Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Two Days in NYC

This was my FIRST time in New York City and I only had two days to take in everything that the Big Apple has to offer. If you're like me, you want to see it all! Navigating through the huge concrete jungle is probably impossible without some sort of tour, so we opted for the NYC Gray Line All Loops bus tour. For $64 we had hop-on-hop-off access to a double decker bus that took us through Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn, and The Bronx, plus a nighttime tour. Well worth the money! We were able to see everything that we wanted, as well as get a feel for the layout of the city.

The cons of the bus tour are that the staff aren't super knowledgeable and the busses ran late a lot, but really for the price, it's not that big of a deal.

Planning an August trip to the city isn't the smartest, in that it's really humid and gets pretty hot. Luckily for us, it was a mild week of mid-80s temps. We actually experienced a light rain on our second day which was nice and saved us from baking in the sun. Unfortunately though, by the time we took the night tour it was pouring and we had to squeeze into the enclosed level of the bus. Although we missed the glow of the city lights, it was kind of hilarious getting drenched as we drove through Brooklyn (photo evidence below).

The Empire State Building Central Park, NYC Sailboats in Central Park Central Park Statue of Liberty Bethesda Fountain, Central Park Central Park View from Top of The Rock Brooklyn Bridge, NYCrainy bus tour in NYC
Catholic church in NYC Uptown New York City Harlem, NYC

Cool spots worth checking out:
-Upstairs at the Kimberly Hotel - drinks are pricey but the view is priceless. Casual setting where you're not pressured to keep buying beverages.
-momofuku milk bar - get the crack pie. You're welcome.
-The Boathouse Central Park - book a reservation in advance and expect a hefty bill, but it's worth the view. You can eat on the patio right on a pond. Plus the location is next to the adorable remote control sailboats you always see on TV/in the movies.
-Top of the Rock - Empire State Building is more popular, but here you have the same great view, plus Central Park. It's cheaper and I hear less crowded.


My suggestions for traveling to NYC with only two days:
-Book a hop-on-hop-off tour
-Take the FREE Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.
-Research what you want to see/do beforehand
-Plan where you'd like to eat and know what neighborhoods the restaurants are in
-Have lots of singles handy to tip tour guides, and most importantly, buy subway tickets





 

18 comments:

Kate at Green Fashionista said...

Loooooove the city! The only thing I miss about living up north is hopping on a train and going into the city. Love your pics, and you did the right thing booking the bus tour if you only had a day or two to see everything ;-)

Kerry @ Till Then Smile Often said...

The views look amazing! The tour bus is a great idea especially when you want to see so much!

Setarra said...

Ahhhh so bummed we we're able to serendipitous-ly bump into each other when you were on the east coast! But so happy you were able to finally experience NYC! Top of the Rock is my favorite :)

Leaving the Corner & Dipping My Toes said...

We did the same thing last time we went, it makes it easier to see the places you really want to without having to go back after the tour it's over, but I must confess that we lost track of time shopping and missed the last bus, so we had to take the subway, it was pretty cool. Good to hear you had a good time.

Natalia

Lauren said...

love love love new york! glad you had a good time! did you get on the subway going the right way? I know that is something I did wrong more than once when I first started navigating the city alone!

SMD @ lifeaccordingtosteph said...

Great tips!

I've never eaten in Central Park, it looks amazing.

Selma @ Crazy Little World Of Mine said...

Gooooshhhh, I love NYC!! Glad you had a good time albeit the heat, humidity, and rain. NYC welcomed you beautifully!!!

Nichole @ casadecrews.com said...

I am sooo jealous!

Unknown said...

I still need to do these things lol even as a New Yorker the hop on off tour buses are fun. Cover a lot of the city while sitting comfortably :) Glad you got to see so much!

Allison said...

You're so cute - can I please tell you that I haven't done half of these things? You did more than I have in one weekend, girl!
And in all seriousness - can you please just move here so we can go out all the time? I promise to add some 1D onto my phone so we can listen to something in the car ;) xox

C said...

So. Much. Fun. :) Your phone really did take great pictures!

Kelly said...

I am so glad you had such a good time!

xx Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes

Kallie @ But First, Coffee said...

Looks like a fun time! I live very close to nyc so can pop in whenever I want and Love that city. Too bad it was kinda rainy for your short two days :(

Laura Darling said...

It looks like you were able to see a lot! So fun! I've been to NYC a few times to see Broadway shows, and my senior year of high school. My parents didn't want me to rent a beach house with other kids like a lot of my classmates, but the tradeoff was a weekend in NYC with my mom, cousin, and aunt. It was a BLAST!

Rebecca and Lori said...

So fun!
Lori

Unknown said...

I love NYC !
Such lovely photographs !!

Thanks for sharing :)
xx
http://missluludarling.blogspot.com

Kelsey Bang said...

how fun to stop in nyc! best place ever! looks like a dreamy time!

kelseybang.com

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

I am totally jealous that you got to be in NYC! I've been wanting to go there so bad!