Our first of three days in New York City started on a Wednesday. Since we got in late the night before, we slept in. When I say “slept in” I mean I wasn’t up at 6am like normal. My sister is also an early riser, but I think it was maybe 8:30am when we were ready to test the Keurig maker.
Read about our travel day to New York here: New York City in 3 Days: Itinerary & packing for frequent or infrequent travelersYork
Breakfast Day 1: Coffee in room, protein bar and fruit
We agreed before our trip that we’d aim for only two meals a day. The rest would be snacks or quick items we either brought along or grabbed on the go. She suggested trail mix, which I had packed. I also brought a few small apples and clementines as well as protein bars. I joked about bringing hard boiled eggs in my suitcase. It was a hard “no.”
Packing a New York City day bag
I hadn’t thought about bringing another purse other than my Vera Bradley backpack and little wristlet. (photos of both) My sister had a cute ivory colored, leather sling back/crossbody purse that could also be a backpack. She had gotten it in Italy. She reminded me in the airport that museums and for sure shows wouldn’t let me take my backpack in. I hadn’t thought of that. But I packed my backpack for the day either way, and it ended up not being a problem at all. It was actually also really comfortable.
Planning our day
Since our hotel was in the middle of the Manhattan Theater District, there were a ton of things really close. We had only a few main things planned for the day, and the rest we’d figure out as we went. Central Park, a dinner reservation and seeing my first ever Broadway show were on the list!
I had looked on Tripadvisor a few days earlier for ideas on what I’d like to see. She had actually been to New York City just the week before. Like I mentioned in my last post, we were going to see my niece dance and she had been there to drop her off. That show would be on Friday, the last of the three days we’d be in New York City.
I found two things that looked fun. The first was taking a tour through Central Park by pedicab, and the second was taking a boat tour to see the Statue of Liberty. My sister was already looking at pedicab reviews as we were taking the elevator down from the 44th floor to the street. I remembered how my ears had popped the night before on the way up.
When we stepped outside on to the sidewalk, it was overwhelming. A breeze managed to brush us through the tall buildings that were everywhere. A variety of smells and sounds woke up my senses as I began to shift into a different gear of alertness. The best way I can describe it is sensory overload. It was a lot to take in.
First up was Rockefeller Center & Radio City Music Hall.
We basically ran right into where the Rockettes perform at Radio City Music Hall. It was just a couple of blocks from where we were staying. We decided to grab our first selfie. (below) She showed me “how the kids are doing it,” using the 1.5 technique. At least I think that is what it’s called. I’ll leave it at that. (wink)
I spotted the FAO Schwarz store next
I walked over to two people in bright red toy soldier costumes. They were standing outside the store front and getting pictures with people passing by. I met Margo who I learned is from Michigan and who has a dream to be on SNL. She was so refreshing to talk to.
Me and Margo (pictured below outside the FAO Schwarz store)
On my must see list: Central Park
My sister used the Trip Advisor app to select a 1 hour pedicab tour that included 5 stops along the way. The spots were meant to allow you to take pictures at certain pre-determined spots. The driver doubled as a tour guide and would talk about everything we passed or stopped at. He was fantastic. It was well worth the $40 a piece plus tip we each spent. I’m also fairly certain we went over an hour. It wasn’t rushed at all, either way. One of the unexpected photo spots was at the fountain featured in the beginning of the popular show Friends. Our guide had us jump up while he took a video we could later pause for a photo. It was so fun. (photo below)
There were horse pulled carriages too. I loved seeing them all as we’d pass them by. Our driver would talk about the history of the city, landmarks we passed by and buildings we could see on the skyline. He’d also play music at times and show us a clip of a film shot in the park on his cellphone. It was truly well done and organized, and so engaging. I loved it.
I teased my sister that I was pulling her around a bit choosing this form of transportation. To just sit back and enjoy not doing all the walking or running wasn’t something she probably would ever pick. She had run the New York City marathon through the park a few years back. But when I saw just how large the park is I was so glad I had suggested it. We had a lot more walking ahead of us anyway.
The pedicab tour was one of my highlights of the entire trip. After we did it I felt like the rest of the day was icing on the cake. I’d highly recommend it for anyone wanting to cover a lot of ground fairly quickly. It was well worth it.
The Plaza Hotel
I love the Home Alone movies, particularly the first one. The Plaza Hotel is featured in the second film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). It was another quick stop for a photo moment. We could enter the lobby area which was stunning, but to go any further you’d need a reservation. There were some beautiful flowers on a table in the center of the space. It included orchids like my mom loves to grow (not pictured). I took this picture thinking I’d share it with my mother. But I did feel like we shouldn’t be too intrusive and respect the guests, so we left right after.
Lunch & Recharge: Grab and Go items from a convenient store
We found some quick items for our lunch this day at a convenient store. I got a pre-made turkey sandwich and a banana, and my sister got some yellow cherries and a green drink. We ate outside the Museum of Modern Art. I wasn’t sure they’d let me in with my backpack or half a leftover sandwich, but they did after checking it. We looked around the MOMA for about an hour and a half, two hours at most. Here’s me pictured below with Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans.
I purchased a portable cellphone charger for this trip.
After looking around the gift shop of the MOMA we sat for a few minutes. I finished my sandwich and charged my cellphone.
I had experienced not having a way to charge my phone last year when I went to Disney World in Florida. I wrote about that adventure here: They were done, but I wasn’t. The three hours I stayed alone at Magic Kingdom in Disney World! I promised myself I’d upgrade my technology next chance I got. I finally added it to the cart, twice. The first one I ordered had the wrong connection for my phone, and I had to send it back. Here’s a picture of the cute pink Anker charger I took with:
Time Square & Disney store
Time Square was super over stimulating, but we both thought I should at least see it once. We did end up walking through it both nights we went to Broadway shows. At night it’s a different vibe, and great people watching! But I was also really glad to see the familiarity of the Disney brand when I spotted a Mickey Mouse sign close by. It was so fun seeing the NYC themed Disney stuffed animals in the Disney Store. I grabbed a picture with Minnie Mouse dressed as the Statue of Liberty.
Grand Central Terminal/Station
Kinda like Time Square, we quickly walked over to Grand Central Station just so I could see it and grab a picture. The ceiling is stunning! I imagined how it might have been years ago. It was cool to see.
Dinner Reservation #1: Gayle’s Broadway Rose
My sister surprised me with a reservation at Gayle’s Broadway Rose that has singing servers. The food was absolutely excellent. I had a kale salad dish with lots of yummy other fixings and it was very fresh. We were serenaded throughout the entire meal with musical theatre songs. Some were solos and some were duets. There was an MC kinda introducing the singer/server and songs, which were very very loud, but also really well performed. My niece was able to join us for dinner as well. Afterwards, we were off to my first Broadway show!
Broadway Musical #1: Operation Mincemeat (John Golden Theatre, NYC)
Based on a true story, and there’s a film too, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical came recommended by one of my sister’s friends who sees a lot of shows. It was really good, and impressive with only five performers total that played multiple roles throughout the show. I loved the yellow curtain!
Walking back to our hotel I was playing back our day and realizing how much we’d fit in. I would say having good shoes helped, and traveling with someone who could help navigate us around with confidence. Having only one main thing to see on our must see list for the day was good, and then if we saw anything else that was just extra nice.
I would recommend doing a dinner reservation in advance like she did as well. That took some pre-planning and I appreciated it. A little bit of research into the shows if you had to pick just a couple was helpful too. The next night I knew I’d be seeing Hamilton for the first time. It was hard to fall asleep, and I was beginning to understand why they call it “the city that never sleeps.”
Have you seen a show on Broadway? Leave a comment below.