Is it possible to experience all of NYC in a weekend? Probably not, but I definitely got awfully close haha.

*Forewarning, much walking is required, but I promise it’s worth it!*

 

So I’m a married mom of three who rarely gets time away from the kiddos to travel. When mommy and daddy do, we have to make it short and sweet. Short visits DO NOT have to mean you can’t make the most of it! You’d be surprised how much fun you can experience in just a couple of days!

So I’m typically a planner and have the majority of my trips mapped out. However, this trip was not as planned in detail like I normally do. The only things I did ahead of time were buying the “skip the line” tickets for MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) and making  reservations for Serendipity. I did however, make a NYC bucket list of things I wanted to check off. Doing this made it so much more fun because it placed value on the experiences we got to do. This was my second visit to NYC. The first time was over 15 years ago, and I didn’t get to do all what I wanted to because of traveling with a big group.

This trip was customized to just my hubs and I and that’s just how we like to roll : ).  So here it goes. I think the easiest way to break it down for you is to start with packing/travel tips then go straight into our itinerary.

The day we flew out (Friday), didn’t go quite as planned.

*TIP: Don’t have any set reservations the first day just in case your flight gets delayed.*

Because we flew out of New Orleans using Jet Blue (which we absolutely loved btw…tv’s on the head rests, more foot room, free wifi, better snacks), there’s a chance for flight delays due to the fact that only one plane from Jet Blue flies to and from NYC out of NOLA. The government shutdown at the time we flew out didn’t help either. Point is, we ended up being 3 hours delayed which cut into our first day visit time. Again, don’t reserve anything the first day. Keep it stress free and flexible.

When we finally arrived to NY (into JFK…which I also highly recommend because it was the only open airport that day due to the shutdown), the first stop was checking into our hotel. Upon leaving the airport, you take an Airtrain to the subway station (where you can buy a Metro Card…BEST deal for the weekend). The subway is the easiest and cheapest way to get through the city. The “E” train is the most popular because it runs straight through all the major stops.

Another travel tip alert: PACK LIGHT.

We live tiny and are use to being minimal so a carry on, plus a small easy to carry backpack for each, is all we needed. This was the backpack size I brought which also doubled as my purse. I got this on sale for $15 at Target so win!

Packing light made checking on and off flights easy, as well as traveling through the city via subway to get to our hotel (since you’re having to carry your luggage through the city). If you have issues with fitting your clothing, watch Marie Kondo, learn how to fold in small squares, and only bring the necessities lol. One thing that I did pack were a pair of tights that I can wear for two outfits, and one pair of jeans that can also be versatile. I also packed a pair of tennis shoes, one set of dressier boots (for a nicer dinner) that can fit in my small backpack (because I wasn’t dare going to wear them walking around), and another pair of comfortable warm boots (because we went at the end of January).

Many people are hesitant to travel to NYC during the winter, but honestly it was still enjoyable for us! We lucked out and caught a weekend in between snow storms so that was also a plus lol. Visiting in the winter seemed to be less crowded and the hotels were WAY cheaper so I actually am glad we went when we did! However, the harsh city wind will get you if you aren’t prepared. The key is, wearing a long (covers the butt) puffy coat, layers, something to cover your ears and neck, gloves, & HANDWARMERS! They sell them at the front counter at most drugstores there so don’t worry about packing them lol. Comfortable, thick, fuzzy lining boots also are a plus : ). Just make sure they are comfy because you’re going to be doing the most walking you’re ever going to have to do this trip haha.

Now onto our itinerary…

Day 1 (actually evening due to the delay):

Once we arrived, we went straight to find our hotel. We stayed at The Life Hotel Nomad. I absolutely LOVED this hotel. It was such a nostalgic NYC feel. Cool fact: it was the home birthplace of Life Magazine headquarters!! The rooms were very boutique modern feeling and the hallways were very Friends vibes. Meaning, I felt like I was staying in the apartment building Rachel and Monica stayed at haha. Spiral mint green stair cases with a couch on each floor made me want to yell “PIVOT!” Not only did I love the feel of this hotel, but it was very conveniently located. It was right around the block from the Empire State Building and about a ten minute walk to Time Square. Here’s what our room looked like…

 

Small (very very common in NYC), but FANTASTIC vibes. I would definitely stay here again.

Once we checked in, we hit the streets with excitement. First stop…. Times Square baby!! Because it was within walking distance, it allowed us to do a lot more in that evening than we thought. Checking off the bucket list had officially commenced!

There are a lot of well known things around Times Square within walking distance. Things we did/visited that first night included: Joe’s Pizza (in Times Square and the friggin most delicious mouth watering, bigger than your head slice of pizza you can consume), Macy’s (so nostalgic NYC), Madison Square Garden, Rockefeller Plaza, FAO Schwartz toystore (home of the famous BIG floor piano), the Today Show studios, and NBC Studios (Jimmy Fallon). Part of my list was to at least take pictures and visit most of these. Not to mention play a song on the BIG movie toy store piano!! We were able to walk in these places and take in enough to feel satisfied to say we’ve “been there” lol. Here are our pics from the first night…

 

 

Day 2!:

First things first, breakfast at a classic New York diner! We ended up walking from our hotel to lower Manhattan (near Washington Square). Long walk, but if you’re able to, I highly recommend walking as much as possible because it allows you to take in as much of New York as you can. The subway is amazing, but you may miss seeing a lot. The diner we decided to visit was an older more nostalgic diner called Waverly Diner. We loved the feel of it! Quaint, big portions, friendly staff, & delicious food. After stuffing our faces, we walked to Washington Square (just 5-10min away). Loved the cliche NY vibes here and of course it was another thing checked off my list. Once we took our pictures, we walked further down (a couple of miles) towards the World Trade Center. It was really cool to visit because it’s a well designed underground mall of sorts. The architecture is one of a kind. There is of course the 9/11 memorial you must visit as well. There is also a museum you can tour, but we decided to opt out of it due to limited time and the high priced tickets (around $80/couple). Once we experienced the greatness of that memorial, we walked around taking everything in. Around this part of town is the park near the bay where the Statue of Liberty is. It was too cold for us to take a boat to get closer, so we decided to just look from afar and take pictures. This sufficed for us lol. If you do want to get a closer look, skip the high priced boat tours and take the free ferry. After we saw Lady Liberty, we continued to walk around. We then stumbled upon the very humble New York Public Library :). This is the most gorgeous building inside and out. It’s definitely a must see. You can literally get lost inside. Upon leaving the library, we passed Bryant Park (which is right behind the library). It is a very quaint and beautiful area. They had amazing looking restaurants there and if we had more time and knew ahead of time, I would have reserved to eat here. Oh well, there’s always next time!

We are huge coffee drinkers (most of our cash went to coffee lol) so the next stop was to find a good coffee shop. La Colombe was right around the corner from Bryant Park so we stopped in! Highly recommend!

 

Coffee is a must to keep you moving and warm : ). Not to worry, New York definitely has the best coffee shops to choose from. We stopped at a couple of organic roasting shops too!

With coffee in hand, we made our way over to another check off: Grand Central Station! This building is truly timeless and I felt like any happy go-lucky actress starring in her very own Rom Com : ). The architecture of this building was breathtaking.

By this time, it was getting to be mid/end morning so we deciding to take a subway back to mid Manhattan. I had bought day tickets to MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) which was near Tiffany’s, Trump Tower, Central Park, and Serendipity.  I had a reservation for 7pm at Serendipity (another bucket list adventure), so I wanted to be closer to that area so we wouldn’t be late. We took the “E” train back and got off nearest to Central Park. Another check off for me. MOMA is the home of the Monet, Polluck, Picasso, & Van Gogh displays. Another to-do for me. It was so surreal to be able to be upclose to these timeless pieces of art that made such an impact for me. A definite must see as well.

Once we ended our visit at MOMA, we wanted to soak in all the cliche NYC vibes this trip lol. Quick stops to Tiffany’s to glare at a 20 ct diamond ring and a visit to Central Park shortly after, were a must. The corner of the park we entered was right near The Plaza hotel (another must visit). To get to the famous Boat House in Central Park from here is about a mile walk. I told you we walked a lot : ). Because it was the DEAD of winter, all the ponds were frozen over (which was REALLY neat to see…and I actually braved it enough to stand on the frozen water lol). Central Park is such a beautiful thing to experience. I literally relived every cliche NY movie. Once we took in all of the park, we were freezing at this point and needed to thaw off. A good place to do that is kicking back in a cafe in the lower level of The Plaza Hotel. This hotel is basically it’s own universe lol. It has the coolest bakeries with the most delicious desserts. It was definitely an ideal place to kill time chatting away as we waited for our Serendipity reservation. Hallelujah for uninterrupted adult conversation!!!

We ended the night the best way I knew how:  eating dinner at the same table John Cusack and Kate Beckensale did in Serendipity (upstairs next to the fireplace). I didn’t know this when we were there and didn’t find out until watching the movie when we got back to the hotel room. Needless to say, it was a cool feeling. I walked out of that restaurant with a full belly and a souvenir mug to always remember that night. It was very surreal and I loved every minute of it.

 

 

Day 3 (basically our final day because we flew out Monday morning after coffee lol):

Again, to start off any good NY morning, breakfast in a diner. This time, the famous Seinfeld diner! This is also known as Tom’s Restaurant and is located on the opposite end of town known as Upper Manhattan. Subway it is! It was really cool to visit and the food was delicious as well!

After breakfast, we met up with a friend who moved to NYC a couple of years ago. It was great to catch up and it gave us a feel of home to see him. He showed us around Brooklyn and Williamsburg (took the E train back to the World Trade Center station which is near the Brooklyn Bridge). You can’t leave New York without walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was so cool to experience and it gives you beautiful views of the city. Once you walk across the bridge you can walk a couple of blocks over to a famous street where most Instagram models go to haha. I don’t know the name of it, but it gives you the best photo op moment lol. See below haha…

 

Walking around this side of town is a one of a kind experience. You really get to soak in all the local people vibes. Williamsburg is a fantastic spot to find the best antique, consignment, and coffee shops : ).

We took the infamous “L train” back to Manhattan from here. We then found our way to Wall Street, that well known skinny, triangle shaped building, then walked a couple of miles to China Town and Little Italy. I was determined to find me some good Dim Sum before we left. One of the BEST places to go is Nom Wah Tea Parlor in China Town. We didn’t have to wait long and you get a lot of food for your money. We loved the food and experience here. Another cool fact, it was the first dim sum parlor in NYC established in 1920!

We finished dinner and made our way out of China Town straight into Little Italy. Can I just say, if you want to feel the most authentic Italian vibes, go here. Also, if you want to taste the best cannoli of your life, go to The Cannoli King. Enough said.

Once we stuffed our faces and bellies, my husband wanted to end the night with visiting Hillsongs NYC campus, eating another slice of pizza at Joe’s, and walking through Time Square just one more time. All are within walking distance from each other so we took the “E train” back to that area and made it happen. Needless to say it was a great way to end the weekend.

 

 

I really felt we experienced so much in the couple of days we were here. We were exhausted and achy from walking so much, but it was worth every popping joint and sore muscle. This trip went down as one of my favorites so far. I keep asking my hubs, “when we goin’ back??” The biggest thing I can tell you from this is to just be flexible, ready to walk, and ready to check off things on your bucket list! That’s the thing, write down what you want to get out of it, customize it to fit you and your travel partner, and go experience it all! My list may be different from yours, but that’s the beauty of it! You make your trip fit around what brings YOU joy! Don’t put too many times on things if you can prevent it, have an IDEA of the things you want to do, and soak in all the sights as you check your must sees off!

I hope you enjoyed reading my ultimate NYC weekend and I can’t wait for you to enjoy yours! Don’t let the short time frame deter you from visiting your favorite places! Make it happen!

YOLO!! Safe travels!!!