And then, I came to a realization:
Ain't nobody got time for that!!
So since there is too much to explain, let me sum up!
Itinerary:
Monday- direct flight to Newark, train to Manhattan, checked in to The New Yorker Hotel, Empire States building, pizza, Times Square
Tuesday- Central Park, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Shakespeare in the Park in Central Park (Comedy of Errors, hilarious!)
Wednesday- Times Square, Roger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Brooklyn Diner in Time Square, Newsies (favourite part of the trip!!!)
Thursday- 9/11 memorial, Battery Park (view of Statue of Liberty), Soho, Chinatown, Financial district, Century 21, Tiffany's(!!!!!!!!!!!), DUMBO (Brooklyn), Brooklyn Bridge (from Brooklyn to Manhattan, better views)
Friday- Museum of Natural History, Dinner at the Palm (super hoity toity), Wicked. (also the tail end of tropical storm Andrea, miserable weather.)
Saturday- Top of the Rock, Stardust Diner, Highline Park(fairly new, an absolute must see), Macy's, Madison Square Garden. Train to Newark. Flight home to my babies!
Observations:
New Yorkers have a really tough reputation but are really the nicest people! I think that surprised me the most, how nice and helpful people were.
I expected my feet to hurt from all the walking, and to be honest, they didn't really. What I wasn't anticipating was how sore my calves would be!
Shows
Overall, what I noticed most was the articulation and dynamics. Very clear. Very sharp. Lots of spit!
I was surprise by the venues. Some of the theatres were quiet intimate while others were massive. Somehow I expected them all to be like the Jube.
Of the four shows we saw, my favourite was Newsies. One of the ladies as we were leaving said: "It was like being at a Justin Bieber concert." There were a lot of teens there and they were very enthusiastic. Especially about the dancing boys, singing boys, shirtless boys, boys boys boys. The cast fed off their energy and provided them with a top notch, high energy performance. It was awesome!
Food
We aren't real foodies but we thoroughly enjoyed the food carts and trucks. We also ate at some good local restaurants. There are way too many choices, but all in all, the food was great.
I was a bit nervous that we would totally get lost on the subway but it was actually very straight forward and really useful!
Museums
We went to the Met and the Museum of Natural History. Both were neat but had some overlap. After all the historical exhibits at the Met, I found myself drawn to the scientific exhibits at the Museum of Natural History. Surprising, considering I'm not a science person.
I really enjoyed the memorial. It was very beautiful. Though the amount of security was surprising. While I was there, I realized it was the first memorial I had been to whose tragic events I had actually been alive for. I remembered everything from that morning and those that followed. It was very emotional for me. So many names.
Nature
Central Park and Highline Park were both beautiful and in direct contrast with the buildings surrounding them. It was a very surreal experience.
Views
Empire State Building, Top of the Rock and the Brooklyn bridge are all great for views. We did them all at different times of the day which made for a really cool experience. Definitely a must do, unless you are scared of heights.
Before this trip, I remember saying that I wanted to get as much in as possible because we would likely only do New York once. There are many other places on our bucket list. But I guess I underestimated how awesome New York would be. We will definitely be back!
Great post, New York does become an addiction - you have to see it in every season.
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