Location 
New York City
Distance Walked 
61.4km
Dates 
3rd December 2017 – 9th December 2017
Missed the first week of our trip?
Hollywood | Venice Beach & Santa Monica | San Francisco
A long red-eye flight, and a poor sleep later, and we had arrived in NYC. This was the part of the trip I had been looking forward to the most. Everything about this city seemed so magical, and we had planned each day so we could cram everything in!
We stayed at the AKA Wall Street, which was a short distance from numerous attractions we wanted to see, including the NYC Stock Exchange, Battery Park, The Statue of Liberty, and the Wall Street Bull. Additionally, it was super close to a main line subway station, which really helped us travel cheap.
Statue of Liberty
The line to purchase tickets in person is quite long for the Statue of Liberty. So I would recommend either buying them online, or allowing for extra time. Additionally the crown and pedestal tickets sell out three months in advance, so if you’re interested in climbing to the top, definitely buy your tickets online.The trip to the island was so cold, but so worth it. She is magnificent.
Broadway
Aladdin on Broadway
We managed to secure $45 USD tickets to Aladdin on Broadway! Our Uber driver in Santa Monica recommended an app called Seat Geek (not yet available in AU). It’s an app that searches for the best, lowest priced tickets for different events, including concerts, broadway shows, sporting events and more.
We thought maybe we’d have seats that were super far away, but we were pretty lucky and got to enjoy a great production of Aladdin. The actor that played the genie absolutely smashed it out of the park. I would highly recommend going to see a broadway show!
Chinatown
It seems like no matter where you go, there is always a Chinatown somewhere!
We pottered into Chinatown on our last day in NYC. It was within walking distance of our hotel, and it meant that we got to walk underneath the Brooklyn bridge which was pretty cool!
It was supposed to snow the following day, so it was pretty cold. After deciding that we were freezing our nips off, we headed into a local shop called Ajisen Ramen and warmed ourselves up with lunch. It was so good.
Wall Street
NYC Stock Exchange | Charging Bull
Staying on Wall St meant that we could walk a block and be in the heart of NYC Financial district. The first time we visited the Wall St Bull, it was so busy that we could hardly see it! We managed to visit it again later in our trip, super early in the morning.
Central Park
Central Park Zoo | 5th Avenue | The Met | The American Museum of Natural History
Central Park was absolutely beautiful. We caught the Subway to 73rd street, and walked from west to east across the park and up to the Met, where I got to feel like Blair Waldorf for a split second.
We went to Central Park Zoo and also wandered down 5th Avenue. All of the department stores had amazing Christmas window displays, and the streets were full of people.
Also in Central Park is the American Museum of Natural History. It was amazing. Night at the museum, eat your heart out! There were so many different sections and displays, and you bet your ass Jaeden stopped to read everything. My favourite display was the dinosaurs.
Rockefeller
That is one huge Christmas tree!
I’m not an amazing ice skater at the best of times. My version of ice skating tends to be clutching to the side rails and pulling myself along, while Jae tries to convince me to let go. So, we didn’t skate. I think I would have been too intimidated by the people zooming around, and the others going backwards.
We did get to see a few funny falls though, so that made me feel a little better about my ability, or lack there of.
Time Square
We had an early dinner at Dos Camino’s (so yum) and watched Times Square light up as the sun set. We were lucky enough to get a window seat looking directly into Times Square. It was a surreal experience to see something in real life that I’d seen so many times in the movies.
Empire State Building
Grand Central Station
We got the Subway to Grand Central Station, and this time I got to be Serena Vanderwoodsen. We walked from Grand Central Station to the Empire State Building. Everyone we had spoken to had said things along the lines of “The queue is not worth the wait.”.
I’m so glad we didn’t listen to them – at 2pm on a weekday, we managed to walk in, to virtually no queue. This was my favourite part of our trip to NYC. Although it was freezing cold, the view was breath taking. The sky was clear and we could see for ages in each direction.
10/10 would recommend visiting the Empire State Building.
Flat Iron Building
On our last day in New York we wandered around visiting a few last things that we wanted to see. The Flat Iron Building hangs on my Uncle and Aunty’s wall, and for some reason is what I think of when I think of New York City. So I was glad that we went to visit this iconic building.
Even though I don’t think I could live in New York City, I absolutely loved it.
Next Stop, Hawaii!
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