Hey y’all! Another Friday is here! Whoop, whoop!! Do you have any great plans for the weekend? I’m looking forward to relaxing and enjoying time with my family. In the meantime, I’m back to share my favorite place in New York City, Top of the Rock!

When people ask me what are musts in New York City, Top of the Rock is always at the top of my list! No pun intended! Top of the Rock is the observation deck at Rockefeller Center in Rockefeller Plaza. You know? The place with the famous Christmas tree! So not only can you ice skate, shop, and dine at Rockefeller Plaza, but you can catch the best views of the city from Rockefeller Center! Top of the Rock, in my opinion, has better views than the Empire State Building. I love that there aren’t crazy lines, at least the several times I have visited, and that you can see views of the Empire State Building on one side and Central Park on the other.
 
I also recommend visiting twice, once during the day and once after dark. It is incredible to see the difference. During the day, you see a concrete jungle. At night, you see an incredible light show. Both have their own beauty. Another bit I love is you can see the stunning St. Patrick’s Cathedral, along with other buildings, from a whole new angle. But there is just something about the beautiful of St. Patrick’s from above and below. 

​Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed our visit to Top of the Rock, and I hope you’ll take my advice and add it to your NYC itinerary. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

​Happy Friday y’all! I hope you’ve had a great week. I’m looking forward to the weekend, and hope you are too. Although, weekends always go by way too quickly don’t they? Anyway, today I’m back to share more from our trip to New York City. During this visit, we ventured to the far end of Manhattan Island to explore South Street Seaport located on the East River. 

South Street Seaport was recommended for my first trip to the city by a friend who lived in NYC. However, we never made it there. I’m so glad we made the effort to get down there during my last trip. It is a fabulous area with rich history, shopping, delicious restaurants, and world-class views.  We enjoyed an early morning stroll through the area before many shops were even open. But that didn’t keep us from enjoying a meal, or two, and window shopping. We walked around the beautiful cobblestone, taking in the Christmas tree (Christmas trees are everywhere in NYC in December; one of my favorite things about the city), and enjoying a stop in a coffee shop. One of the highlights for me? Seeing the Titanic Memorial. Yup, such a treat! The lighthouse is a memorial to the star-crossed ship that should have reached New York Harbor back in 1912, but, as we know, never made it across the Atlantic.
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After strolling around the shops, we walked closer to the river, and explored the pier. From here, you can see ship museums, incredible views of the East River, and the many bridges that connect the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. This brought us to Paris Café. The café has been famous among celebrities and politicians, and is in the most beautiful location on the river. It is said to be the oldest pub in New York having opened in the late 1800s.  We enjoyed a delicious brunch here, and I definitely recommend it! I’ll share more about it on my NYC restaurants post later. 

South Street Seaport is really a neat area to explore and enjoy a great meal and view! You will definitely want to include this on your NYC itinerary. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope your Friday the 13th isn't crazy! ;) Have a great weekend!

​Welcome back friends! I hope your week is going well. I’m back to continue with our journey around New York. Today is about our visit to the celebrated Radio City Music Hall! Radio City is a truly stunning theatre with so many incredible aspects in an Art Deco Era design. We enjoyed a visit to not only see the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular, but also to get a behind the scenes look at the world-famous theatre. 

Though we passed by the music hall several times during our trip, we didn't venture inside until our last full day in the city. Around mid-day, we enjoyed the Radio City Music Hall Stage Door Tour. On the tour, we enjoyed getting a behind the scenes look at the theatre. This took us to the practice stage & costume room, gave us a peek at the sunset-like theatre without patrons, and to meet a Rockette. It was super neat to learn the history of the theatre, and how it has thrived through out the years. 

Later that day, we ended our trip to New York City with a high-kick, seeing the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular! The show mixes Santa Claus with the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus' birth, which is truly refreshing to see in these ultra-modern times. The show marries the famous Rockettes dancing, including my favorite the Rockettes Toy Soldier routine, with 3D effects and fabulous story-telling, ending the show with a live nativity to depict the night of Christ's birth. 

Visiting Radio City and seeing the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular is truly a Christmas-time must while you are in New York. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I'll be back Friday with our visit to South Street Seaport. 

Hey y'all! Hope you had a great weekend. I'm back today to share more from our trip to New York. During my first visit to the city, we never even set foot into a subway station. However, this go round, we took full advantage of this incredible transportation system.

 I highly recommend using the subway for getting to and fro within New York City. It is super-fast, no traffic, and just about anywhere in the city is quickly accessible by train. For us, with no direction or tips for navigating the massive subway system, we were just winging it. Therefore, it took a bit of trial and error to get things straight. Once I got the hang of things, it was smooth sailing, err riding, from there. To save you my headache, I'll share what made all of the difference for us.

My number one tip for using the subway system in New York City? Use the maps app on iPhone or Android. Enter your current location & desired destination, and your map will tell you EXACTLY where to enter the subway station from the street, which train to take, and give you walking directions to/from the subway from your starting point and to your end destination. It is important to enter the station from the street as the directions say, because it takes you to the correct side of the platform that way you are at the train going the right direction. 

It sounds silly, telling you to just follow directions. But it is super important for you to follow them exactly as the app says, or you'll likely end up on the wrong side of the tracks, literally! 

Along with enjoying the fast transport here and there, the subway system is truly a modern marvel! To see maps of the many subway lines and stations and to realize how smoothly it all runs is a remarkable thought! It is clear that incredible care and thought went into the design and building of the New York City Subway System, and still goes into it to make it run smoothly today. Not only that, the beauty of the stations is stunning. Notice the meticulous mosaic tile work and beautiful entrance signs. Lucky for us, these elements are still well maintained today.

I know there are a thousand other tips to give you to get through the subway, but I'm no expert. So I stuck with what I know to be our number one life saver during our visit to New York. In the hustle and bustle, don't forget to look around at the beauty of the subway system. Like I said, it truly is remarkable. Also, don't be alarmed if you see a few rats. #notajoke 

​Thanks for much for stopping by today. Go make it a great day!

Happy Friday friends! I hope your week has gone well, and that you have a fun and/or relaxing weekend planned. I'm back today to share our visit to the new One World Trade Center Observatory in New York City.

 We visited One World after our time at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. The new tower is a beautiful addition to the once destroyed area of the World Trade Center Site. It is another beautiful reminder of how far New York City, and our country, has come since the attacks on 9/11. Since being built, it is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, so taking a visit to the top is a real treat. 

So, we purchased tickets in advance for our ride up to the top, getting the option to visit anytime. We went in, and were escorted through security before our trip up. The observatory starts out giving a super fun overview of New York City over the course of thousands of years. Then took us on a 47 second trip to the top! We ended our journey on the 102nd story to explore impeccable views of the city.  

Though Top of the Rock will always be my favorite, the One World Observatory gives beautiful views on New York Harbor, and, because of its location at the end of the island, the entire borough of Manhattan, which can't be seen quite that way from atop other observation decks in the city. It is truly remarkable to see the island in its entirety, as you can see just how massive and populated the city is. You can also see glimpses of Lady Liberty, the Empire State Building, and neighboring New Jersey.

One World Observatory really is a neat spot to see the city from new vantage points, and learn more about the city. Will you add it to your NYC itinerary?

​Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a great weekend! See you back next week for more on New York City.