A Taking A Bite Out of The Big Apple

New York  -  February 2018

From February 24th through February 28th, 2018 I took an adventure to New York with my handsome, Howie. The Golden State Warriors vs New York Knicks game happened to have fallen on February 26th; which was Howie's birthday. So we couldn't pass up on the opportunity of seeing our all time favorite team at the Garden. Once it was confirmed that we were going, I went straight to doing what I do best - planning. I planned our trip according to location. First thing was plane tickets - I used Just Fly because I saw that they truly had the best deals for flights during the specific times I was looking for. Secondly, was a room - I knew reserving a hotel would be super expensive especially with additional fees - so I opted to use Air BnB; which was perfect! We were only two blocks away from Madison Square Garden, 15 minute walk from Times Square, 5 minutes from The Empire State Building, and a block down to the Subway. You couldn't get better than that and actually stay in a studio apartment to truly get that 'New Yorker' feeling! Lastly, we planned on seeing several attractions during our stay - so of course I had to look for the best deal. For New York I found that the New York Explorer Pass was the best fit for price and amount of activities to choose from. For the New York Explorer Pass we chose 5 activities, out of a list of 79 top attractions. From there I began to plan our daily adventures based on where we would be in Manhattan. 

DAY 1 - February 24, 2018

When we first landed at JFK, New York we took a Lyft straight to our apartment to get settled in. Once we were acquainted with our place we got ready to go grab some lunner (lunch+dinner) at Bon Chon Chicken - which was delish! Next was our first adventure to Times Square. On our way there it was sprinkling but we made the best of it. We found these cool interactive LOOPS where you had to sit in it and row a lever to make the wheel spin. When the wheel is spinning the color on the outside changes and a flip book like story spins on the inside (so Boomerang worthy). We got back on our trail of following the big bright lights to the middle of Times Square. When we arrived, there was a big Jewish concert/celebration in the middle where the red steps are. It was quite amazing and terrifying at the same time because there was so many people. However, once the crowd dispersed things became more chill so we of course found the opportunity to take some awesome photos with the bright lights. We took a few moments to soak in the surrounding and to embrace that we were really in New York City (a check off our Bucket List). It felt so amazing! The crowds were very diverse and friendly that it reminded me of San Francisco - I felt comfortable and oddly at home. On our way back to the apartment we took a stop at the Empire State Building. The first attraction on our New York Explorer Pass. When we got to the top it was a gorgeous 360 view of the New York City Skylines but it was freezing and windy - to the point I had to keep running back inside just to feel my face again. So come bundled at night! Day one was a beautiful start to all the adventures that was ahead of us.

DAY 2 - February 25, 2018

For the first full day adventure out in the city we started with The Financial District area near Battery Park. Based on the area I made the plans for nearby attractions and landmarks. First on the list was Lady Liberty and Ellis Island. The day started gloomy and slightly raining (which we thankfully came prepared for). We jumped on the subway for the first time and bought the NYC Metro 7-Day Unlimited Pass before entering; which I highly recommend! The subway was surprisingly cleaner than we anticipated - we only encountered one Master Splinter (Rat) but no Ninja Turtles. We got off on our stop and walked to Battery Park where the Ferries for Lady Liberty awaited us - attraction number 2 on our New York Explorer Pass.

Lady Liberty is just as beautiful and monumental as would see in movies. Coming across the bank and seeing her in the middle you can only imagine the beauty she has graced for so many generations. The Island was small and was about a 5-10 minute walk all around; so we hopped on the next ferry for Ellis Island. Upon arriving you can feel the history in the buildings and can only envision ancestors of America coming to this land of freedom. We took a stroll through the museum and even saw that you can do research in the museum computer lab for your family's immigration information at $7/30 minutes. We chose not to do it, but it did look cool. We headed back for Manhattan and straight to our next attraction - The 911 Museum and Memorial. Along the way we stopped by the Raging Bull statue, Trinity Church, and St. Paul's Chapel. Little fact Trinity Church is one of the oldest churches in NYC dating back 250 years. It amazes me how much rich history is in New York.

It's crazy to envision that the Twin Towers were once standing now where the  911 Memorial Infinity Pools are. I wasn't anticipating for how emotional the Museum was going to make me but boy does it hit the heart. To walk through and hear the stories of the spectators, family members, emergency responses, and the news of 9/11/2001 - it was as if you were there on that day with them. There were displays of the iron beams that were hit and you can just see where the plane made impact - it literally melted apart. You can picture yourself on that date as if it was a regular Tuesday at the office but no one knew what was headed their way - twice! What was the most daunting element was thinking that this could happen anywhere, at anytime. My heart goes to those who were majorly impacted on September 11th, 2001. 

After the Memorial we decided to grab some lunch at Shake Shack - so bomb! Off to the remainder of our adventure we took a stroll to the New York City Hall - the full plant fountain was definitely a view with the Hall directly behind. Snapped a few photos and headed to the most gorgeous bridge promenade that I've been on; the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade. 

Howie and I took advantage of the view and photo op spot and ended up having a mini photo shoot. I wish we had enough time to walk the entire bridge to see more of Brooklyn - definitely on my list for my next visit to NYC. We finished our shoot and hopped on the Subway to head to The Nike Lab store. Howie works for Nike, here in The Bay Area - so he wanted to check out the NYC stores. The Lab was cool but super 'hype beast' - minimal products but beautiful store front with unique set up of plants everywhere. For dinner we went to "Little Italy" for fried Calzones; which was super yum. Day two was very adventurous and long day we wrapped it up early but first we took a pit stop back to Times Square for more picture perfect moments. After so, we went back to the apartment to get ready for Day three.

DAY 3 - February 26, 2018

Monday morning and it was Howie's birthday! We began our day by getting brunch at Friedmans. I got the Veggie Omelet and Howie got the French Toast. Let me tell you their food was A-1(hella good). I highly suggest their restaurant and trying the NYC Hot Sauce. The hot sauce is so good I'm about to buy a few bottles from their website. To walk off the brunch we jumped on the train and headed to Rockefeller Center to go to Top of The Rock. The view from Top of The Rock was gorgeous! You could see Central Park facing North, the Hudson River to the West, The Empire State facing South, and East River to the East. You literally feel like you're on top of the world! 

After visiting the Rock, we strolled down 5th Avenue. We ran across one of the most stunning churches I've ever seen, St. Patrick's Cathedral. It is so beautiful and grand that it took my breath away. Since it was Howie's birthday, I gave him contribution to light a candle and make a birthday wish. We said our prayers and gave our thanks before we continued back on 5th Avenue.

Next stop was the NYC Nike Town. Which is four stories high and kind of the same floor plan as Nike San Francisco. 

On our way back to the apartment to get ready for the Warriors game, we had to hop off the train to the amazing Grand Central. The ceiling had a beautiful mural of the Zodiac signs in astrological pattern. All of the pillars and walls were made of marble. A very impressive and gorgeous landmark that you've seen so many times on the screen. It felt surreal to be inside to see how Grand it really is.

The Golden State Warriors vs The New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden was an experience. I got us seats in the lower 200's but felt like we had lower level luxuries; there were even mini TV's in our section. If I were to compare The Garden vs The Oracle - it would be night and day. The Garden's arena is top of the line, even the sound system was perfected. The only complaint I had about the arena is that it was so quiet it felt like I was at a golf tournament that I'd fall asleep at. I appreciated the Rrrr-oracle more after that because there's no energy or team spirit like it. The game was cool, The Warriors won with 125 to 111. After an eventful day we ended our night back at the apartment as jet lag was starting to set in.

DAY 4 - February 27, 2018

On our last adventure day we got a late start but we eventually made it to our last attraction - American Museum of Natural History. It's the museum from 'The Night at The Museum' with Ben Stiller and Robin Williams. When you enter the museum you can't help to imagine everything coming to life. It made the experience so fun and cool. 

My favorite part of the museum were the  Dinosaur fossils, The ancient Philippine artifacts, and the beautiful Amethyst Geode(shown above) 

When the museum closed we went across the street to Central Park. Since I planned ahead I made sure we saw some beautiful views along our path in the middle from 79th to 59th Avenue. Each spot were instagram-worthy. We started at the Belvedere Castle → Herns Head → to The Strawberry Fields → The Cherry Hill Fountain → Wagner Cove → Bow Bridge → Bethesda Fountain → Bethesda Terrace → Naumberg Bandshell → Wollman Rink → Gapstow Bridge → The Cop Cot. In Central Park is where we saw the biggest and most rats we've seen during our stay in New York; they were the size of small dogs! Other than that each view had it's own essence and beauty of the park. It was hard to see all of it at night but it was gorgeous to see at sunset. It was a wonderful and romantic way to conclude our adventure inside the Cop Cot with the city behind us.

DAY 5 - February 28, 2018

This was the day we were jet setting back to The Bay. We packed our belongings and checked the room twice then Lyfted to the airport. There was more traffic than anticipated but made it in the nick of time. We boarded our flight and then there was a delay. The plane was apparently too heavy that they needed 10 volunteers to leave. The third person in our section volunteered which meant I had two chairs to sleep in (Score!)- shout out to Virgin Airlines! We made it home safe in 6 hours.

Our first trip to New York was overall a success. Planning ahead saved so much time in the end. It felt amazing that we actually accomplished all of our plans and even had additional time to do more. The weather was perfect for the time of year. It only rained on Saturday night and Sunday but the rest of the vacation it was just cold with partly cloudy days. Thank goodness we missed the snow storm by a week. 

I cannot wait until our next adventure no matter where it is next. Through this trip, Howie and I's relationship were tested but we came out stronger in the end. It was confirmed that he is the partner I would love to have on many adventures.