New York City!!!

I’ve always heard that most people tend to either love DC or NYC, but not both. I had the opportunity to spend eight weeks in DC one summer and LOVED it. I’ve since taken two vacations back there: once with a friend and once with my parents and grandparents. So I was a bit hesitant when they wanted to go to NYC the next summer - turns out I LOVED IT!

We went in June and it was miserably hot. We survived. We did all the touristy stuff: took the bus tour of Manhattan and Brooklyn, went over to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, did a boat tour of the harbor, museums, stores, street roaming, China Town, NBC studio tour was fun, spent A LOT of time near Times Square, Central Park, went to the top of the Empire State Building and all that fun stuff. Highlights: 9/11 Memorial area and rebuilding site, Serendipity frozen hot chocolate, Junior’s cheesecake, and we went to see Lion King, which was A.Maz.Ing.

Times Square at Night - we went and sat on the TKTS stands for about an hour and just watched people one night.

From the boat tour.

9/11 Building Site and a section of one Memorial (below)

Favorites: Junior's Cheesecake (awesome tuna melt), Serendipity frozen hot chocolate (love the movie, love the drink) and Central Park (could spend WAY more time there!)

My parents and I on the last night!

Last year, my parents wanted to go back between Christmas and New Year, and I was all for it! Our plan was to stay in Brooklyn this time and spend some more time over there and some of the other boroughs we didn’t get to see as much of in June. We also go tickets to go see In the Heights. Then the blizzard rolled through - the one that stranded people at JFK for days. Fortunately, we ended up stranded in Chicago and got two trips in one! Roaming around Chicago for 3 days we saw:

Millennium Park

Lots of snow - the storm was just ahead of us in Chicago. It was cold but sunny;

Dad and I downtown.

We also ended up getting tickets to go see The Blue Man Group while we were there which was a great show! We finally ended up flying from Chicago to Philadelphia and taking Amtrak into NYC. We got there in time to stow our luggage and rush to In the Heights - walked up right as they were opening the doors! Whew! GREAT show!

So the plan was originally to do New Year's Eve in Times Square - then we decided that was insanity! So instead, we walked to the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge and got to see three different firework shows.

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge earlier in the evening to plan out our time;

Manhattan Skyline from Brooklyn.

We didn't have much else planned besides the show tickets, so while we were there, we also went down to Coney Island - because who doesn't like to see fake palm trees  on a beach covered in snow??? It was a good adventure - and Dad got to eat at Nathan's hot dogs. 

Playing in the snow in Central Park - my goal is now to collect a picture of the park in each season!

Favorites: more Junior's, random Christmas decor,  the BIG Piano!

Huddled together against the cold at midnight - NYE in NYC complete!

I <3 NYC. Loved it in the heat of the summer, loved it in the cold of the winter. We're going back next week and I'm sure I'll love it in the chill of fall. Now, I just have to go back through the last 30 days of outfits and pick my top seven to pack! Yikes!