Oh New York! Brenden and I got back from our one year anniversary trip last week and we had a great time. We were both exhausted but we saw everything we came for and thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Taking a trip where you are fully devoted just to each other was a nice change of pace.
Our trip started with a flight delay and shortly after we landed got completely scammed by an Uber driver asking for $80 to get into the city at midnight. Thankfully when we arrived to the hotel we were greeted with friendly Hyatt faces and checked into our room no problem.
The Grand Hyatt New York is a beautiful property and centrally located to everything! Saturday morning it was cold and rainy so we woke up and walked to Times Square to get our New York Pass. These gave us access to everything we wanted to do for one single price. It also allowed us to "skip" the line at a few attractions. The first day I was frustrated because we only had time to do a bus tour of downtown and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. I thought if we can only do two things a day we are never going to get value out of this pass.
That night we went to Smith & Wollensky's for a nice steakhouse dinner. The mac and cheese was to die for and because I am not much of a red meat eater, I had the crab cakes. And boy am I glad I did! The crab was so fresh and delicious. I was in heaven. We stopped by a bar to watch the NY Rangers play in the playoffs and called it an early night after they won.
Day two was our only sunny day and we hit the ground running trying to do everything that we could on our New York Pass that involved being outside. We started the day with a Water Taxi Tour, a bus tour of midtown, brunch at a dive restaurant, another bus tour of Uptown, a happy hour in Times Square, another water tour this time at sunset, and the Empire State building. We toured our butts off that day and it was evident when we crashed as soon as our heads hit the pillow!
Monday was our anniversary so we took this day a little slower but it was our last day on the New York Pass so we had a lot of ground to cover. We checked into our new hotel, Andaz on Fifth Ave and admired the luxury feel of this hotel. Then we quickly hit the sights.
First things first, Top of the Rock. I wanted to see the views from a daylight perspective because the night before was so cold we were not able to really enjoy the views on the observatory deck of the Empire State Building. After Top of the Rock we had a delicious breakfast at Sarabeth's. This was one of my favorite meals of the trip! Sarabeth's was very close to Central Park so we rented bicycles and took ourselves around the whole park enjoying the cold wind in our hair. And of course I had to stop at Bethesda Fountain and realized this is not the fountain in the FRIENDS intro (ha) but it is a gorgeous landmark. After Central Park we went to Madame Trousseau museum and then headed back to the hotel for nap time.
There were a few tours we did not get to on the New York Pass and lots of museums I would have loved to go to but they were not Brenden's thing. I told him I will be planning a girls trip to visit the museums and a Broadway show (and probably some shopping)!
We only did the New York Pass for three days so we could have one day to do what was not included in the package. Our last day was reserved for the Braves vs. Mets game. By this day I was ready to head home. The constant go go go of the city was getting to me and I just wanted to take the subway, have a hot dog, and see Citi Field. So while we waited for the evening game, we went to Chelsea Market and walked around Greenwich Village. We got some of the best meatballs I've ever had from The Meatball Shop, we had edible cookie dough from Do on NYU's campus and then headed back to the hotel for a quick nap before game time!
The weather was gross all day... rainy and cold. It was no surprise when we got an email from the Mets saying the game was cancelled. Soooo what do you do on your last night in New York when you were planning to go to a baseball game? You find a dive Chinese restaurant and a cool Irish Pub to waste the night away.
I was slightly disappointed in our visit to New York I think because I had built this city up in my mind to be some magical place but it was just another city. A very busy city but still just a city. Maybe if the weather had been bright and warm I would have seen it in a different light. One thing I was impressed with was the landscaping. If there is the slightest patch of grass it has beautiful plants planted and looking spectacular. I couldn't believe the amount of tulips in full bloom while we were there.
I will definitely go back but Brenden and I both agreed vacation should be spent relaxing. Either in a beach chair or on a pool deck. Never touring a city. That should be a weekend adventure. So now I'm looking at beaches to escape to for next year.. Any recommendations?
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