For me, I think it’s hard to find the “right” thing to blog
about. Regardless, I’d like to reenter the world of blogging. Recently I spent
a long weekend in NYC for my boyfriend’s birthday. Even though I’ve been to New
York about 10 times it was still difficult to plan a three day weekend there.
For those of you who know me, which I’m assuming is everyone who’s reading this
you know how much of a planner I am! But New York has SO many options of things
to do, see, eat, drink, etc that it can get very overwhelming and expensive
very quickly. So I’m going to highlight some of the places we went in hopes
that they might help when you’re planning your next trip to the Big Apple!
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| Central Park |
Where we stayed: Affinia 50. I can’t say enough great things
about this cute little boutique hotel! As I said before I’ve been to New York
several times, but always on my parents dime. I knew prices in New York were
high, but damn. I searched the web to find the best deal I could, while still
getting a quality place in a great location. Affinia has a couple of hotels in
Manhattan, but this one was in the best location for us. With a complimentary
Happy Hour each day it was a done deal! We were a few blocks from the subway,
Starbucks lined just about every corner, our doorman was hilarious, and most
importantly I felt safe!
Where we ate: We got to our hotel around 3pm and were
starved! I really wanted a deli sandwich, but the birthday boy spotted a Mexican
restaurant so that’s where we went. And, boy, am I glad we did! Dos Caminos was
delicious. We each got Margarita’s to start; let’s be honest you CAN’T have Mexican
without margaritas! The chips and salsa platter was also a hit – it came with
three different types of salsa and variations of hotness. I had the Cobb salad,
which the two of us could have shared it was so big. I have to figure out how
to recreate that Basil Cilantro vinaigrette!
Grimaldi's in DUMBO – everyone knows that new York is known
for its pizza, and I can honestly say this did not disappoint. They currently
don’t serve alcohol which was a bummer, but we made the best of it toasting to
29 with root beers. A medium size pizza is more than enough to feed two people,
but be prepared to wait in a long line; I promise it’s worth the wait! After
dinner be sure to walk down to the pier. You get a great view of Manhattan, and
there is a bar with alcohol. (we took the subway to get there – about 30 minute
ride but only cost us $10 total roundtrip vs the $80 a cab would have cost)
What we did: walking, walking, walking. Make sure you take
comfortable shoes with you when you go to New York! We were about a 10 minute
walk to Central Park, Time Square, Rockefeller Center, and The Chrysler
Building – and we saw them all – on foot. One of the highlights of the trip for
both of us, was our bus tour. I know, I know, I was skeptical at first, but it
was awesome! We did the downtown loop with Big Bus tour (the double decked open
air buses). Our bus was a hop on, hop off but we stayed put for the whole two
hours just enjoying the ride. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable. Not only did
we get to take in all the sites, but learned lots of history along the way.
This to me, is the best way to see the city if you’re only there for a short
period of time. They also offer an uptown loop and a Brooklyn loop, but we didn’t
want to spend the ENTIRE day on a bus.
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| Atop the Big Bus; ready for our tour to begin! |
Another big piece of advice I can offer is take cash! A lot
of places, Grimaldi’s included, don’t take cards – shocking I know! But it’s an easier way to keep track of how
much you’re spending. So make a pit stop at that ATM on your way out of town because
you don’t want to miss out on that slice of pizza or black and white cookie
because all you’ve got in your pocket is plastic!
While we had a wonderful three days in NYC, there really is
no place like home!
