Breezy Days: May 2017

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May 16, 2017

New York Travel Guide: Day 3


This was another 'touristy' day with perfect weather. By this day my feet were killling me, but pushed through the pain cause I had to see all the things! More treats, and NY views below :) 


This was our breakfast haha! I got the Chocolate Dream (brownie batter + Oreo cookies + chocolate chips) and Ryan got Cake Batter (cake batter + white chips + chocolate chips + sprinkles). We lucked out and had virtually no line to wait for our cookie dough ice cream :) This is a NY must-have, and definitely worth the stop. 



School of Rock Musical on Broadway
These were the tickets we got at the TKTS booth at Seaport the day previous! We ended up in the 2nd row of Orchestra, and it was cool to see a show on Broadway. Especially for a discount ;) We walked a bit around Times Square after the show, then went on the search for food. 



St. Patricks Cathedral: 5th Avenue 
We stopped by this iconic cathedral, smack in the middle of the city. It still amazes me how all these old buildings still hold their integrity with how much growth New York has seen. I love the random churches and parks we found in the industrial cityscape. 


Top of the Rock: 30 Rockefeller Plaza
This was Ryan's #1 favorite thing we did during our trip. We visited the top of the Rockefeller center at sunset/nighttime to see all of NY. It was absolutely stunning :) 

We purchased our tickets with credit card points which gave us a voucher. When buying your ticket or cashing in your voucher, they give you a timeframe that is next available. We ended up killing over an hour of time waiting for our timeframe. Just a heads up to grab your Top of the Rock tickets earlier in the day so you can select which timeframe works best for you!




Times Square at night
This was insane!! I've never experience something like this, and it's a must-do during your NY trip. 


Day 3 Itinerary
1. DO: Cookie Dough Confections
2. School of Rock musical @2pm on Broadway
3. St Patricks Cathedral
4. Top of the Rock
5. Walk through Times Square at night


May 12, 2017

New York Travel Guide: What's In My Purse


I wanted a bag that was small enough to carry around the city without being weighed down, but big enough to fit a bunch of random stuff. I found my Fossil Piper Toaster Crossbody (similar) to be the perfect size to fit all the stuff I have in this post! 

Plus, I can never pass up a good leopard print since it's practically a neutral. This purse matched with all the outfits I brought! Not gonna lie it got roughed up a bit during the trip, but I like purses that have been 'lived in' :)


Medicine
-kleenex
-advil/pain relievers
-vitamin c packets
-travel size dramamine
-cough drops
-hand sanitizer
-band aids


Beauty
-mini tide-to-go pen
-gum
-hand lotion
-sunglasses (similar, similar, similar)


Tech & Money
-cash ($20-40 in small bills)
-battery pack & cable for cell phone
-small bifold wallet (similar)
-selfie stick (wish I brought one of these!)


Do you have any suggestions of what to bring?

May 11, 2017

New York Travel Guide: Day 2


Our next day in New York was the following Tuesday since we spent Sunday in Philly touring and visiting friends :) This was our first day of really tourist-y attractions, and it was absolutely perfect weather! 


Boat cruise on Hudson River
We used our credit card points to get Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise tickets, and loved it! We passed by Ellis Island, Governors Island, Statue of Liberty, and got great views of both the New Jersey and Manhattan skylines. We weren't interested in getting off the boat at any of the islands, so this was the perfect choice for us. It was about an hour long, we had a guide giving history on each of the locations, and the boat slowed down for us to take Statue of Liberty pictures. Perfect :)



Bought tickets at TKTS South Street Seaport location
This location was right next to the pier where our boat tour was, and we waited in line less than 5 minutes. I heard it was a lot less busy than the Times Square location, so this worked out perfect! You can only purchase tickets same-day afternoon or evening, or next-day afternoon; and you have to make your decision quick.

We decided on Wednesday at 2pm to see School of Rock. We got both tickets for a total of $160, and were placed in Row 2 of the Orchestra section. After looking them up online, we found that the tickets were running over $150 for EACH ticket. Score!


We were so hungry, that there was no food photography happening haha! This was Ryan & I's first time at a Shake Shack and we loved it. We got the mushroom burgers and a concrete shack, and devoured it tout suite. This location was right down the street from the One World Center, our next stop. 


We spent 3+ hours in the museum and at the pools outside, it was incredibly moving and impeccably curated. I was only 8 years old when 9/11 happened, but I remember the fear and subsequent patriotism Americans felt during that time. This was such a beautiful tribute to those who lost their lives, and the families they left behind. You can't go to NY without spending an afternoon here. 





Eggloo on 60 Mulberry Street
On our way to Chinatown, we stopped by this Instagram-worthy ice cream shop. The waffles were amazzzzing, pretty much the best part of the treat :) 


Little Italy and Chinatown
Ryan did some bartering in Chinatown, and we walked through both areas of New York. So cool to see all the culture and bright lights :)


Day 2 Itinerary  
1. Boat cruise on Hudson River
2. Bought School of Rock tickets at TKTS Seaport location
3. Shake Shack for lunch
4. 9/11 Museum & Memorial
5. Eggloo ice cream
6. Chinatown & Little Italy


May 9, 2017

New York Travel Guide: Day 1


Welcome to my New York travel diaries! I'll go through each day we spent in the city, where we went and what we ate. I do not claim to be any professional travel planner by any means haha. This is what we cobbled together between online research, Amelia our hostess/friend/tour guide, and suggestions from my friends on Instagram. Probably not the best routes ever, but we tried to keep everything in the same general area ;)


We flew into New Jersey Thursday morning after taking a red-eye (never doing that again if we can help it), then ended up being zombies all day Thursday. Our first day in New York ended up being on a beautiful sunny Friday! 

Keep in mind with these travel posts, that each day we took the PATH train from NJ into the Oculus (also known as the World Trade Center stop), and that was our starting/ending point each day in the city.


Chelsea Market between 15th and 16th Streets
First stop, this adorable market! We walked through the indoor market, visited shops, people-watched, and ended up eating lobster rolls at one of the restaurants (sooo delish). 


The Highline Park at 14th Street
This park used to be a railroad track going to the 3rd story of the buildings in the Meatpacking District to, you guessed it, deliver meat and other goods. They've since turned those railroad tracks into a park where you get a gorgeous view of the Hudson River. 

The entrance to The Highline was right next to Chelsea Market, so it was easy to get to. 


Walk through the Meatpacking District
With how sunny it was outside, I'm surprised we didn't see more people! The Meatpacking District was calm, and mostly quiet. We walked through most of it to get to our next destination, Magnolia Bakery. 



Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street
Everyone and their dog recommended the banana pudding here, and it didn't disappoint. We got both the regular flavor and chocolate to devour them both. We sat down in a park, and enjoyed the dessert :)



Trinity Church on 89 Broadway
On our way to the subway, we stopped by the iconic Trinity Church. It was gorgeous outside and inside, what was crazy is once you stepped inside you couldn't hear the bustling city. 


Take Subway to Brooklyn Side of the Hudson River
We decided to take the subway instead of walking across the Brooklyn Bridge twice to save our feet. It was a good decision seeing as how we hit over 30k steps this first day. 



Juliana's Pizza on 19 Old Fulton St 
There is an old time rivalry between Juliana's and Grimaldi's which are right next door to each other in Brooklyn. Our friends liked Juliana's a littttle bit more so we ate dinner there, so dang good. I'm pretty much gonna say that about 99% of the food we ate on this trip :)



Walk Across Brooklyn Bridge towards Manhattan at Sunset
This was such a gorgeous sight! We walked from the Brooklyn to the Manhattan side around 7:45pm, just in time to watch the sunset. Perfect end to our first day.


Day 1 Itinerary
1. Chelsea Market
2. The Highline Park
3. Magnolia Bakery for banana pudding
4. Trinity Church
5. Juliana's Pizza
6. Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge towards Manhattan at sunset


May 7, 2017

New York Travel Guide: Souvenir Shopping


We had such a fun time finding New York themed trinkets throughout the city to bring back. We didn't want to spend crazy money, but wanted cute reminders to sprinkle throughout our home from our visit. Here's a few places where we found some perfect souvenirs! 

Chelsea Market
This was such a fun market to visit, there was lots of food and shopping! It was our first day in New York, so I was hesitant to buy any souvenirs and now I'm regretting it. Might have to buy a Chelsea Market bag online ;) 

Chinatown
This is the place to wheel and deal! We took cash and got a bunch of postcards for less than a dollar each. We saw the same exact postcards in Times Square for $2 each! 


Times Square
This is a "no duh" suggestion on my list. We ended up getting NY hats from the Lids store in Times Square, and walked around! They have the most touristy souvenir options. 

9/11 Memorial Museum 
I snagged my Alex and Ani NYC bracelet here, and Ryan grabbed 'The Survivor Tree' magnet for his office. Here's the story on The Survivor Tree at 9/11's Memorial. 



This is an adorable dishware store in the Flatiron District, that my friend Amelia suggested. Everything was SO dang cute! I got this plate, 2 New York themed dish towels, and some New York Skyline Magnets for the fridge. 


Old Navy on 34th
I know it's probably weird to suggest Old Navy as a place to get souvenirs, but they have city specific t-shirts that were adorable and under $12! They aren't available online, so we hit up the location on 34th, closest to Times Square and each got a couple of t-shirts. I didn't want the overpriced basic "I <3 NY" shirt, so this was a great cute/affordable option. 

Here are some online options to snag before you go!
Old Navy: Coast to Coast Tee