Wonderful New York City
- Georgia Louise
- Jul 27
- 11 min read
‘New York, New York, So Good They Named it Twice’ so goes the song by Gerard Kenny,, but do you know what? It is worth visiting FAR more than twice! To date I think I have been around 7 times and it never ceases to amaze me.
My first trip was to celebrate by 40th birthday back in 2011, visiting with hubby we stayed at the Salisbury Hotel up on 57th Street. We stayed here for 4 nights on a bed and breakfast basis (which is rare these days as most of the US is room only). We pretty much spent the whole time walking up and down the avenues and cross streets, exploring Macys, visiting Liberty Island and having a lunch stop at Bills Burger in Downtown Manhattan. This was in the days before we had Bills in the UK. We also took the obligatory trip to the top of the Empire State Building which was amazing. This trip was almost 11 years after the tragedy of 9/11 and yet there were still parts of the subway closed and in the downtown area near Ground Zero you could still see the devastation. G was a year old when tragedy struck NYC, I recall vividly that we were on holiday in Cornwall when we heard the news on the radio. Back in our accommodation we were glued to the TV and could not believe what was happening. From that day to this NYC has held a very special place in my heart and I truly believe it is somewhere I will visit always.
I visited again in 2012, once in May with G and again in December with hubby. G and I stayed in the Pennsylvania Hotel near Penn Station and hubby and I stayed at The Wellington which is on 7th and 55th Street near to Carnegie Hall. Our room here was compact but adequate. Luckily for us when we visited in December there was a pop up Christmas shop just along from the Wellington and needless to say I brought home several very lavish tree decorations which still sit on my tree to this day.
In 2015 G and I returned staying at the Element New York Times Square West - this is a boutique hotel - I remember the rooms having a fully functioning kitchen area including a dishwasher which you were encouraged to use, plus two huge beds and a nice bathroom. Breakfast was included here and canapés were served at 5pm if you were around which was a nice touch.
We stayed at the Pennsylvania again in 2018 whilst on a family trip and found that it had drastically gone downhill since our last visit. The Penn is a huge hotel, creepily echoing a scene from The Shining with me expecting Jack Nicholson to jump out and get me at any point along those long eerie corridors. We clearly got a lucky lower level room when we last stayed as the room given to us in 2018 was large but tatty, the carpet was dirty, the room smelled damp and the bathroom left a lot to be desired. When hubby and I popped down to the lobby to get some water G was left alone in the room and saw a RAT! What followed was the argument to end all arguments with the hotel pretty much denying the presence of vermin even in their upper level rooms and refusing the give us any sort of discount. After much shouting the manager did find us a lower level room which was small but was at least vermin free.
Our most recent trip was in December 2023 and we stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton on 8th Avenue / 36th Street. This was a room only hotel however we did have a decent coffee machine in our room and the coffee sachets were replenished every day. The room however was tiny and the downstairs and lobby area was always busy with wait times for the lift being quite long on occasion. The hotel does have a restaurant should you wish to eat there but you are literally 5 minutes from 7th Avenue and there is a Cake Boss Cake Shop a few minutes from there which offers all sorts of breakfast pastries and coffee.
So, what should you really do whilst you are in NYC. Here are a few things we have done over the years and some ideas of what to see.
The Freedom Tower / One World Observatory- standing as a symbol of defiance and hope, the Mighty Freedom Tower, or 1 World Trade Centre, is a stunning and moving experience. Take the lift up to the 94th floor and WOW! That view! You can see over lower Manhattan, across to Liberty Island, Hoboken, Jersey City and right up to Central Park and beyond. Truly amazing. The current charges are around £35 on Viator which includes an audio guide. You can also book via the One World Observatory website. Here you will find family tickets, discounts for groups etc. You can also dine in the restaurant up there, imaginatively called One Dine. The VIP Tour and Dine package is pricey at $225 each, however you can book a table and eat from the a la carte menu for the price of your normal entry ticket and then just pay for what you eat. You will need to choose a timed entry and remember only small bags are permitted. You will have to go through an airport security style system to get into the building. Don’t forget to pop into their Westfield which is near The Freedom Tower - a really nice indoor shopping experience.
Ground Zero Museum - this is actually a really fascinating and humbling experience and well worth a visit. Filled with exhibits from the day of the tragedy itself, clothing and personal items collected from the rubble, twisted metal, a mangled fire truck and much much more all displayed in a sensitive way serving as a reminder to us of one of the worst tragedies the modern world has ever experienced. It is almost uplifting too to hear the words of survivors, to hear the stories of bravery and the overriding feeling of resilience. To get the most from your visit I would recommend a guided tour. Be prepared; this is extremely moving.
Liberty Island - a must do to see the beautiful Lady Liberty ‘in the flesh’ so to speak - and also if you are interested in the history of immigration into the US then visit Ellis Island. We have visited three times, each time taking in the audio tour and on our visit in 2018 we climbed the open spiral staircase to look out across the river through the gaps in her crown! I remember G having a major melt down getting up those steps - they are open and see through and the space is tight, although there are stopping places. Your ticket includes boat travel each way and you can come back on any boat or travel to Ellis Island and then head back to Jersey / Battery Park. One thing to note - for such a beautiful graceful lady her feet are huge!
Times Square - no visit to NYC is complete without a visit to those famous red steps - they just draw me in each time and I have to have my pic taken on them with the billboards flashing in the background. Of course the Square is home to more than those billboards - it is a bustling shopping area with the likes of Sephora, Old Navy and numerous tourist shops. Hersheys are also near here (well worth a visit) and there is also Red Lobster and Bubba Gumps. 42nd Street itself will offer you Applebee’s (we normally head here for a pancake breakfast) and there is also the mighty Virgils for Ribs. Most important of all is that there is a Target on 42nd Street !!
The Empire State Building and/or Top of the Rock - both well worth a visit - costing $45-$50 for ESB and $40-$50 for TOTR, both of these will give you great views across Manhattan and beyond. Try visiting one during the day and another at night for a different perspective and remember the one thing you cannot see from the Empire State Building ……. Is the Empire State Building itself!.
Macy’s / Herald Square - this is the main shopping area with Macy’s taking up a couple of blocks! Based over two buildings and on 8 floors (10 if you include the mezzanine and ‘one below’), Macys is a half day event on its own. Explore the food market, take coffee in one of the Starbucks, eat at Stella 34 Trattoria which is on the 6th floor and definitely browse the shoe shop - I never fail to leave here without a bargain. This is also the place to pick up a designer bargain as they have frequent sales with popular brands from ‘last season’ being sold at a fraction of their normal retail price.
Woodbury Common - we took a bus tour from outside the Penn hotel on 34th / 35th Street (near Penn Station) but you can also pick this up from the Port Authority. Journey time is around 55 minutes to Woodbury. Home to an array of designer shops selling goods at discounted prices, this is well worth a visit. It is similar to Bicester in the UK or the Kildaire Shopping Village. in Dublin. If you take the bus you can come back on any bus so could spend the day, the first bus leaves the Port Authority at 8am, with the last bus leaving Woodbury and heading back into the city at around 8.15pm.
Fifth Avenue - 5th Avenue is home to numerous top end retailers, you will find the likes of Tiffany’s Flagship store here, together with Saks and FAO Schwartz. It is worth a visit for the experience alone! At Christmas time you can also view the Christmas lights, see the tree which is located close to FAO near The Rockafellar Centre and watch the fabulous light show at Saks. It can be extremely busy but is definitely worth a visit. Save some money in your budget for Breakfast at Tiffany (which you will need to book ahead of time). Tickets are like absolute gold-dust and sell out super fast.
Plaza Hotel - this is another must for us - just to walk through those revolving doors into the enormous lobby takes me straight back to Home Alone! I have walked in the steps of Donald Trump (remember that scene) but more importantly I’ve walked where Kevin McAllister walked!!! We have taken afternoon tea at the Plaza a couple of times - please see our review in our Afternoon Tea blog - and have also had lunch here with varying experiences. It’s not as pricey as you would think for lunch but the afternoon tea is a little fancy and to my mind over-priced. A brilliant alternative if you want to ‘take tea’ is the Crosby Street Hotel in Soho - we’ve a separate review of this in our afternoon tea blog but lets just say, it is far less fancy, much more filling and did not drain my finances !
Central Park - worth a visit again for the movie locations, (more Home Alone!), the ice rink in winter, the Boat House cafe for a coffee stop and a wander around the pathways, over bridges, dodging runners and dog walkers, stopping for a photo at Strawberry Fields in honor of John. Lennon who was murdered just a couple of blocks away and just enjoying the tranquility amongst the madness of NYC. You can also visit the zoo !
Metropolitan Museum of Art - do go inside and explore the exhibits of course but really, just go and sit on those steps! Exit the Park at around 86th Street and walk over to the Museum of Art. Take a leaf out of Blair Waldorf’s book and get your insta pic. XOXO Gossip Girl!
Subway - I guess we should give a shout out to the subway system in NYC as it is pretty awesome - working 24/7 it puts the London tube system to shame and is much more reasonably priced. Yes you do feel like a pilchard in a tin can but hey, it gets you from A to B, runs a service all night, has faster services to avoid some stops and is pretty reliable. Do be careful though not to get the faster service as we once travelled from 57th to 72nd and back again TWICE in error!!!
The Empire Hotel - again for those Gossip Girl fans visit the Empire Hotel - based at 44 West 63rd St on the Upper West Side (of course) you can get here easily on foot or by subway. Take the lift up to the roof top bar and enjoy the Gossip Girl cocktail (a snip at around $20) and small plates of food - pricey but a nice experience.
Broadway - book your Broadway tickets in advance or alternatively join the daily TKTS queue in Times Square to get cheap tickets for that day. We have seen Mumma Mia in the Winter Garden when it was there plus many years ago we saw Daniel Radcliffe singing and dancing in a broadway show (How to Succeed In Business Without Trying) - Harry Potter can sing?!? WTH!!!
Radio City - if you are visiting this wonderful city at Christmastime, try and book to see The Rockettes at their Christmas Extravaganza! It’s an old school type of variety show and has a limited run over the festive period. Tickets can be booked online and the show costing around $130 for a Friday evening show, there are also matinees and early evening performances with differing prices. It’s worth noting that the show lasts around 90 minutes and there is no interval.
Cake Boss Shop - this is always a must for me as I love his cakes (and his TV show). The shop in Times Square really is a cafe selling cookies, pastries and cakes, coffees and juices and Buddy V merch. If you want the more authentic experience, head over to Hoboken. Take the train from Penn Station and see the original bake shop - it really is tiny but amazing to see and enjoy a cake or two of course !
Bryant Park / Central Park Christmas Market - if you are visiting during the festive period head to either Bryant Park or Central Park and check out their Christmas markets - wooden style chalets selling everything from local teas, knitted goods, dog toys, candles, cookies and sweets, Christmas decorations, clothing and of course they both have an ice rink and numerous places to indulge in hot chocolate or perhaps a spicy mulled wine!
I feel that Bloomingdale’s does deserve a mention, however I would always opt to visit the smaller store in Soho for a calmer experience (plus it is close to the Crosby Street Hotel for tea!). Soho is a buzzy little area with plenty of shops, hotels, cafes etc and is again well worth a visit.
Grand Central Station - a bustling world under your feet - full of cute shops, what seems like hundreds of platforms and a gazillion people rushing around, it is worth a visit just to stand and stare up at the painted ceiling - amazing! There is also a lovely market within the station at Christmastime.
Head down to Coney Island during the summer and ‘do’ the rides - we went for G’s birthday in 2018 and experienced the big wheel! It takes around an hour to get there on the subway but it is a nice kind of unexpected beach experience.
Take a Taxi ! I’ve put this last as I’ve literally done this once - we paid around $20 to go absolutely nowhere and ended up abandoning our taxi and walking! We were trying to get from Grand Central Station back to our hotel (so literally Grand Central across to 36th Street). Traffic is totally bonkers and I dread to think how much it would have cost had we sat it out!
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