From ithica the next leg of our journey was to head to New York City. This would have a slight detour to visit a friend from college and her family in bridge water, NJ-the Nordstroms. I got to play tennis with the doc before dinner.
The next morning we headed out to make our way to Hoboken for carlo's bakery. It's was Desiree's request and what an awesome experience. You pick whatever pastry you want and you pretty much pay by the weight as we got a chocolate dipped canoli, lobster tail, and a macaroon. All totaling < $5.
We then made our way onto the island of manhattan via the Lincoln tunnel.
We checked into our hotel- the Washington Jefferson which was located a couple block from Times Square on 51st st between 7th and 8th ave. I then dropped off the rental and walked back to the hotel.
Highlight of our trip:
Running through Central Park- we did this twice and then 1 last time which was our 5mile Pride race. This is pretty much where the city is able to run and train as running through the city itself is inefficient because you pretty much have to stop at every block.
Dinner with Karen- I found out that one of my friends that graduated a year after me at Emory is a PT in manhattan. We hooked up with Karen to have dinner and she gave us some excellent suggestions on excellent eateries!
Desserts/sweets/and cupcakes- Max Brennar- this was a recommendation from Karen for a chocolate lover's paradise. We ended having chocolate pizza with roasted marshmallows and nutella with crushed hazelnut. Cupcakes are a staple in NYC- we stopped at a kiosk for 1 bite cupcakes and went to at least 2 other bakeries. One of Desiree's bakery highlights was Lavine's bakery where they have been rated the #1 chocolate chip cookie- a 4 ounce chocolate chip walnut cookie that was served to us fresh out of the oven and when bit into, still having the chocolate ooze.
Shopping- there seems to be no comparison to anywhere else as you can go to any district and find the same shops. High class, elegant, whatever your style is. I introduced Desiree to Century21 and she loved it. We hit up 3 different ones. I ended up finding a store that is a mix between GAP, express, and Lacoste called (insert). We did stop at the famous Macy's. what a mad house that was. We found out after our trip that it still houses the only working wooden escalator. Too bad we didn't know before hand or else we would have found it.
Dining- NYC has some of the best dining. We enjoyed restaurants such as Jay-Z's 40/40 club, Italian restaurant in little Italy, dim sum in Chinatown, sushi, Gotham's bistro. Another restaurant that Karen suggested was a breakfast eatery on the upper east side called Sarah Beth's. Desiree had exquisite fluffy French toast, and I ordered an omelette. The preserves were made in house and was some of the best strawberry jam that I have ever tasted. This ended up being our most expensive meal in all of New York ~$45.
Breakfast off the street- finding a food stand is the way to go for a quick coffee and bagel. Delicious and cheap.
Top of the rock- we were able to make it up to the top of Rockefeller centre just before sunset and got the experience the transition of the city from natural to city light. As the sun slowly crept down below the horizon, you would se another building light up. What a different way to see the city.
Statin Island Ferry- this is a great and free way to get a great view of the Statue of Liberty. We boarded just before sunset and the lighting was perfect to see the port and the Statue. It took about 40mins to get to the other side before just turning around to catch the ferry back to the city.
Highline/ Chelsea Market- Desiree found out a really cool pedestrian walkway that was once an old suspended railroad track that is now paved over and converted into a park. It's located in the lower west side just west of 9th ave and begins at 13th street to 32nd street. A about 17th street, we got off the highline and found Chelsea market. What a cool place which includes shops and restaurants. Amy's bakery is also located here. They make really good breads and are found in many local restaurants and grocery stores.
Getting around/hopstop app- having a car in NYC is very inefficient and expensive as daily parking can cost up to $45. A taxi also gets very expensive. So our weapon of choice as purchasing a weeklong metro card. This allows us access to subways and buses unlimited for the week. We would not have be able to navigate the city if it wasn't for the iPhone app- HopStop. This was a recommendation for Kate Nordstroms's dad and it saved us. We didn't look at a single subway map as the app tells you where you need to pick up the subway or bus, which stop to get off at, and how far to walk before reaching your destination. I also provides alternative routes and give accurate travel times. What a life saver. Even utilizing public transport, we probably walked an average of about 6-7 miles daily. That's probably why you do not see a lot of over weight people except tourists.
I'm that I am leaving out some other details and highlights, but checking back for future adventures as we continue to explore the world.
We can't wait until the next time we get to visit NYC again- whenever that may be.
The next morning we headed out to make our way to Hoboken for carlo's bakery. It's was Desiree's request and what an awesome experience. You pick whatever pastry you want and you pretty much pay by the weight as we got a chocolate dipped canoli, lobster tail, and a macaroon. All totaling < $5.
We then made our way onto the island of manhattan via the Lincoln tunnel.
We checked into our hotel- the Washington Jefferson which was located a couple block from Times Square on 51st st between 7th and 8th ave. I then dropped off the rental and walked back to the hotel.
Highlight of our trip:
Running through Central Park- we did this twice and then 1 last time which was our 5mile Pride race. This is pretty much where the city is able to run and train as running through the city itself is inefficient because you pretty much have to stop at every block.
Dinner with Karen- I found out that one of my friends that graduated a year after me at Emory is a PT in manhattan. We hooked up with Karen to have dinner and she gave us some excellent suggestions on excellent eateries!
Desserts/sweets/and cupcakes- Max Brennar- this was a recommendation from Karen for a chocolate lover's paradise. We ended having chocolate pizza with roasted marshmallows and nutella with crushed hazelnut. Cupcakes are a staple in NYC- we stopped at a kiosk for 1 bite cupcakes and went to at least 2 other bakeries. One of Desiree's bakery highlights was Lavine's bakery where they have been rated the #1 chocolate chip cookie- a 4 ounce chocolate chip walnut cookie that was served to us fresh out of the oven and when bit into, still having the chocolate ooze.
Shopping- there seems to be no comparison to anywhere else as you can go to any district and find the same shops. High class, elegant, whatever your style is. I introduced Desiree to Century21 and she loved it. We hit up 3 different ones. I ended up finding a store that is a mix between GAP, express, and Lacoste called (insert). We did stop at the famous Macy's. what a mad house that was. We found out after our trip that it still houses the only working wooden escalator. Too bad we didn't know before hand or else we would have found it.
Dining- NYC has some of the best dining. We enjoyed restaurants such as Jay-Z's 40/40 club, Italian restaurant in little Italy, dim sum in Chinatown, sushi, Gotham's bistro. Another restaurant that Karen suggested was a breakfast eatery on the upper east side called Sarah Beth's. Desiree had exquisite fluffy French toast, and I ordered an omelette. The preserves were made in house and was some of the best strawberry jam that I have ever tasted. This ended up being our most expensive meal in all of New York ~$45.
Breakfast off the street- finding a food stand is the way to go for a quick coffee and bagel. Delicious and cheap.
Top of the rock- we were able to make it up to the top of Rockefeller centre just before sunset and got the experience the transition of the city from natural to city light. As the sun slowly crept down below the horizon, you would se another building light up. What a different way to see the city.
Statin Island Ferry- this is a great and free way to get a great view of the Statue of Liberty. We boarded just before sunset and the lighting was perfect to see the port and the Statue. It took about 40mins to get to the other side before just turning around to catch the ferry back to the city.
Highline/ Chelsea Market- Desiree found out a really cool pedestrian walkway that was once an old suspended railroad track that is now paved over and converted into a park. It's located in the lower west side just west of 9th ave and begins at 13th street to 32nd street. A about 17th street, we got off the highline and found Chelsea market. What a cool place which includes shops and restaurants. Amy's bakery is also located here. They make really good breads and are found in many local restaurants and grocery stores.
Getting around/hopstop app- having a car in NYC is very inefficient and expensive as daily parking can cost up to $45. A taxi also gets very expensive. So our weapon of choice as purchasing a weeklong metro card. This allows us access to subways and buses unlimited for the week. We would not have be able to navigate the city if it wasn't for the iPhone app- HopStop. This was a recommendation for Kate Nordstroms's dad and it saved us. We didn't look at a single subway map as the app tells you where you need to pick up the subway or bus, which stop to get off at, and how far to walk before reaching your destination. I also provides alternative routes and give accurate travel times. What a life saver. Even utilizing public transport, we probably walked an average of about 6-7 miles daily. That's probably why you do not see a lot of over weight people except tourists.
I'm that I am leaving out some other details and highlights, but checking back for future adventures as we continue to explore the world.
We can't wait until the next time we get to visit NYC again- whenever that may be.
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