Welcome to New York

So a few days ago, it was Mother’s Day! I wanted to post a picture of my grandmother, my mom, and I together, so I went through my external drive looking for pictures of us! When I did that, I came across our album from the vacation we took to New York in 2016! Growing up we never did family trips or went a lot of places just to vacation because I was a competitive dancer, so all the traveling was for competitions. This New York trip was one of the few we took, and it was absolutely amazing!! New York is my favorite place on Earth and being there for 10 days was a dream. Needless to say, I got in my feels reminiscing the trip and looking at all the pictures. I also don’t know when the next time I’m traveling anywhere will be, which makes me so dang sad. Because of all that, I wanted to highlight some cool things about our trip (this might get long so brace yourself lol!) and maybe this might help one of you if you go there one day!

Where to stay

Everyone has a different opinion about what’s the best part of Manhattan to find a hotel in. Personally, I might have chosen to be in or near Times Square. When we went, we stayed at a hotel not too far, but it wasn’t an easy walk — it didn’t seem that bad because my adrenaline was pumping the entire trip! We stayed right on Columbus Circle, directly across the street from Central Park. It was awesome to be that close to the park! We took a carriage ride throughout and of course stopped to see the Friends fountain. Our guide also brought us to Strawberry Fields, where we saw John Lennon’s “Imagine” Memorial, which was super cool to see. 

You’re not going to find cheap hotels anywhere in New York, so if you’re budgeting, I would allocate a good couple thousand dollars just to stay. You don’t have to stay in the city obviously, but then you have to pay more for taxis, subways, and any other transportation into and out of the city each day. It all depends on your preference. For me, I already know if I want to go to New York, it’s going to be expensive, so I might as well get the full experience and stay in Manhattan. 

What I ate

There are hundreds and thousands of restaurants, ranging from hole-in-the-walls to popular chains to top tier fancy. You’ll never go hungry! Being that we were there over a week, we ate a lot of different places, so I wanted to mention a few of my favorites.

At the top of my list, mostly because of the experience, is ONE Dine Restaurant at One World Observatory. That’s a mouthful! But it’s this awesome restaurant at the top of the new One World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. My grandmother and mom were very hesitant to eat there, but after I visited Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial, I knew I had to do it. I convinced them, and I’m so glad I did because the view was breathtaking. The food was great; I remember getting a burger I think. It was nearly 4 years ago so don’t quote me on that. Another fantastic restaurant is Patsy’s, an Italian place recommended to us by our concierge. If you love Italian food, you HAVE to go. It was so delicious that we went back a second time! And lastly, a showstopper of a place was The View Restaurant and Lounge. This place revolved! Like, you literally rotated in a circle as you sat and ate. You got to see the city from so many angles, and since it’s located in Times Square, there was a lot to look at! 

Shows to see

As a dancer, one of my favorite things to do is see musicals and plays live in a theater! It’s such an incredible experience, and I just absolutely love it. My grandmother told me when I was younger, and we lived in New Jersey, her and my grandfather took me to see Cats on broadway! She told me how my eyes widened and was just so fascinated with it all — I’m sure my love for dance and performance stemmed from that once in a lifetime experience. Since it was so important to me, we managed to squeeze 3 different ones in during our trip!

The first we saw was Wicked, and oh my gosh, I was mesmerized. Wizard of Oz was and always will be one of my favorite movies, and to see the main character’s lives “pre-movie” was super cool! We saw Elphaba and Glinda as young girls before they were deemed the good witch and bad witch. We actually sat front row for this musical! The most memorable moment was at the beginning, before anything really happened — the dancers and supporting actors belted a small part of the song towards the audience. One dancer caught my eye, and she held eye contact with me the ENTIRE time. Before moving to her next location and part, she winked at me. My eyes welled with tears; I could not believe she noticed me. In that moment, I knew I always wanted to have dance in my life. I wanted to not only be a performer but also inspire other young girls to work hard so they could be someone like her one day. It was such a surreal moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life. 

Later in the trip, we went to the Ambassador Theater to see Chicago. That was such the opposite storyline from Wicked, and I loved every minute of it. It was written by Bob Fosse, who I look up to so much. His ingenuity and unique style of dance makes the choreography in Chicago so interesting. His style is jazz hands, turned-in knees, curved shoulders, and finger snaps— so old school, yet so cool. The music is so catchy too! I was familiar with a lot of songs because many groups and studios used songs like “Cell Block Tango” and “All That Jazz” in competition. But anyways, if you love some good drama and want to time travel back to the 1920s, this is your musical. 

Of course the last one has literally everything to do with dance! So if you aren’t familiar with the Rockettes, they are a precision dance line comprised of 80-something women. They perform for various events, but their home is Radio City Music Hall. Like I mentioned earlier, we vacationed in the summer! I didn’t think I would be able to see them perform; however, I was lucky enough to see their New York Spectacular. I’m pretty sure they don’t do this anymore, so it was a one-summer only event. On top of that, Mia Michaels was the choreographer and creative director of the performance!! Which if you don’t know who she is, you need to. I discovered her on So You Think You Can Dance and fell in love with her work at a young age. This show was insane! From the unconventional style of the Rockettes to the beautiful production elements, it was incredible, and I’m so thankful I got to witness it. It was a tribute to the city of New York! The show opened with them charging downstage to the song “Welcome to New York” — what could be better than that? I dreamed of being a Rockette before but after that, I really wanted to make my dream a reality. I don’t know if that is a possibility for me still, but I might have to revisit that thought.

Being a tourist

I wanted to wrap up this post by talking about the stereotypical things we did in the city. And maybe some things that aren’t that typical, but I highly recommend doing!

1. Visit the Empire State Building — there’s no better feeling than feeling like you’re on top of the world, standing above the concrete jungle.
2. The 9/11 Memorial is so necessary. Not only is it a part of history, it’s a way to honor those that lost their lives that day. I know being there really put the events of that day into perspective for me. Also, the North and South Tower pools are gorgeous, and the museum left me speechless.
3. Not only see the Statue of Liberty, go to Ellis Island. There’s a boat you can catch that will bring you to one and then the other. Before going on this trip, I found out you could climb to the crown of the statue. I really wanted to do it, but it was completely booked, so I didn’t get to. It was really important for me to go to Ellis Island. My great grandfather immigrated from Italy to America, and he started his life in this country there. My grandfather, who had passed a year before this trip, made sure his name was on the memory wall, so I made sure I saw it.
4. St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the most gorgeous church. It doesn’t really matter if you’re religious; you can still appreciate the architecture. We actually lit a candle for my grandfather when we visited, and it was so special.
5. Do a bus tour! Around the time we took this trip, I was hooked on Gossip Girl. There was actually a tour that took you around the city to all the hot spots from the show which was so cool! My favorite place was The Met steps — I really wanted to go inside the museum, but we ran out of time. Bus tours are a great way to see a lot of the city at once!
6. Visit Tiffany and Co… you don’t have to buy anything, but you should walk inside. That jewelry store is no joke.
7. Times. Square. You will never see anything in the world like it. The hustle and bustle is what excites me about New York. The big screens take over the streets during the day and light up the sky at night. As the phrase goes, the city never sleeps! It’s on my bucket list to see the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square.

For me, I see New York as the place with endless possibilities. Not only with things to do, places to go, and etc, but for your dreams to become a reality. I broke down the morning we headed to the airport because I did not want to leave. I never wanted to leave. It might not be in the cards for me to live there, but I know that the city will always have a special place in my heart. It’s only a plane away! I could write a never-ending post about my love for New York, but I think I’ve gushed enough. I look forward to going back and can’t wait for my new adventures when I get there!