New York City

This past June I went to New York City with my boyfriend (Trey), his mom, his brother, his brother’s girlfriend, and his mom's friend. I had been to New York multiple times before but I was so excited to go with different people, especially with Trey. We arrived in NYC early in the morning, dropped our bags off at the hotel, and headed straight to get food at Friedmans. I ate chilaquiles and surprisingly, they were the best chilaquiles that I have had outside of Mexico. Trey had a burger with mushrooms and a fried egg and said it was the best burger he had ever tasted. Now that we had full bellies, it was time to truly start our NYC experience.

Day 1

Since we were still figuring out the subways, we decided to walk towards Times Square. From there we hopped on a Big Bus Tour. We all sat up top to get a full view of different areas of the city. I will say, it got very hot, very quickly. We hopped off once to cool down inside the gorgeous Trinity Church. After getting back on and finishing the tour, I was hot and tired. With Trey’s family, there was no time for tiredness. After a quick discussion of what to do, we found the nearest subway and made our way to the Empire State Building. There was no line so we got to the elevators quickly. If you want to go when it isn’t super crowded and you can take your time looking, I would recommend going on a weekday, mid-afternoon. Last time I went to the Empire State Building I only remembered the view, but make sure you take the time to read the history. Not only was it interesting, but the history made the whole experience better. Up the elevator, we went to see an indescribable view. Of course, everyone knows pictures don’t do justice, but it is SO true. I had even seen the view from the top in person before but it still blew me away. The last time I was in NYC I had gone to the top of the Freedom Tower, but I truly think the Empire State Building has it beat. Our last adventure that day was to walk near Central Park and get some food. We spotted a small pizza place and had great, cheap pizza. It started pouring rain as we were eating so we waited for the storm to slow before we made our way to the subway and back to our hotel for the evening.

Day 2

The next morning grabbed some food and headed towards Soho for a shopping spree. On our way there we walked past the fire station that is in Ghost Busters. All I can say about this day is we shopped till we dropped. Every time I thought there were no other stores to go into, we found more. I had never really spent time shopping in NYC before and it was so fun! I think I could take a trip just to shop in Soho and I would be satisfied. For dinner, we had a seafood boil and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I am from the south so I have had my fair share of Louisiana seafood boils. I know that New York is right on the water so I wasn’t worried about it being fresh, I just wondered if they would know how to do a true cajun boil. Boy, let me tell you, they knew how to do it. That boil was the perfect end to a long, rigorous day of shopping. Of course, the day couldn’t be completely over yet. Since Times Square was close to our hotel, we walked over and did a little night stroll through all the lights and people. We got some dessert at the Hershey store, then went home for the night.

Day 3

Day three was a full day of museums. Bright and early in the morning, we made our way to the 9/11 museum. I have been to it before but it was even better this time around. If you take your time and read the history and the stories of all the people involved it is an incredible and also incredibly sad experience. They have a firetruck that was on scene inside and the museum itself takes place under and around the original Twin Towers. After that, we cheered ourselves up with some pizza and sandwiches at a small place nearby. The next stop was the American Museum of Natural History. I had been here before as well and once again it was better the second time. I think this was because I am much older than the first time I visited so I can understand/appreciate the history more. We got an upgraded ticket that allowed us to go into all the short films they were playing throughout the museum. I really enjoyed the area with the sharks. The short film about the planets was also very cool, but it was dark, and after a long day of museums I may or may not have dosed off a little during it. At the very end of the museum, we were able to go into the Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium. This was so cute and fun. The butterflies kept landing on Trey’s brother and I was so jealous. It was quite small inside and I think that helped amplify the feeling of butterflies surrounding you in the best way. After we left, we walked to a place close by to get burgers. On our way back to the hotel for the night Trey's mom wanted to stop into Serendipity for dessert. The inside is SO cool, but you have to spend at least $18.95 per person. I don’t think I got the best thing because I didn’t enjoy it that much and after what happened the next day, I’m not sure I ever want to go back there.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

I went to bed the night after Serendipity feeling good, but that changed quickly. During the night I could not get warm. I didn’t think much of it but in the morning I realized that I might have a fever. I started feeling quite sick and decided to stay at the hotel while the others went out. I got to the point where I decided to go to the doctor. I found an urgent care within walking distance and they got me some medication but throughout the rest of the day, I was unable to keep it down. I had to stay in the hotel all day and decided to get an early flight home the next morning because I couldn’t finish the trip. I was so sad because I missed out on going to the MET, lounging in Central Park, AND a fairy ride down the Hudson River. During the first few days of the trip, I was loving NYC so much that I thought maybe I wanted to live there. After being sick, I decided I wouldn’t want that. The constant noise is just too much when you are sick.

Is NYC Worth Going to More Than Once?

This was my fourth time going to New York City. Even though this trip we did a lot of things I have done before, I still saw something new and had a fun experience. I would say my top three experiences on this trip were the Empire State Building, the 9/11 Museum, and the food. If you decide to go to New York City, I would recommend those things, taking the subway (to get the full experience) and a Broadway show. I have been to Wicked, Newsies, and Mary Poppins on previous trips and they were all so good. Overall, I definitely would say New York City is worth going to more than once, and I would even go again.