So with Summer upon me I knew I wanted to travel somewhere new. It had been over a year since I did any major traveling, so it took me awhile to decide where to go. I looked at multiple destinations across the US and put in some flight trackers into Google Flights and waited for a good price. Not much was really happening in prices, so I explored another avenue. As a Costco member, I’ve wanted to try out Costco Travel, but 2020 was not kind. So I looked at the different travel packages and finally decided on one for the first weekend of August 2021. I usually like to visit small to medium size cities, even though I live in a large city. But this time I decided to go big or stay home. And just like that, I had a trip booked to New York City for a long weekend. I had often thought that New York City was overrated but I ended up being a bit surprised when I visited it myself.
Thursday
So August 5th arrived and it was time to travel. I had booked my trip on July 4th when the world was looking positive in regards to Covid, but things slowly began to shift. Things were looking worse by travel day, but I decided to pack some extra face masks and hope for the best. It took a few times packing my suitcase to make sure I didn’t forget anything, since it had been 19 months since I’ve flown. Three hours before my flight I received an update from Delta that my flight had been delayed by two hours, luckily i was still at home and not at the airport. After a quick Lyft ride to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, it was a quick checkin and then a stroll through the security line. TSA PreCheck was helpful as always and then it was off to my gate. It had been a long time since I had been to the airport, but the only difference was that everyone was wearing face masks.
After an uneventful flight I arrived at JFK International Airport, collected my suitcase and got a Lyft to my hotel. Even though I had been to many big cities with large skyscrapers, New York City was on a whole different level. After about a 30 minute ride, I arrived at my hotel in Manhattan at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. I checked in at my hotel with no big fanfare, settled into my room and then decided to go out and do a little exploring. It was already dark by the time I had arrived at my hotel so when I went out the front of my hotel looked around and looked south I could see bright lights and what I assumed had to be Times Square. So I walked towards the bright lights and was soon enveloped in the bright and chaotic nature of Times Square. It was only a Thursday night but it was quite busy. After exploring for a while I decided it was time to head back to my hotel and turn in for the night since at this point I have been up for over 24 hours.
Friday
It was Friday morning and I had arose with a sense of adventure so I headed out to explore Times Square during the daylight and once again I was very impressed. After partaking in the local street food and a little bit of exploring, I headed to the meet up spot for the Big Bus HOP-ON, HOP-OFF NEW YORK BUS TOUR which was located right outside the huge M&M store in Times Square.
On the bus I got a seat on the top level and listened to the narration as the bus navigated its way around the busy streets of New York. After some time the bus made it to Chinatown which was on my to do list while in New York so I hopped off and did a little bit of explored. Besides visiting Chinatown another objective was to find a place that served Peking duck which I had never had before. After enjoying my lunch I decided to hop back on the bus and continue the tour around New York.
After seeing all the various sites in the Manhattan loop of the tour I decided to head back to Times Square. After returning to my hotel room to regroup I decided to head on out and do a little more exploring. Another objective on my to do list for New York was riding the subway so I’ve ventured down to the nearest subway terminal and purchased myself a pass. The cost per ride was only $2.75 but they also had an option for a seven day pass costing $34 that included unlimited rides. I decided that the unlimited pass would be a better use of my money. As a first time subway rider of course I missed a stop here or there but the good thing with the unlimited pass was that it didn’t cost me any extra. Utilizing the subway I made it further up in Manhattan than I had previously gone before and even got to visit Harlem.
After walking around Harlem for a while I decided that it was time to head back down to Times Square so I hopped back on the subway. Of course I want a little further than anticipated and next thing I knew I was in Brooklyn. I exited the subway terminal and walked around Brooklyn for a while. I decided to it was time to head back to my hotel so I hopped back on the subway and rode it back up to Times Square this time reaching my intended destination without further error. Now being in a relatively familiar area near my hotel it was time to grab some dinner and a few drinks nearby. Of course with being in New York you have to get a slice of pizza so I made a stop at a Ray’s Pizza. After that I made a few stops at various bars near times Square and then called it a night.
Saturday
Saturday morning arrived and it was time for more adventure. With my new experience riding the subway I decided that my first stop of the day would be going to the Statue of Liberty. I looked up on Google maps that I could easily hop on the subway from Times Square and take it down to Battery Park where the ship that takes you to Liberty Island is located. For this particular trip I took the scenic route even getting to walk by Grand Central Terminal along the way and then I rode the subway down to Battery Park. I walked around Battery Park, took some photos and then it was time to get in line to go to the Statue of Liberty. The boat ride was nice to Liberty Island, unfortunately I was only able to get a seat on the inside and not where I could get some photos as we approached. The crowds weren’t that bad on that Saturday morning even though I thought I should’ve gone on Friday. I walked around
Liberty Island taking photos of the Statue of Liberty from various viewpoints and of course snapping a few selfies along the way. I also got to go to the Statue of Liberty Museum that’s houses the original torch from the statue. After spending some time on Liberty Island, I decided it was time to head back to Manhattan. The cost of the boat ride to Liberty Island also includes a stop at Ellis island but since I was a little lacking on time I decided to skip Ellis Island. I boarded the boat and we headed back to Battery Park.
After arriving at Battery Park I walked around a bit taking more photos along the way. It was at this point that I decided that I was near Wall Street and that I just a short walking distance from the Charging Bull statue. And from there I walked a short distance until I got to Wall Street and waited in line at the Charging Bull statue and took photos accordingly. After that I walked back to Battery Park and hopped on the subway and took it back on up to Times Square. After a short period of regrouping at my hotel room then it was time to head out for the night for dinner and a few drinks at the nearby bars. After that it was turning in for the night.
Sunday
With it being my final day in New York I knew I had to make it worthwhile. First spot of the day on my endless list of places to go to in New York was Central Park. Since Central Park isn’t that far of a walk from Times Square, I headed north on this morning and ventured through Central Park. As I was going through Central Park the weather started to change a little bit with sprinkles happening every so often but this was my last day in New York so I had to just keep moving. After sightseeing through Central Park and getting turned around multiple times in the The Ramble, I decided it was time for me to head down to One World Trade Center.
I found the nearest subway terminal and made my way south. I purchased a ticket and went up to the observation deck. At the observation deck I had a great viewpoints of the surrounding skyline as I made multiple laps around the observation deck taking as many photos as possible while trying to avoid glare off of the glass. I also enjoyed lunch and a couple drinks while I was up there with one of the most incredible views that I’ve ever had while having a meal. After finishing marveling at the surrounding skyline I made my way back to ground level.
Looking at Google Maps I saw that the Brooklyn Bridge was not that far away and that once again it was on my list so let’s head on over there. The weather was still looking a little gloomy out but there was lots of people out and about including a decent amount on the Brooklyn Bridge. I made my way across the full length of the bridge taking lots of photos along the way until I made my way into Brooklyn . Once I made it into Brooklyn the weather started to pick up a little bit more with it now being as constant drizzle versus the earlier sprinkles. Also this was the one day I decided not to carry my messenger bag which had my portable battery charger for my phone. With my phone running low at this time due to the multitude of photos I have taken throughout the day it was time to head back. After venturing in Brooklyn for a little bit I found the subway terminal that I needed and I rode the subway back up to Times Square.
By the time I arrived at Times Square the rain had picked up significantly and the size of the crowds on the streets had decreased, but not by much. I headed to my hotel to recharge my phone and to dry off a bit. Once my phone had charged significantly I decided to venture back out after all this was my last day. Time Square definitely looks different in the rainy weather and I took advantage of that by taking lots of photos along the way. Since I would be leaving New York early in the morning I decided I was good for one last night of going out to get something to eat and a couple drinks at the nearby bars before turning in for the night.
Monday
And just like that it was Monday morning and it was time to grab a cab and head back to the airport to fly back home. The flight back home was uneventful except for at the airport I almost got a $1000 to fly back later, but ultimately I end up on my flight back as scheduled.
Last Words
So going into this trip I thought New York was way overrated, but I was surprised by how much the city has to offer even though I only saw a small portion of it in my long weekend there. Even more I went when Covid restrictions were mostly still in place. If I was impressed with New York in this state, I’m sure pre-Covid or post-Covid would blow my mind. So I will definitely need to be make another trip to New York City.
