The Big Apple

Hubby and I were lucky enough to take a trip to New York City sans kids for a long weekend at the end of September. Hubby had been once for the day but I had never been. Reading through the travel book I began to fall in love with New York City. I entered to win free Broadway tickets from Babies Gotta Have It and surprisingly I won! We arranged for my dad to drive up from North Carolina to stay with the kids. I bid on a hotel on Priceline that had a great location, was nice inside, and quite the steal. This trip was shaping up to be fabulous.

We rode the Mega Bus, a commuter bus that runs from DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other East Coast locations to New York City. The bus ride was great and much less stressful than driving and much less expensive than gas, tolls, and parking.

We hoped on the subway and arrived at Grand Central Station and walked to our hotel. The trip was off to a great start. Here are some of the highlights of our trip through pictures:

We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. A free activity with great views and great architecture.

Crofton Fountain City Park

World Trade Center Site 9/11/2001 will never be forgotten.

St. Paul's Chapel - central hub of the WTC relief efforts. Chapel and graveyard dates to 1776 and is the oldest public building in continuous use in Manhattan.

Times Square - Perfect example of the masses of people and crazy pace of NYC.

Belvedre Castle Central Park

We visited Central Park on a rainy, rainy day. We walked in circles around the park and got lost a few times. We had Sunday brunch at Tavern on the Green which was amazing. Central Park is the complete opposite of Times Square, peaceful, serene, scenic. We really enjoyed our time there and could only imagine how nice it was if it was not pouring rain.

The Lake - Central Park

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Another gem! This place was amazing. By the time we arrived I was exhausted from all our walking in Central Park but there was so much to see. Definitely a place I would like to explore more.

Sunday Night was our night on the town. Before our show on Broadway, Rock of Ages, we went for drinks. We had a really nice Irish bartender who took our picture. Rock of Ages was an amazing show. It is full of 80's rock music and it set on the Sunset Strip in LA. I would highly recommend the show for anyone who loves 80's music and doesn't mind a punk rock, at times racy script. It was really well done! I don't think there was anyone in the theater that didn't enjoy the show.

We followed the travel guides advice and went to the Empire State Building late at night to avoid crowds. We were there around 10pm and there were no crowds. The views were amazing! An experience like no other.

Monday was our last day and our plan was to see the Statue of Liberty and eat dim sum in Chinatown. When we got to the National Park the tickets to go inside the Statue were sold out. Instead we opted to take the free Staten Island ferry and still got close up views. The statue was smaller than I thought compared to the huge buildings on Manhattan. The dim sum at Ping's did not disappoint. The most delicious Chinese food we have ever tasted.

On the Staten Island Ferry with the Manhattan skyline in the background.

Overall it was a great trip. We got to do all the tourist things we wanted. A few more days would have been better. We packed a lot of walking and a lot of activity into 3 days. We will definitely be back. Actually our kids are begging to go so we may be back sooner than originally thought. Those of you who are familiar with NYC, any hidden hotspots I didn't mention? Any other great places to see?

The time alone with my hubby was the best part! I highly recommend traveling without kids. There is nothing like a quick trip to refresh both your marriage and your perspective.