Hiya! I’m back! No, I didn’t forget to post about the last few days… I was just so incredibly tired. The last two days there we did tons of walking trying to cover as much ground as possible, and that can get very exhausting. Especially for someone like me who will wear cute things over comfortable things. #doingitforthegram

On day four, we grabbed a quick bite at the cutest little coffee shop right next to our hotel called Tisserie. A sign in their window said they brewed Stumptom Coffee…say no more, SOLD!  To the woman who loves coffee, meaning me! Their pastries were out of this world good and the coffee, well, need I say more?

The plan for the day was to take a ferry around the Hudson River which covered the Brooklyn bridge, a small and pretty old military island, and the Statue of Liberty. We got pretty lucky that day as it wasn’t too cold, the sun was actually out, so getting on the water wasn’t bad at all.

We really wanted to go up the Statue, but since hurricane Sandy hit, the Statue has been off limits and tourists are no longer allowed at the top. 🙁But we still really enjoyed the tour, our guide was incredibly knowledegeable and gave us all the juicy deets, even where some celebrities lived in Manhattan. Leonardo Di Caprio, I know where you stay, #sostaywoke. Lol. BUT in all seriousness, if you guys ever come to N.Y.,  be sure to grab one of those tour passes. Ours was through New york cite seeing I believe and again  they were right outside our hotel,  but they’re pretty much in every corner and there’s different ones too like Big Bus N.Y. , so feel free to take your pick.

Once we were done with the tour we headed to Times Square for dinner. We ate at The Distillery on 9th Ave (9th Ave, has tons and tons of places to eat, just fyi😉)  and once again we were pretty blow away. I ordered a the grilled cheese melt, it had pulled short ribs and tons of ooey gooey cheese! A must try!

After dinner, we walked over to our room to drop some bags off and headed to Times Square to explore more of it’s many gems.  Being there was so unreal and full of excitement.  We made a few stops at some shops and of course we had to stop at the M&M Store. Fun fact, Leya’s fave candy is M&M’s out of all the candy she’s tried in her short life, M&M’s are just it lol.

During this trip, we were just so blow away. This city really doesn’t stop, and no matter what direction you walk to, it will be packed! It’s so fast paced there it’s crazy, but it’s definitely not hard to adapt to.  After being there for a few days you get used to walking fast and the crowds and really understand the dynamic. Except the weather, that definitely takes some getting used to. 🌬

As we headed back to the room,  I was in need of a sweet pick me up. We stopped by Buttercup Bake Shop on 7th Ave. They had a ton of goodies to choose from that it was very hard to pick, but The Hummingbird  cupcake was my fave!

At around 10:30 pm, we decided the night didn’t end there. Right around the corner from our hotel, there was a quirky little hole in the wall called Tanner Smiths. Had the cutest little BAR sign and just by walking in the vibe was immediately great.  It was super dark in there so not very photo friendly but we had a blast. The drinks were great (not cheap, but really tasty aka strong) and the music was spot on, they had a great mixture going! Worth checking out for sure!

Day 5

Top of the Rock was at the top of the list for me and what I was certainly saving the better for last. We walked over around noon and it was about the perfect time to go. It was not too packed so there was a lot more wiggle room.  So it  turns out there was three levels of views at the very top! It really makes you feel like you’re on top of the world.

Right after we were done at Top of the Rock, we headed to Central Park. Central park is huge, so we knew that we wouldn’t cover a third of it but we just strolled around for a bit took a few pictures and the over all plan was to head the museums this day but it was Sunday, and lost track of time so we missed it unfortunately. It’s ok though, we have plans to come back during the summer time next time. Yes, because it was way too cold for us San Diegans. For breakfast and dinner we mainly did Starbucks and, we actually went to TGIF, not my ideal choice but my parents apparently couldn’t hold off any longer to sit in traffic and go somewhere different (insert rolling eye emoji here), yeah I was a tad bit upset.

Later on that night though, I had to get a one last little piece of New York. There was a pizza shop down the street that was very popular and according to the locals pretty  darn tasty called Ray’s Pizza. You guys, this place has been around since 1964! This is also not the place you go crazy ordering hella’ slices, no. One and done here.  You ever hear that saying of eating with your eyes? Well basically, I was like ‘ooh, this one looks good, that one too, but so does that one!’ I ended up getting 2 slices and sadly I couldn’t finish them both. I did bite in to them both and they we’re pretty darn good, no wonder this place has been around for years! Thanks again New York! #pizzaforlife!

 

If you read till the end, thank you for coming on this trip with me! I hope that you enjoyed following along and found this helpful in case you ever decide to come to N.Y.  There was so many things I still wanted to do but there’s just not enough time!

Coming here with my family was such a blessing. We don’t always see eye to eye but, unfortunately my parents will not last forever and I think that doing this trip (and the ones to come) is important. People come and go, but family is there for you no matter what. What a way to bring 25, don’t you think?!

Next time:

Of course, I didn’t get yo go everywhere I planned to, which really sucked but that just makes wanting go come back even more! Here’s a few places still on my list:

• Bible & Sips coffee shop
• Gregory’s Coffee
• Milk and Cereal Deserts
• Beer Authority
• Rucker Park
• Little Italy
• China Town
• Museums (Guggenheim, AMNH, Museum of Art, Museum of Sex)

Trip Essentials 🛫

• Backpack, if you’re traveling with a toddler it’s a must, just throw it all in there.
• Comfortable shoes-just a friendly reminder.
• Wipes/tissue/napkins- you never know.
• Chapstick-cracked lips are no fun.
• Ear buds- necessary, period.
• Gum- will help pop your ears and freshen the breath after that nap.
• Pills- sleeping, ibuprofen, tums, bring ’em all.
• Hand Sanitizer- touching a whole lotta’ germs, just sayin.

PS: Where to Next?!

Xo, Guadalupe ♥