Over the summer I was lucky enough to spend three days in New York, while on holiday. I had only been once before on a school trip, so it was really nice to go back and visit places I hadn’t managed to see the first time. The last time I had visited New York was in October, so it felt completely different to see everything in the summertime too.
We were a little more sleepy starting the trip than we had hoped that we’d be, as our flight across from London had been delayed quite a bit, meaning that we didn’t actually land in New York until after midnight. Not to mention the fact that we then had a quite a bit of a taxi journey from the airport to our hotel, we were pretty exhausted when it came to starting our first day. That being said we had a lot planned, and were ready to see some sights!
On our first day in the city, it was pouring with rain! I made the mistake of wearing a long jumpsuit which got drenched around my ankles, and I had to walk barefoot for a bit in the end as my feet kept slipping out of my sandals. That being said, it really surprised me how clean the streets of New York are compared to London – I couldn’t dream of comfortably walking barefoot around there! We took shelter in a Starbucks for breakfast, before continuing our walk down to Ground Zero, and the 9/11 Memorial Museum. While I had the opportunity to visit the fountains on my previous trip, I had never been to visit the museum before. It was very interesting, and there was so much to take in. However, as expected it was a very heavy and emotional experience.
After spending some time looking around the shops on our walk back to the hotel, we then went to Times Square to have dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. I loved looking around all of the outfits and memorabilia on the walls, as well as watching the music videos that were playing around the restaurant. Once we had finished dinner we went to go and see Aladdin on Broadway. My sister and I especially were super excited to see a show on Broadway, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The cast, songs, and the costumes were absolutely amazing, and it was such a cool experience!
I also couldn’t believe how hot New York was. It felt as though the concrete was holding onto the heat of the day, as the evenings especially were so humid and stuffy! This wasn’t particularly fun when we were queuing to have a ride on The Beast speedboat, as we were stood in the sun for an hour. However, the tour itself was incredible! We had done a similar speedboat ride in San Francisco a few years ago and had loved it, so we were very excited to try one in New York. The views of the city skyline and the Statue of Liberty were incredible, and the tour guides were very funny – also making sure that no-one left the boat dry at the end!
On the same day, we also took the boat over to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I had been here last time I visited, but we had been in quite a hurry, so it was nice to spend more time actually taking everything in this time. We took the steps all the way up inside the statue to the viewing platform on the pedestal, and the views of the city across the water were incredible. We also made sure to try the fresh lemonade that they served in little huts on the island which was absolutely delicious!
The following day, we got up quite early to go to the observation deck at the top of the Rockefeller Centre. I’m not the hugest fan of tall buildings, but the view from the top was absolutely worth it! Last time I went to the viewing deck at the Empire State Building, so it was nice to see the city from a different point. It was also fun to be able to spot so many iconic New York buildings from one place too!
On the walk back to the hotel, we stopped off at Schmackary’s Cookies, as I had seen quite a few people recommend these cookies on Pinterest, and couldn’t wait to give them a try. I went for the ‘Funfetti’ cookie, and it was so good!
We also braved the heat to sit in Central Park for a little while, which was gorgeous! We had a little walk around and took a few photos on the bridge, but it was too hot to stay out much longer. Central Park felt like a little haven in the middle of a busy city though – it was a nice escape from the hustle and bustle.
On the last of our three days in New York, we visited Grand Central Station. After reading about it on Pinterest we were sure to try out the ‘Whispering Gallery’ – and it worked!! The idea is that you and a friend stand on either side of the room and face the wall (away from each other) while talking into the corners – which connect through the archway overhead – and you can hear each other as if you are standing next to each other. There were plenty of people trying this out while we were there, and everyone seemed to be just as surprised. It’s a fun thing to try out if you visit.
As with any trip, three days in New York was nowhere near enough to see everything that we wanted to. Most of all I was sad that I never had the time to visit The Bagel Store to try an Instagram worthy Rainbow Bagel, or The Package Free Shop in Brooklyn. Hopefully one day I am able to go back to visit more. However, we still managed to see so many incredible places while on our trip – and I am certainly never going to forget it!
Have you ever been to New York? Where are your favourite places to visit? Let me know in the comments where you would go, and what you would get up to, if you had three days in New York!
This is a post ‘from the archive’, meaning it was previously published on my (now deleted) lifestyle blog Thginkcm. Original upload date has been included in the post title. Post content has mostly been kept the same, unless an updated authors note has been added. For more info see my post ‘Hello, I’m Back!’
