She decided that for her 70th birthday, she wanted to go to NYC. The day after Christmas this year Mimi, my mother, my two aunts, my two cousins, my sister and I headed out for the adventure of a lifetime. We were all so excited, we could barely sleep. And thanks to our flight being moved to 7:00 a.m., we didn't have much time to sleep!
This was my fourth trip to New York, but there was still plenty I hadn't seen. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn at Times Square. The location was perfect because we were in walking distance to everything, but we were still a couple of blocks away from the noisiness of Times Square.
When we arrived, we checked our luggage with the hotel and off we went. We headed over to Grand Central Station via Subway. Everyone was amazed by the size and the amount of people rushing about to get to their destinations. After a quick lunch, we headed to Rockefeller Center to see the big tree. I couldn't get over the size and the beauty of it! Caroline and I wanted to ice skate, but there were so many people and the line was forever long. We'll save that for next time.
Grand Central Station
Mimi made a friend on the Subway!
Radio City Music Hall
Rockefeller Center!
That night we went to dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner. My mom, sister, and Mimi had all been there before and said it was something we all had to do. I'm not going to lie, I was not excited about the line outside at first, but we were seated in 30 minutes and got to enjoy the fabulous musical stylings of the singing wait staff. A lot of Broadway stars worked at Ellen's before they got their big breaks. It was so much fun!
Ellen's Stardust Diner
Friday, we got up early and headed to Battery Park to catch the Ferry to the Statue of Liberty. We had tickets for the 9:00 Ferry, but we got there early just in case. We actually were able to leave at 8:30 because the Ferry was full. The Statue of Liberty was AMAZING! I learned a lot that I didn't know about Lady Liberty in the museum, and we even got to go into the Pedestal. Ellen and I took the stairs, which was quite a hike! The view of the NYC skyline was amazing!
After Liberty Island, our Ferry stopped at Ellis Island. It still had extensive damage to it from Hurricane Sandy, so there were a few exhibits that we didn't get to see. But it was still really cool to see where our ancestors came to America. My great-great grandmother came through Ellis Island when she was 15 years old. Knowing that we were standing where she once stood was truly incredible and moving.
Later that day, we went to the Financial District to Check out the 9/11 Memorial. When Ellen and I were there in June, we walked right up and got passes. However due to the sheer volume of people visiting, you had to have advance passes to get in, and passes had to be purchased at St. Paul's Church. People were waiting in line for passes that weren't good for another two hours. With a large group of 9 in the cold weather, there was no way we could wait. We ducked in to Century 21 for a little retail therapy. Century 21 is Mimi's favorite store in NYC and is definitely a must-see. It's a massive, discount department store - they literally have everything! We found some great deals, and then made our way to Ellen's favorite - Chinatown.
My sister is amazing when it comes to Chinatown! She flits from shop to shop wheeling and dealing for everyone in the group. Caroline was following right in her footsteps. It was hilarious, and I never get tired of it! We took a short walk to Little Italy. Everything was lit up and decorated for Christmas - it was beautiful. Aunt Carley was loving it, and quickly decided that this was her favorite part of the city. We had a dinner at Amici II, which was so good. It was very small and quaint, and you could tell it was family owned. It was definitely the best meal of the trip, and I think it's safe to say it was everyone's favorite. We never felt rushed, and the wait staff was super friendly and helpful.
After dinner, I volunteered to go to the Empire State Building with Aunt Tammy, Anna, and Caroline. Even though I've been 3 times now, I still love it! The view is just so magical, I never get tired of it. When we got there, the line started outside. But I reassured them it was worth the wait. Once we got inside, it was really hot, and we kept thinking we would never make it. But we finally did! We took the first elevator bank to the 80th floor. Then we were given the option of waiting 15 more minutes for the second elevator or walking up the six remaining flights of stairs which took roughly 5 minutes. We were so tired of waiting we decided to take the stairs. (And yes, this was my second time to take the stairs that day!) We made it to the stop a little winded but excited. The view at night is so incredible! We had so much fun, but after we made it 3/4 of the way around, Anna's fear of heights got the best of her so we went inside.
Saturday morning, we loaded up on the Double Decker Hop On Hop Off bus Uptown. I know it's super touristy, but it's a great way to see the city. We bundled up and sat up top. Even though I had done it before, I still found it so interesting. The driver took us all through Uptown, around the Park and even through Harlem.
Up top on the Bus!
We got off at the stop in front of the Plaza Hotel, so we could go inside for a quick tour. The Christmas decorations were amazing. We went back outside and jumped in a horse-drawn carriage for a ride through Central Park.
After the bus tour, Mom, Ellen, Caroline, and I took a quick walk through Times Square and hit up Forever 21. Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for our night.
Caroline was so excited to meet the Naked Cowboy.
We had dinner reservations at Angus McIndoe's before seeing Kinky Boots! My grandmother chose Kinky Boots because it had won a lot of Tony's. It did not disappoint! I seriously can't say enough good things about it... I absolutely loved it! The music was great, the storyline was great... it was perfect! After the show, Caroline got Stark Sands' autograph (He was the lead male in the show), and Aunt Carley even snapped a picture of us with him.
Before calling it a night, we headed to Junior's for some cheesecake and hot chocolate.
Sunday morning, we woke up and went to Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was under construction, so it was hard to see all of it, but it was still beautiful. Cardinal Dolan delivered Mass, which was really cool too. Unfortunately when we left, it was pouring down rain, but we ran to Fireside at the Omni Hotel for some brunch. Next we continued walking down 5th Avenue to Tiffany's. I could literally spend hours there.
We visited a few more shops including Macy's and my favorite - H&M before heading back to the hotel. Aunt D is a huge fan of the Real Housewives of New Jersey, and she really wanted to go to the Manzo Brothers restaurant in Hoboken. After a hop, skip, two subway stops, a train, and a cab ride later, we were there. I'm not going to lie, it wasn't my favorite, but it was definitely an adventure! I think my favorite part was Aunt Carley and Caroline striking up a conversation with the Aussies on the train!
I couldn't believe our trip was almost over. Monday morning I woke up early and went to the Museum of Modern Art by myself. I have an obsession with art museums, and I was so excited that I finally got to see my favorite painting, The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. I have seen the majority of his paintings, and I've even been to his museum in Amsterdam, but I still hadn't seen his masterpiece. It was definitely worth the wait. I stood in awe of how beautiful it was... I seriously didn't want to leave. While there, I also got to see works by Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack, and Monet.
We said one final goodbye to the city before it was time to leave. It was a once in a lifetime trip that I will never forget. I'm so glad that we got to experience it together with Mimi.
Until next time New York!!
xoxo,
JET
