here—it’s amazing! Potentially as good as the Levain ones 🙂
oh, Marie, such a beautiful story, thank you! I used to live in NYC for 5 years (were my first years in US – I originally from Ukraine) and I loved it! I changed the kinda dirty and fast race of life to quite, slow and green TN. I don’t regret but I really miss the Central park often! 🙂 It’s unique small planet of Greenness and Peace. I really enjoyed people in NYC – no wonder it’s a capital of the world – there so many people from so many countries! Just a rainbow of nations! lol 🙂 Beautiful pics – thanks!
Thanks, Veronika! I definitely find myself missing Central Park as well—we have plenty of parks here, but we just don’t have those tall, older growth trees that make Central Park so all-encompassing.
Ohhh… New York is one of my favourite cities!!! Wonderful place, NY is so stimulating in many many ways
😀 great to hear you spent some time there and enjoyed it 😉
Great shots! Tnx for sharing 😉
It’s definitely on my list as well! I wish it was in Canada so it was easier for me to live there for a while 😛
Is anyone else wondering about this marriage proposal??? LOL! 🙂
LOL Bridget! It was pretty informal, nothing sweepingly romantic on the top of the Empire State Building, just some guy walking past yelling out “‘scuse me sweetheart, you’re just so beautiful I wanna marry you!” While I was with my mom, lol.
Casual or not, it makes a girl feel pretty great, doesn’t it? I’m sure that had you smiling for the rest of the day. 🙂
Bridget
True that 🙂
Ok. Now I want to go to NYC! Thanks for sharing your visit. It sounded amazing.
Thanks so much for reading, Glenda 🙂 I’m so glad to be able to share my adventures!
Thanks for my trip through New York, through your eyes. I thoroughly enjoyed it,
Thanks for reading, Helena 🙂 I had a wonderful time and I’m so glad I could share it.
As a New Yorker, I disagree that Junior’s is the best cheesecake in town. A true slice of heaven can be found at The Carnegie Deli…. Try the blueberry cheesecake. It’s proof the God loves you…. But bring cash because they don’t accept credit cards. Oh, the corned beef sandwich rocks too!
Ooooh, drat… I guess I’ll just have to go again 😉 And yeah, I did get the feeling that Junior’s was a bit of a tourist trap, but it was right next to our theater.
I’m a New York City Native. Glad you enjoyed my city. Next time you’re in town, you should take the train to Brooklyn and soak in some of the local vibe. The Brooklyn Museum is renowned for its collection of Egyptian artifacts. It also has complete period rooms set up inside the original house in one of the museum’s upper floors. Immediately behind the museum is the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. It’s much smaller than the Bronx Botanical Gardens but it’s also much less crowded, allowing you to enjoy the beauty even more. Let me know next time you’re in NY and I’ll bake you my oatmeal raisin cookies. I’ll even substitute chocolate chips for the raisins just for you.
– Gitana (Brooklyn to the bone) the Creative Diva
Gah! More to do! I MUST go back. Brooklyn was definitely on my list but so many things were, and we just weren’t there long enough 🙁 The gardens sound incredible! Perhaps I’ll stay in Brooklyn for a few nights next time and kidnap some of your cookies while I’m at it 🙂
Thanks for the Brooklyn tip! We were going to bike the bridge anyway, so I think we’ll make room for an afternoon in the gardens/at the museum if we can! It sounds like a nice little “getaway” from the city itself.
Sigh—send photos!
my husband is from brooklyn and i have been there dozens of times. the must see is indeed the brooklyn bridge, perhaps the botanical gardens. that’s it … really. you will not find much there except for a very large hasidic community and bedford styvesant … one of the most dangerous places in the nyc if not the u.s.a. the best of ny is in the city … manhattan. brooklyn pride is strong, and sometimes that ethnocentrism abounds, but skip brooklyn.
It’s always so interesting to hear from a local on things like this 🙂
Hi Marie! VERY nice photos! from New York (as always!)….They remind me of this song: that is one that I especially love:
http://youtu.be/5yCwiaZwiB8
Nice ishn’t it?….hello from Grecce….
Thanks, Athanasia 🙂 I had Frank Sinatra stuck in my head all day yesterday thanks to you! He is just so darn charming, and what a voice.
Sounds like a really wonderful trip! Thanks for sharing your pictures. They’re wonderful. The Statue of Liberty picture is really fantastic! Looks like a postcard.
Thanks Mary 🙂
Hi Marie!…hahahahahahaha! I’m glad I made you stick with Sinatra! hohohoho! one of the most important American artists! Now stuck too! ….’strangers in the night..something in you eyes was so enviting…something in your smile was so exiting….strangers in the night…two lonely people…we wore strangers in the night……….dooo bi doooo dooo bi doooo….amazing!….hello from Grecce…
I once saw a concert with an orchestra featuring a very good Frank Sinatra impersonator—my favourite was “Come Fly With Me” 🙂
concerts in central park are amazing. before 9/11 they allowed picnic baskets and we would put our blankets down, sip wine from crystal glasses, nibble on fine cheeses and other goodies. wonderful to lie down, gaze at the stars and really feel the music. that has changed. but the music, the atmosphere, ambiance have not changed and the experience is not to be missed. btw … music is sometimes jazz or classical or pop. simon and garfunkle and even diana ross in her day gave phenomenal free concerts in central park. just super.
That sounds just phenomenal! Experiences like that are one of the things I miss the most about not living in a true big city.
yes, marie. but there are sooooo many truly wonderful things that a rural, in touch with nature environment gives to the soul. these are more scarce in a city environment. ah, yes, we need to take the best from all worlds. btw, i love your blog and follow you faithfully. i do not believe that i have ever thank ed you for all that you share. much appreciated.
come back to the apple soon.
😀 I’ll return as soon as I can!