This trip you could say has been in the making since last summer. Lisandra was able to get us tickets to see the Broadway Musical HAMILTON! She got 4 tickets and so it was going to be a sisters trip plus DeMarco. Jacqueline and Lisandra had been to NYC before but DeMarco and I were clueless. Due to unforseen circumstances Lisandra was unable to make it but DeMarco and I went ahead and we flew into Philadelphia and stayed with the Moore's for a few days before heading over to NYC.
We had a great time with the kids! They were so happy to see DeMarco! Me too but really more DeMarco. He brought a game with him that the kids loved and we played several times. I highly recommend this game! It's called Dragonwood and it says for kids 8 and older but Andrew played with us and had no problem with it at all. It was cold so we stayed indoors a lot. We ate cheese steaks, watched Trolls, played video games and Jacqueline made delicious oatmeal and toffee chip cookies. DeMarco even went the kids' art show at their school. I stayed at the house with the Rockstar. Overall a great time with the kids.
Wednesday - Train to NYC and Uptown Bus Tour and Times Square
With only a 10 minute drive from the house, Jacq's good friend Kelly drove us to the train station in Exton, PA.
We boarded the Amtrak that would take use through the Philly Station and then end in Penn Station which is beneath Madison Square Garden in NYC. Amtrak is Amtrak so no big events there. The train ride was about 2 hours and we headed out mid-morning. It was an interesting ride in that we were seated backwards but we got to go through parts of New Jersey.
Penn Station:
The Empire State Building is well in view when we got out into the city. It was VERY cold and you can tell from the flags that it was also very windy.
Jacqueline and I had only a backpack and a purse for luggage and DeMarco had a duffel bag so it was fairly easy to get around. It was decided that that we would walk to our hotel as it was only a mile away. This wasn't a big deal as we were fresh into our trip (this was definitely not the case coming back however). I remember walking by Macy's but overall I was just taking everything in on being in the famous city. There is so much to see, skyscrapers, food vendors, souvenir vendors and of course lots of traffic but it was all great.
We stayed at The Hotel @ Times Square. It wasn't very big with small hallways and rooms but clean, modern and the staff were nice. The lobby was comfortable and they served a continental breakfast which was mostly consisted of toast/bagels/yogurt, fresh fruit/cereal and juices. Nothing fancy but it was free and filling. We had two rooms. DeMarco (lucky duck) got a room to himself and it was one of the few that actually had a window that overlooked the street. Jacq and I shared the room right next to his. We had a window that looked into a brick wall.
DeMarco's room:
I thought our hotel had the best location! It was literally a block away from Times Square and 2 blocks away from Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center. The theater that played Hamilton was just down the street as well so many things were very close.
We booked a 2 day Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus ticket. We stopped by a place that to me reminded me a lot of a Paradise Bakery with sandwiches/coffee/soup and etc for a quick grab and go lunch since we wanted to get on the HoHo bus ASAP! We walked to Times Square and once we got our tickets sorted out we got on the HoHo bus that took the Uptown Loop. This pretty much circles all around Central Park with a couple of stops that move further out.
The first picture is of The Dakota, a residence building which is famous for the site where John Lennon was killed near the entrance. The second is another famous place, The Apollo Theater.
One of the stops was about a half-mile away from a bakery Jacqueline went to before and wanted to go again so we got off and walked in the blustery wind to a small basement bakery that was packed with people! I waited outside on a bench and Jacq returned with 4 of these giant cookies! It took me about 3 days to finish 1 cookie and the steep price of $4 each was well worth it!
We got back on the HoHo bus and went around Central Park. Unfortunately we don't have pictures of Central Park. It was winter time and NYC just had a major snowstorm so in my opinion, the park just didn't look that pretty. After about a half hour, we got off on another stop and walked over a couple of blocks to a restaurant Jacqueline heard was good and wanted to try. It was called Black Tap Burgers and Beer. She had me at Beer. Ha ha. Outside the entrance a line was already forming and we waited about 15 minutes for a table. The decor and etc was not fancy but the food was delicious and the staff excellent.
I ordered the Old Fashioned - prime beef with swiss cheese/grilled mushrooms and grilled onions with a creamy horseradish sauce. YUMMY! Luckily the horseradish came on the side but I definitely slathered some on the bun and it complimented the burger perfectly. I do like horseradish.
Jacqueline ordered the Bison Burger with arugula and a thick slice of mozzarella. DeMarco (I think) ordered the All American Cheeseburger which he virtually inhaled. Fries were okay but honestly I barely ate any of them so DeMarco finished those off for me.
BUT the best part of the meal was the shakes. Black Tap is well-known to serve these "themed" shakes that are overly done and so delicious. We decided to order one to share and got the Cotton Candy shake with strawberry ice cream. It came with cotton candy, a lollipop, swizzle sticks, and colorful sixlets candies glued to the glass with frosting. You can see in the second pic how colorful it is. Jacq ate all the cotton candy. :(
With tummies full and it being cold, we decided to take a taxi back to the hotel. Honestly, the walk would have been doable but with it being rush hour, this was the best choice. We hung out in our hotel rooms to relax a bit and nibbled on our cookies then decided to head over to Times Square. We bundled up and walked the 5 minutes to the famous sight.
Okay, I'm going to be a total uber-nerd here and say that I LOVED TIMES SQUARE! I don't care if people say it's overrated and a tourist trap and blah blah blah, I thought it was awesome. the lights and the massive media screens and the large stores and tourists just make it so unique and fun. It wasn't crowded at all and well-lit that this really made it easy for me to get around without feeling overwhelmed.
Jacqueline was excited to see the ball that drops every New Year. This is the first year they decided to leave the ball there. You can see it barely way at the top of the pic towards the right. I really don't take very good pictures. :( There is another picture of all 3 of us but Jacq has that one. She posted a few pics on her Instagram and FB pages so check them out if you haven't already. She's so good at taking pictures!!
We totally got in tourist mode and visited the Disney store/M&M store and Hershey store before getting the usual magnets and t-shirts at a huge NY souvenir store. Crowds started in (shows from nearby theaters were ending) so we booked it back to the hotel after stopping at Starbucks to get some hot chocolate.
What a long day!
Thursday - 9/11 Memorial and Museum and Hamilton!
We woke up early today so we could get on the HoHo Downtown Bus Loop. We had a quick breakfast at the hotel and walked over to Times Square where most of the buses dispatch from.
A quick word about the HoHo Bus. If you go to NYC, do it! The tour guides are full of information and pointing out all kinds of things! They also referenced a lot of places and sites where movies and TV shows filmed as well as history and interesting stories. They do talk nonstop but you wear earbuds as they talk in a microphone. If you want quiet, then just remove the buds and you're good. The bus is touristy but I think worth the money and time to really get to know Manhattan.
Soon, we were coming to our stop that was the closest to the 9/11 site. The tour guide even commented that this was where he was going to lose 95% of his passengers as most were headed there. We pre-purchased our tickets online and were waved through. It was about 11:00 at this time and only waited a few minutes before heading inside to go through security which was tight. Jacq and I even grabbed some apples at breakfast to snack on later and we were told we had to throw them away before entering the museum. We downed them within seconds.
About the 9/11 Museum. It is an absolutely beautiful building. There are several floors and there is just SO MUCH to see. Lights are low relaying this feeling of reverence and respect. People talked in whispers or in low voices. There were so many different exhibits focusing on various elements of 9/11 from artwork influenced by 9/11 to actual emergency vehicles that were damaged when the towers fell. Jacqueline had been here before and it was a good thing since she steered us to exhibits that I would have probably overlooked. I really admire those involved in creating the museum because it was so well done in keeping to the respect of that day.
I didn't realize how much time we spent there until Jacq said it was about 2:00. It was time to move on. We went outside where the memorial ponds were. Again, very beautiful and peaceful.
Jacq found a nearby pizza place that had good reviews on yelp and a 5 minute walk later we were at Stage Door Pizza. A narrow staircase led up to the second floor. It wasn't crowded really but tables close together. We were seated and had a server but the restaurant was very casual. I ordered a slice of pepperoni, Jacq had cheese and DeMarco had sausage. The slices were large and hot and thin. I picked mine up and some of the cheese slid off. :( Jacq said "you have to eat it like a taco". Delicious NY pizza! We decided to share a cannoli for dessert since I've never had one. It was just okay. Not very sweet which I liked but that's about it. I definitely recommend this place. It wasn't expensive and the server was excellent too.
We walked to our HoHo stop and got back on for the rest of the Downtown Loop. It was getting into the late afternoon and we were dropped back off at Times Square. We walked back to our hotel to rest some before we got ready for our big night to watch HAMILTON!
Hamilton is an incredible musical! I strongly recommend this if the show ever makes it to Phoenix or when you visit any of the cities that are showing it. The lyrics and music absolutely work well with the modern twist and learning a big part of history too. The ending moved me to tears. I definitely would not hesitate to watch this show again. All of us enjoyed the show very much. We waited by the stage door to see if anyone would come out for a few minutes but it was just too cold so we decided to go back to the hotel. And a side note: Jacq found out later that Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard watched the show the same night as us! Too bad we didn't see them. :(
It was about 10:30 and I was back and forth about going to Rockefeller Center but we decided to go and walked over which was about 2 blocks away. Very close. It was late and not many people around but I never felt unsafe. DeMarco and I decided to do Top of the Rock while Jacq browsed the gift shop. It was 11:00 now and it closed at midnight so we still had an hour. The downstairs was virtually empty besides the employees and there really is a lot to it before even getting in the main elevator that takes you all the way up. I didn't know what to expect and hoped it was worth the $35 ticket. I actually was impressed! The elevator ride was very fun and the view is amazing. Escalators are used to get up to the top but then stairs will take you to a smaller higher platform. There were still some people around too.
After a small while, it just got too cold and we were ready to go. But first we went around the front where the gold statues are and the ice skating rink. Even at midnight there were about 12 people skating around. Back to the hotel and to sleep ready for another adventurous day tomorrow.
Friday - Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island and Back to Philly We got up early this morning and packed up our stuff. We would be leaving our backpacks and shopping bags with the hotel while we were out and about. Instead of the subway we decided to do Uber to take us Battery Park where the ferries leave to take you Liberty Island. We made excellent time and it was a cheap option too at about $20 (I think). Plus this allowed us to see more of the city. We must have passed by the Brooklyn Bridge several times during our stay.
The ferries were busy but well organized and security was tight, much like an airport except we didn't have to take off our shoes. The ride was about 20 minutes and they had bathrooms and a snack shop from hot chocolate to hot dogs.
The first stop was Statue of Liberty. We bought tickets through the ferry website that included the park entrance as well as any extras such as pedestal and crown viewing. We bought the Pedestal tickets. This included the audio tour but ended up not listening to much of it. We were short on time. Some stairs and an elevator took us to the pedestal platform. As you can see in one photo, it's nearly directly beneath the statue.
 |
| This picture was taken from Ft. Hood which is the expansive low area beneath the statue. If you look at the wide part sticking out in the middle, you'll see some tiny dots looking over the edge. Those are people up there. That is the pedestal viewing area. Very narrow and crowded. |
Beneath the Stature of Liberty is a museum which explains the history of the monument. We perused for a few minutes before we decided to head over to Ellis Island. It was also here where I received a voicemail from Amtrak saying due to a derailment at Penn Station, our train back to Philadelphia was cancelled. We spent about 15 minutes talking to an agent in getting the next train available. The agent put us on the 9:00 train. We originally were supposed to leave at 6:00. Once that was squared away we took the ferry to Ellis Island.
 |
| Unfortunately, this is the only picture I took of one of the processing buildings. |
After the audio tour and buying some souvenirs we took the ferry back to Battery Park and scheduled another Uber to take us to the hotel. Jacq was nice enough to walk over a couple of blocks to get some middle-eastern food from a vendor called Halal Guys which apparantley is very popular over there and Jacq loves them. The hotel staff were nice enough to let us eat in their breakfast room after we explained that our original train got cancelled. We then spent about another hour in the lobby just relaxing until it was time to go to the station. Once again we used Uber as we were tired and didn't want to walk back to Madison Square Garden. Despite it being Friday night, we got there fairly quickly.
Our platform wasn't yet announced so we waited with lots of other people. Jacq said that once the platform # was announced nearly all these people were going to get up and go straight over. Sure enough that's what happened and it took us a long time to get to the train. We didn't get to sit next to each other but that was fine. With this being a different schedule than our original train, we had to switch at the main Philadelphia station.
The Philadelphia station is very cool looking. When we arrived I had to use the bathroom but a line was already forming to go down to the platform where we would take the train to Exton. I asked Jacq if we had enough time for me to use the bathroom but she and DeMarco didn't think so. I actually contemplated going by myself until I overheard someone say that this is was the station where the movie Witness was filmed...you know the part where the guy gets killed in the bathroom. Sooo yeah, I held it until I got on the train.
Overall a fantastic trip to NYC and much of it had to do with the company. It was so nice to spend time with sister and nephew especially when we don't have the luxury of living so close together. Jacq also made it so nice as she already had some experience and she was 'tour guide' on the trip. I was a bit bratty sometimes but she always kept a good attitude and looked after us.
Hamilton was also a great experience and I feel very fortunate that I was one of the few (thanks to Lisandra!) that got to see it.
Happy Travels!
1 comment:
Nice report ! – great pictures ! (-:
Post a Comment