NYC Countdown!!

Today is August 26. In a month or so, I will be in New York City!! I cannot TELL you jow jazzed I am about it. This will be the first vacation hubs and I have taken without the baby, and I KNOW that I will miss sweet little booger, but I am sooooo ready to play in the city with hubs!!

I've never been a tourist in New York. When I've gone, I've flown up there, worked my rear off, and promptly flown back home. But THIS time . . .

Hubs and I booked a studio apartment near Times Square. We'll be there for a week, so having a little extra space, plus the kitchenette, was worth it to us. I went ahead and bought two City Passes, and they get you into all kinds of attractions without making you wait in line: The Met, The Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, the Natural History Museum, the Empire State Building, etc. We also booked tickets this week to see both The Lion King and Wicked, two shows that I think both of us will like. (Everyone I've talked to that has seen either/both has absolutely raved.)

We've moved on to the dinner reservations now, but I think we'll only book one or two places we really want to go and leave the rest up to chance.

I don't like being too scheduled on a trip, but I do like to have a clear priority in mind of what I want to see/do. On our A list for this trip:
American Museum of Natural History
Times Square (which will be hard to miss, since we're staying so close to it)
The Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island
The Empire State Building
Central Park (lots to see and do here)
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
Stop by Grand Central Station (I've been wanting to go here ever since I heard the Mary Chapin Carpenter song "Grand Central Station." Plus, they actually have a few decent restaurants in the terminal.)
The Met (This will take at least the better part of a day, and that's if we are ruthless with what we want to see.)
Rockefeller Center (We may do the Stage Door Tour here. Plus, hubs wants to go to Top of the Rock)
The New York Public Library (Do I want a picture of the lions? You betcha. Do I want to breathe in the hush of the reading room? Of course. 'Cause I'm a nerd. At least I own it.)
Chinatown ('Cause I love me some dim sum. If I go to a city that HAS a Chinatown, I go to Chinatown, honey. Not only is the food delicious, different, and cheap, there are usually great little shops to poke around in.)

B list: I'm also interested in dropping by the Edgar Allen Poe Cottage, St. Patrick's Cathedral, The Cloisters, and the WTC site.

I also have a few friends in NYC that I haven't seen in ages, and I'm going to make it a priority to have lunch/dinner/drinks/whatever with them while we are in the city.

We have a week, and who knows if we'll get to it all, but we're sure going to take the biggest bite out of the Big Apple that we can! Hope New York is ready for us. ;-)

Comments

Anonymous said…
I believe the Met is free ... and there is usually no line at all.
Unknown said…
OMG, YOU WILL LOVE WICKED!!!
and Lion King, of course...but
WICKED rules!!

You are going to have a blast. I have been to New York twice, and the last time was in 1994. It's been too long. Have a blast and booger will be fine!
Nicole Bradshaw said…
Met - technically, it is free, though they suggest a donation of $20. I've heard different accounts of the line, depending on what entrance you use. Regardless, I'm not planning on missing it!!

Soooooo hyped! I'll be there in no time!