three days in New York City

We just returned from a whirlwind three days in New York City, and by “we” I mean my sister, Staci, my niece, Taylor, and me. It was Taylor’s Sweet 16 birthday trip, and I’ve declared from here on out, this is destined to be an annual girls’ trip. Not necessarily to New York, but to somewhere.

Because travel is important. And family is important. And life is over in a New York minute. For real.

We hash-tagged it up with #TaylorisSweet16 and #SistersinNY which looked a little like “sister sin” every time we typed it, so we’ll let y’all wonder about that.

Three days in New York City isn’t enough time to see everything. Three years in New York City isn’t enough time to see everything. Since Staci & Taylor were NYC virgins and I’ve been several times, I played the role of tour guide. For the most part it was the almost blind leading the blind, but we managed quite well.

A few of our highlights:

Circle Line Tour: When time is limited, this is a great way to see New York landmarks from Hudson Bay including the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Financial District, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and Ellis Island. Plus, we’re “big boat people” and there’s beer and wine on board. With a heat index of 106, liquid beverages were much appreciated. Yes, One-Oh-Six. Lordy, it was hot.

 

Central Park Pedicab Ride: Every time I think of a pedicab, I think of the hilarious Seinfeld episode when Kramer and Newman go into the rickshaw business. “It’s the romance of the handsome cab without the guilt or dander of the equine.” 

Dimitri, our Russian pedicab driver, was informative, friendly and super-duper strong to ride us around for an hour and a half. Our tour included several stops inside Central Park, and Dimitri even walked with us pointing out things we otherwise would have missed. I’ve only visited New York in winter, so seeing it in summer looked completely different.

Ground Zero. While in New York, one can’t not visit Ground Zero. Every single person should visit and never forget. The names of those who died are inscribed around the reflecting pools. On each person’s birthday, a rose is placed on that person’s name. Such a hallowed, sad, humbling place.

Broadway: Seriously, if I could stay two weeks and see a play a night, I would. We saw both Hamilton and The Lion King. So.Much.Talent! Hamilton is EVERYTHING you’ve heard—witty and clever and timely with fantastic music and incredible dancing. Every line is delivered in song or rap without a single spoken word of dialog. Plus, simply being inside the Richard Rodgers theatre surrounded by stunning chandeliers and all that gold leaf was a treat. The Lion King was nothing short of magical with fantastical costumes, a creative set and otherworldly singing. Wine was served in little kid sippy cups, thank you very much.

A few final thoughts: As far as getting around, we did it all. We walked, Uber-ed, took cabs, rode a double-decker bus, and took the subway. If we had it to do over, I think we’d use subways exclusively. New York subways are efficient and inexpensive and air-conditioned (for the most part).

Tiffany’s and Saks and Fifth Avenue in general didn’t make our to-do list, but we did go to three different Gap stores. Shopping at Old Navy in New York City on a girls’ trip is way more fun than shopping at Old Navy in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

If we’d had another day, I would have added the New York Public Library, the Museum of Natural History and The High Line. But we didn’t.

Until next time, New York…

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Highlights of our trip to #NewYorkCity @nycgo @broadwaycom @stitchfix #Hamilton [/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:
Frank Sinatra, New York, New York