Welcome to New York! THINGS TO DO IN NEW YORK!
I’m no pro. In fact, I only spent 5 days here and I still don’t know which way is east and which way is west. But in 5 days, I packed my schedule with all my big bucket list items. It was SO FULL but SO AMAZING. I want to share some tips on how to New York if you’re a beginner like me. The things you MUST see the first time you go to this crazy place.
Ground Zero
This is the number one best thing we did in New York. The monuments and museum is incredibly well-done and full of history, emotion and heartbreak. It can’t even be explained in words. The way you feel when you’re there is unlike any other feeling. We spent just a few hours walking through the museum and learning more about what happened on 9/11, but we could have spent days. Then there’s casino slots during night, it bring us back to our Vegas experience. You get to learn about all the events of the morning from so many different perspectives and in so much detail. There are news segments, helmets, clothing, paper found on the grounds, interviews, pieces of the original building and so much more for every single part of 9/11 and the weeks following. What I loved the most was learning EVERY single story of those that died on 9/11. They have pictures, biographies and even interviews from their families.
You just have to go see it for yourself…it’s incredible.
Times Square
Obviously Times Square is a must as well. It’s the brightest block in the entire nation. There are buildings so tall it hurts your neck to look at. The signs are bigger than houses, and brighter than the sun. The streets are FULL of people, street performers and people trying to sell you tickets to shows. But it’s surprisingly cleaner than I imagined. It’s like Las Vegas but bigger, better, less stinky and cleaner. No Casinos in every square inch, but lots of shows and lots of shopping. I prefer it that way anyway.
Along with just experiencing Times Square, you HAVE to go see a show. Get your tickets on the same day at the TKTS booth in Times Square (unless you’re going to a very popular show that will be sold out the day off). We got 2 tickets to School of Rock an hour before it started. IT WAS SO FUN. We sat on the second row, and loved being able to see the incredible talent of those children so close up. The music was amazing, the performance was amazing and being in a Broadway show was just SO fun!
Central Park + just WALK
If you can choose the most perfect time to go, I would say definitely go in Spring or Fall when Central Park is full of warmth and color. It was so beautiful, but if the trees were alive it would be the perfect combination. While you’re in Central Park, enjoy the sunset, go ice skating and get a hot dog off a cart. WALK through New York and just explore! Take in the sights of birds, all the incredible buildings, the culture, the yellow taxis, everything. Also enjoy the sound of sirens and honking. It’s sorta hilarious to listen to the impatience of the city life. It would be the best place in the world to people watch! The first place we walked was the LDS temple. It was the perfect calm amidst the busy city life. A perfect way to start off a hectic weekend.
The Met
The Met is another place full of history. Its not emotional like the 9/11 Museum, but it has SO MUCH TO SEE. Art, furniture, sculptures, jewelry,etc. Its another building you could spent days in. We only had time to hit half of the European wing, the American wing and part of the Modern art section. Even that small amount took us a few hours and had our feet super sore. Art is incredible!!! Its amazing how many stories could be told and shared for generations through all these paintings and photographs. So much talent packed inside that huge building.
MUST HAVE FOOD
Magnolia Bakery – I had 4 desserts in the 4 days I was there and every single one was so delicious. Best bakery in NY!!!
Shake Shack – Best burgers in NY! Get the ‘Shroom Burger with a shake. Soooo tasty!
Pick A Bagel – We stumbled upon this bagel restaurant on the first morning we were there, and it was very tasty.
Pret Manger – Wraps, sandwiches, soups, fruit drinks…but the best part is everything is sooo fresh.
Carmines – This restaurant is best for parties of four or more because its family style…so there is a lot of food. It would have been so fun in a huge group so we could have shared all the different entrees with the whole group! Super tasty Italian food.
Ray’s Pizza – It was my favorite pizza that we tried in NYC
Until next time, NYC!
Kylee started Kylee Ann Photography 9 years ago, and has since grown from a one woman amateur show to a full associate team. We shoot 50-75 weddings a year, and thrive on kindness and service. After a year of teaching Intro to Photography at the local technical college, she discovered that helping other entrepreneurs create thriving businesses is what fires her up! She hosts semi-annual Kylee Ann Sleepovers all over the US, speak at conferences and teach online courses about running a small business and marketing.
March 29, 2017
Kylee Maughan
