10 miles. 12 hours. 4 people on a mission to see New York City..!The good thing about living in NYC for several years is that I know my way around the major tourist attractions, so when friends come to visit for the first time I usually serve as their personal tour guide :)
There's a catch, though! We only had 24 hours to visit the city. So basically, I had to show them the greatest hits in a realistic time frame. The good thing is that they brought their walking shoes and were up for the challenge!
Our friends from California took a red eye and got to our Brooklyn apartment at 7am! It was a beautiful Saturday morning and we were all excited to spend quality time together in a city they've never visited. We had some must see's and do's, like see the Statue of Liberty and try the infamous dollar pizza. In between were scattered attractions like World Trade Center Memorial, Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park.
We purchased tickets to theOne World Observatory for $34/each person (+processing fees, tax) that morning for the 10:15am slot. Everyone wore their walking shoes, filled their water bottles and brought a light jacket (spring in NYC can get very chilly at night). We picked up a hearty bagel at Nagel's near Prospect Park, bought a $20 subway pass for our friends (roughly 4 rides for 2 people) and made our way out of Brooklyn and into the city. First stop, Rector Street subway station to get a view of One World Trade Center in all it's glory.
Since we were early, we walked around the memorial. It's not my favorite NYC site since it's commemorates a tragic moment in American history, so I hung out on the outskirts while soaking in reminders of how resilient this city is. We made our way to the Survivor Tree (read about ithere), which was fascinating because it is the ONLY tree in the whole memorial that had leaves.
We made our way to the lines for the observatory and went straight to the security line since we had purchased our tickets earlier that day. After waiting in another line, we were whisked up 102 floors to check out the impressive view. You can see Statue of Liberty, New Jersey, Brooklyn, Empire State and all the little taxis and pedestrians out and about on the streets. From high up, Manhattan looked like a miniature city, densely packed with tall buildings, people and stories.
After about 30 minutes of taking pictures and walking around, we headed out through the Oculus station. From there, we made our way to Central Park. We went in from the 5th Ave opening so we got a glimpse of the iconic Plaza hotel. We took our time enjoying what Spring had brought to Central Park - the blooming flowers, sunbathers, dogs and sunshine (a rarity for New Yorkers). We made our way to the famous fountain and people-watched while listening to a live acapella band and guitarist.
Finally by 2pm, I decided that it was too much sun and we needed drinks! And the best place to grab a drink with a view is none other than the outdoor bar at the Loeb Boathouse. Seats are hard to get on a beautiful, warm weather day, but after some waiting we scored a table. Time flies when you’re having fun and in good company, and soon it was 4pm and we were starving.
We walked from Central Park to Times Square (about a 15 minute walk). They stood in the middle of the chaos, took some pictures and decided food was more important so we found a dollar pizza spot a couple of blocks away. By 4:45pm, we had checked 5 things off the list! Time for more walking.
We took the train to Soho and walked through the cobblestone streets and into Little Italy. Since we were saving our appetite for a proper dinner in DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan and Brooklyn Overpass), we took our time, burned more calories and took the train to the Manhattan entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge (directionshere).
We arrived around 7pm, and timing was perfect to view the sunset from the bridge. The walkway was busy with a ton of people stopping to take pictures and cyclists yelling at you to get out of their way (totally understandable). We got to the end of the bridge around 8pm and I booked it to my favorite pizza spot,Juliana's (I was trying to get a spot in line). Naturally, the wait was 45 minutes (they don’t take reservations) but it was worth it. We finally sat down at 9pm...exhausted and ready for pizza. As we dug into our hot, cheesy meal we recounted our 12 hours of shared memories, 10 miles of walking, a few drinks and the best company. Finishing off the day with pizza overlooking NYC’s breathtaking skyline was the perfect ending to their short, but productive visit.
What I brought with me:
- jacket
- reusable water bottle
- external charger
- wore Nike walking shoes
(packing light with a backpack is so important! you don't want to be weighed down with a purse which will cause discomfort half way into the day)
What I wish I brought:
- a snack!
If you guys have any questions on where to eat, see or stay, comment below!
Jasmine