Hi All,
I have been thinking of writing this post for a while. I have had several people reach out to me asking for recommendations of things to do in NYC for a weekend of a few days so I thought I would put together this little guide. Of course there is so much to do and so many things to see that it's hard to narrow down the list when you are limited in time. So I wanted to come up with a list of things to do. For President's day weekend my parents came to visit and since we had a limited time I created an itinerary haha. For those of you who know me well, you know I LOVE stuff like that. I love planning trips/ weekends and researching places that are worthy to visit. Everyone has different likes and preferences so this itinerary isn't perfect for everyone and I plan to share several on the blog as I explore more and more places, perhaps, itineraries for different times of the year. Since my parents visited in the middle of February we wanted to avoid being outside so the plans were centered around staying in doors as much as possible. I am not going to include the restaurants where we went to as I plan to make separate blog posts for that.
Here is what we did!
We started Friday afternoon. I live in the Financial District (FiDi) and that's the area where they stayed.
Friday Evening:
4:00pm - 6:00pm We walked from FiDi across Brooklyn Bridge and explored the Dumbo, Brooklyn area. It has beautiful views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge as well as the Manhattan skyline. The sun was setting so we got to see everything lit up. It takes about 30 - 40 minutes to cross the bridge as it is usually busy with people walking.
6:30 pm Dinner in the South Seaport area. There are a lot of good restaurants and the area overall is very cute with cobblestone road and ship docked. After the dinner we walked by the water enjoying the view of Brooklyn all lit up.
Saturday :
10:30am - 12:00pm Walked around Central Park.
12:30pm - Went to an interactive Spy Museum. This was a really cool experience. In the museum you are given a bracelet and while you are there you get to learn about different spies and the history of spying and how it developed over the years but you also get to try different spy tasks and by the end of the museum get assigned a spy identity. My parents and I really enjoyed it.
2:30pm - shopped at Bloomingdale's. I recommend trying frozen yogurt at Forty Carrots. Great snack / break from shopping :)
5:00pm - Took an air tram ride across to Roosevelt Island. This way you get to see great views of Manhattan from above. It's a really close walk from Bloomingdale's.
7:00pm - Dinner in the SOHO / Nolita area.
Sunday :
11:00am Visited the One World Trade Center observation area. This was such a cool experience. I have been to the top of NYC's observation decks and this was by far my favorite. It was an interactive experience as you get an iPad and can walk around the area and it will tell you which building is where.
2:00pm Then we went into the Oculus underground mall right next to the One World Trade Center.
3:00pm Explored the 9/11 museum & saw the memorial right next to it. The memorial is absolutely breathtaking in my opinion. I think it's very well done and is a must-see. The museum is also so fascinating. There is so much information and we were some-what on a tight schedule but I want to go back to read things in more detail.
5:30pm Dinner in the Murray Hill area.
7:30pm Anastasia musical on Broadway. LOVED this musical! The music was incredible and the effects that broadway does now is so realistic that it makes you feel like you were really in Russia during the 1920's.
Monday
10:30 Brunched haha!! No one does brunch like the New Yorkers do so while you are in the city you must carve out sometime for brunch
12:00 pm Explored Fi-Di with the fam.
1:30 pm Went to Chelsea Market.
3:00pm Visited The Met. We tried to go to a lot of museums this weekend as it was pretty cold outside.
7:00pm Hockey game. My fam are big fans of hockey but even if you have never been to one I strongly recommend visiting the iconic Madison Square Garden for a fun hockey game :)
Photography by Larisa Crockett Photography. If you want to visit somewhere around the world you can do it through my mom's pictures! Explore the folders in the "Around the World" category and you will feel like you actually went there! :)