Trip Report, 7/1-7/3
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Hello all!
My husband and I are currently visiting my sister in Philadelphia to meet our new nephew, and we decided to seize the opportunity to spend two nights in NYC for the first time. It was one of the coolest experiences of our lives, and definitely the most unique city we've ever visited! We are from Oklahoma, and love to travel, but public transit is foreign to us, so we braced ourselves for anything and prepared to go with the flow.
We definitely did not know we would be here for a record heat wave, the world cup, fleet week, and Taylor Swift's wedding? Crazy circumstances.
I spent a lot of time here reading recommendations, so I wanted to share here for others!
Tried to bold the places we went to, since I know this is a long post!
Pre-Trip in Philly: My husband and I got to try out public transport before we got to NYC when we visited Eastern State Prison (highly recommend if you're in the area). We got to explore Reading Market, and after that day I learned to take the subway whenever possible, because buses have free will, and sometimes don't show up. We also bought a large refillable water bottle in the gift shop, and it was our number one purchase this trip. There were a lot of places to fill it, if you keep an eye out.
Day One: Arrival/Bryant Park Area
-Took a Lyft to 30th St Station in Philly and caught the Amtrak in, arriving at Penn Station around 7:30. Train left on the dot. Enjoyed the quiet car. Coach tickets were $25/piece. Well worth it.
-Went with our luggage to Liberty Bagels. I got jalapeño everything with pimento cream cheese and my husband got a BEC. Bagel was delicious, tons of cream cheese. We each ate half of our food and saved it for later.
-Stopped at Culture House, a cannabis store on the way to our hotel. It was cool, but pricey. We went back on the last day, and they had a DJ. This would have been a sign they were expensive had I seen it the first time, but it was convenient, and the store was cool.
-Went to Bryant Park to get our bearings. Lovely spot, plenty of places to eat and sit. They also have jazz on Wednesday afternoons.
-Got to the Wyndham/Wyngate Hotel off 5th Ave. to drop off our bags. I got the room on sale a few months back, and it was about $200/night. The rooms were clean and in a great location. We fell asleep looking at the Empire State Building both nights. We couldn't check in until 4, but we dropped our bags off, which was a great service. We took a portable phone charger/battery thing with us, and that was a good idea, since you will use your phone to navigate the subway a lot.
*-A true highlight of our trip, we then headed to MoMA around 9:30. We were first in line. It turns out that that doesn't matter all that much, because then you wait inside for the gallery opening at 10:30.
What DOES matter is entering the galleries NOT by where they direct you, with all the circular seating to the right, but to the left instead. Nobody was waiting by the opening, so about 5 minutes before opening, we stood nearby. We were the first to get on the elevators, beelined to 5th floor, went straight to 515, and got to spend a few minutes in complete silence and solitude with Water Lilies. It's a huge triptych, and I'll never forget that feeling. We spent the most time on floor 5, but ultimately spent about 2.5 hours.
-Got lattes at % Arabica Coffee. Very good.
-Back to Bryant Park for food, got Casa Toscana. Sandwiches were about $15, and were huge and delicious. We also took half of these to go. We found it very helpful to have a folding tote bag with us.
-Next went to the New York Public Library and saw their exhibit on voters' rights, as well as their Treasures permanent exhibit. This was totally free, and wonderful. They have so many unique items that I had no idea about. There are also bathrooms and water fountains here.
-After this, we went to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library which is caddy corner to the NYPL. The top floor is a terrace that has amazing views of Midtown, and shady spots to sit.
-At this point, it was about 3:15, and we were beat. We decided to walk back to the hotel and wait for check in at 4.
-After a shower, we took the subway to Cantina Rooftop. The tacos were good, but the view and the atmosphere made it worth it. It happened to be karaoke night, and the host sounded great. It being Fleet Week, we also got to hear some of... um... that during karaoke. Headed back to the hotel to rest.
Walked 11.5 miles. Lots of stairs if you want to get close to where you're going on the subway.
Day Two: Battery Park/Financial District/Central Park/Broadway
-Started our day late, then got on the subway and headed to Battery Park. This is where we paid the tourist tax. As soon as you get off the subway at BP, there is a juice cart. In Midtown, that juice is like $8. On one of the hottest days of the year, we ordered before we realized there were no prices. Don't do this. We aren't idiots, but are very clearly tourists. $14 DOLLARS. Juice was really good.
-Walked to the line for the ferries and took a picture of the Statue of Liberty from afar. We didn't want to invest hours into the ferry, and it was enough to see it when we walked up. Went to Castle Clinton. Very cool, and hit up bathrooms there.
-Took subway to the 9/11 Memorial. We spent a quiet moment there, and found it sobering and profound. We didn't enter the museum.
-We then walked over to Trinity Church and saw their graveyard with Alexander Hamilton and others. This was also a nice place to explore.
-Got $3 hot dogs nearby Trinity Church, and they were fine. Only shopped at carts with prices listed, and use cash.
-Took the subway to Central Park and got there around four. Was lovely, but miserably hot. Bought a shitty pretzel for $7 and walked around for a minute before heading back to the hotel to rest.
-Had two tickets to Hadestown at 7:00, and it was the best show we've ever seen. Amazing venue and performers. A highlight of our trip.
-Went back to the hotel to reset, then walked to late night pizza at Pizza Foto. Delicious when it was warm and hot.
Day Three: Brooklyn/Headed Back
-We wanted to explore beyond Manhattan, so took the train to Equisite Express Jerk Chicken which was our favorite meal of the trip. We shared an order with rice and sides and it was tasty and delicious, and all for $10.
-Took the train downtown to Make Some Noise Coffee and got frozen lattes which hit the absolute spot in the heat.
-Went over to The Transit Museum afterwards, and really, really enjoyed it! If you like old ads, you will also have a great time.
-Took the train to Brooklyn Bridge Park to take in the views. We were pretty worn out at this point (around four again), so we headed back towards our hotel.
-Sat and got beers and food at Reichenbach Hall literally right next door to the hotel, and enjoyed cooling off and the delicious food and drink.
-Afterwards, we grabbed our bags and walked to Penn Station. Some streets were closed, but easy to get into the station. Made it to Moynihan Train Hall and waited.
-AMTRAK was an hour delayed due to technical problems, but it was a comfortable ride once we got going.
Overall, it was a great trip! We walked 28 miles! If you are going this summer, take a water bottle and stay hydrated. Don't be afraid of the subway, but make sure you enter on the correct side of the street. People talk quickly and get to the point, but are friendly.
If you read all of this, I hope you will enjoy it/it will help you plan your own trip!