In this episode of Oh Snap! I leave my dear companion Caroline and travel across the country to the Big Apple, New York City. I took a 12 hour journey to get to the city, taking a quick stop in Chicago to get some Chik-fil-a in the airport. This trip required a lot of walking and a lot of flexibility for our schedule, but New York is suitable for people from all over looking for some fun and excitement.
When we finally touched down in New Jersey, it was about 6 o'clock in the evening. All we did that fateful Wednesday night was go to our hotel, and walk by Madison Square Garden, a well known indoor arena that has hosted many famous artists.
The next morning, we woke up at the late hour of nine, much to late for any tourist. Since we were so off schedule, we quickly got dressed and booked it over to Columbia University to look at the law school for my sister. While the rest of my family did this, I wandered around the quintessential campus and admired the ravishing architecture.
After a trip to the prestigious university, we took the subway down to central park. This park is so unique because, while it has aspects of nature, you can see the skyline and handsome buildings which allow for a interesting contrast of hard architecture and soft nature.
We took a detour to Strawberry Fields, a memorial for John Lennon. It was made for him after he died and is across the street from his old house. It is a wonderful place that brings the tragedy of his death to the beauty of all the people come to honor him.
A man belting out some famous John Lennon songs next to the memorial.
To take a break from the busy city, we went into Bergdorf Goodman's fancy restaurant at the top of the building. We indulged in some rich and creamy lobster mac and cheese that, although was a bit overpriced, was fully and completely enjoyed by our whole family. The restaurant is highly esteemed so make sure to dress on the nicer side when you visit this expensive little gem. (this mac and cheese was so good tho. ten out of ten would devour again :)
After our delectable dinner, we dragged our tired feet to our final stop for the day, Times Square. Times Square is VERY crowded and touristy, and I felt like most of my pictures ended up looking the same. It's a great place for a quick selfie but I definitely wouldn't make this a need to go destination.
The next day, we shook off the jet lag and woke up at 7 o'clock. We headed down to Brooklyn to look at the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridge and to see the city skyline from a different perspective. If you decide to walk across either of the bridges, make sure to be mindful of the bikers and runners, as its a pretty narrow path. The area we went to was called Dumbo and it had many parallels to California's Chrissy Field in San Francisco.
After our day trip to Brooklyn, we booked it over to Manhattan for our sunset appointment with the skyline. We went up all 70 floors of Rockefeller Center for amazing 360 views of the entirety of Manhattan. To experience this unexplainable sight, make sure to buy your tickets (40 dollars each btw) in advance to ensure awesome photos. Although on the more expensive side, I, as a tourist, would definitely splurge on this once in a life time view.
The next and final day of our trip, we ended with a relaxing 3 mile walk on the Highline, an old railway repurposed into a cement walkway above the city streets. It's a short walk away from awesome cafes and coffee shops and a great way to enjoy a lazy morning.
Well, that's a wrap on our beautiful trip to the Big Apple. If you, like me, are native to somewhere other than New York, you should definitely add this iconic city to your list of travel destinations. This city brings out the explorer hidden in all of us, and, although it tested my patience at times, I got to become an honorary New Yorker which is pretty darn cool. Im so glad my sister and mom decided to bring me along on this trip and give me an opportunity to give you, my dear audience, my lovely experience through these photos.
