I make promises. I mean well when I'm making them! And then a mixture of life and laziness equates to me breaking them, time and time again.
I've broken my promise to post about my trip to New York within a week from my last post. But have no fear, a mere half a week past my deadline-- Rambo is here to Ramble about the great Empire State.
This Christmas Break, I returned to the city for the fourth time. I was there for a whole long, magical, freezing week.
I could not possibly tell you everything I did because I was just that productive!
Instead, I will provide you with my top 10 must-do's in the wonderful city of New York.
Rambo's NYC Top 10:
1. Nuts for Nuts
I, Miranda Fugate, am nuts for these nuts! I've been to New York multiple times now- I kinda consider myself an expert- and I have yet to find one thing in that city that gives me as much pure joy as those nuts do!
You can find these little tasties on almost any street corner-- the convenience of the city is both wonderful and sinful-- for a mere three dollars. (Worth it my friends, so worth it!)
There was actually a night that Travis and I were perusing in Central Park before dinner, chowing down on some almonds and I literally had to physically hold him back from buying another bag and ruining his appetite before dinner!
Did I mention that when its 20 degrees outside they warm your insides better than a really sweet text from a crush?
Good stuff.
2. Central Park
On this trip, I developed a particular fetish for Central Park. I had always visited it on prior trips, but had never really grasped its immense beauty.
This time, I drug Travis to the park on several different occasions. And each time, without fail, I would look up starry eyed at the trees and the city buildings in the background and just say in utter amazement, "It's so beautiful!!!"
I find it funny that I, a Florida girl, find a collection of completely leafless deciduous trees in the heart of the winter absolutely beautiful. But it was gorgeous.
We visited the park at different times of day, so we were able to enjoy several different sky colors and hues.
I love the park because you can easily distinguish locals from tourists. Tourists can easily be found atop a rock posing for a picture, enjoying a carriage ride, or just looking left and right rapidly as they walk around.
Locals, however appear to be in a sort of trance. You can tell that many New Yorkers consider the park a place of peace, tranquility, and just a place to think… or disconnect.
In my additional trips to the park, I tried to have a more local-esque attitude while exploring the park-- zoning out a bit, admiring the beauty of it all, and just pondering life.
3. The Brooklyn Tabernacle
This was actually my first experience at the Brooklyn Tabernacle-- and what an experience it was. As soon as we entered the church, we were immediately greeted with smiling faces and kind hearts.
The choir was just as good as they say it is and the worship was on-point!
I loved the warmth I felt in the church. It reassured me that even in such a dark city like New York, there is light, and Jesus is ever-present!
I can't say much about the Brooklyn Tabernacle except just go!! You won't regret it, I promise.
4. Sunset View Atop the Affinia Shelburne
!Alert! Pay attention here. If you are visiting New York, you must not waste your money on The Rock or The Empire State Building.
You must, instead, visit the Affinia Shelburne's rooftop.
No, we did not stay in this hotel. Yes, the view is open to the public.
Yes, the view is amazing.
Incredible.
Breathtaking.
I have been to the top of both The Rock and the Empire State Building and this was by far my favorite.
Not only do you get to avoid the dreaded lines and crowds of the other two, but you have an amazing view of both the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building (my personal favorite).
Do it.
Please. :)
5. Eataly
For a girl that is obsessed with all things Italian, this place is the coolest of cool.
No, it's not a restaurant.
No, it's not a market.
In the words of my oldest brother Nic, it's the (insert cuss word meaning "fatherless child" here) child of the two.
Eataly is this huge warehouse full of goodness. It has any Italian anything you could ever imagine. (Except gnocchi… What's up with that, yo!?) It's a huge market that includes some super cool restaurants as well.
It has un-homogonized milk! How dope is that!
And do not go without grabbing some gelato.
No, 20 degree weather cannot ruin the divinity of gelato.
And when you do, get the "sweet milk" flavor. It was the bomb diggity.
6. Grimaldi's Pizza
It's just as tasty as they say, folks.
Best pizza I've ever had.
Helpful Hint: Go to the Coney Island location! Super dead, no long lines, same great taste. Plus, you get the fun of Coney Island as well!
7. China Town
You simply cannot make a trip to New York without experiencing the culture shock and money-hungry shop owners of China Town.
If you're gonna go, you need to find a dumpling house. You just have to.
Joe's Shanghai is one of the most applauded, and indeed, it is good.
This year, the line was a little longer than our stomachs could tolerate.
So Dad found us an alternative, the Golden Unicorn.
This place was much more festive than Joe's! Besides one other table, which had Chinese comrades, we were the only Caucasian customers.
Waitresses push around carts with several dumpling and meat options and you just kinda flag them down if you're interested. (Similar to a Brazilian Steakhouse.)
Chinatown's shops are also a great part of the fun. Forget the souvenir shops by Times Square and take a subway to Canal Street. I am pretty confident when I say that any gift or keepsake you want to bring home can be found in Chinatown.
8. Forever 21 on Times Square
Yes, this one is very personalized, but it is definitely makes the top 10 cut.
Forever 21 is everything beautiful and wonderful in the world to me.
But you know what's better?
4 floors of Forever 21.
Yes, FOUR.
When I stepped in with 4 gift cards handy, I knew I had reached my shopaholic nirvana.
If you are not a huge Forever 21 goer but are interested in good shopping places in New York, I am your girl.
- T.J. Maxx on Wall Street is awesome
- Any Loehmann's is good! (Like a New York Ross or Beall's Outlet)
- H&M is actually a New York company, so there are multiple ones throughout the city. They have such good deals!
- The Chelsea Market has so many designer sample sales and super cool retro shops (not just clothes, several cool eateries, too!)
- There's this store called Strawberry that is very much like a Burlington. All their boots were 50% off. Holla.
9. Wall Street/ Financial District in general
The Financial District is a gorgeous section of town.
If you're going down that way, pay Wall Street a visit. The buildings are beautiful.
It's usually a little crowded but a stroll down the street shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.
Make sure to take a picture by... George Washington? Or Thomas Jefferson? I wasn't completely sure who he was when I scurried up to stand beside him.
George Washington.
Just Googled it :)
Also, don't forget to stare goggly-eyed into Tiffany's.
And since you're down that way, you may as well visit Ground Zero.
I wouldn't suggest visiting the 9/11 memorial quite yet. You have to get tickets in advance, wait in a long line, go through security, and it was just kinda a hassle honestly. Supposedly, when the memorial is completely finished, you will be able to walk right up to it.
So, I would just wait it out until a later visit, or just visit the Ground Zero area in general. Just being down there was very eerie and sad, but something I think you must do.
10. Circle Cruise
So, I was totally ragging on Dad for awhile thinking this part of the trip would be a total waste.
But it actually turned out to be one of my favorite things we did!
Sure, the Circle Cruise is a very mainstream tourist attraction. But, I found it to be extremely eye-opening.
Like, who knew the Northernmost part of Manhattan could look like this!?
We also had a spectacular view of Lady Liberty. In my book, all you really need to do is get a good look at her.
The Circle Cruise was fun! You got to see countless outstanding views of the city and learned a lot of history as well!
New York. I could write about it for days on in.
In many ways, the city is my first love.
I remember during my first trip to the city (my parents had taken me for my twelfth birthday) Mom and Dad asked me if I could imagine myself living there. And my response since then has always been the same.
YES.
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