Hello everyone!
Last weekend, my family and I decided to do a road trip to New York City. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been there for the first time and the opportunity to revisit The Big Apple seemed fun, especially this time around when I’d be driving us there (around 6-7 hours)!
We ended up staying at a hotel located very close to Times Square, which was ideal considering the little time we were going to spend in NYC in the first place. The view from the hotel was also staggering, you’d be quickly reminded of the numerous skyscrapers out there with an incredible variety of architecture making it all so unique. Although we drove there, I can tell you already that it’s probably best that you leave your car in a garage parking somewhere (make use of those countless apps to locate cheap and good ones) because traffic can get insane quickly and finding parking is next to impossible. Most things are quite easily accessible by foot, especially if you’re down to walk a lot, but the subway system, although sketchy at some stops, is quite efficient and easy to use.
Most of our first full day we spent it walking around Manhattan, whether it was walking up Broadway Street, passing by Times Square, or walking down 5th Avenue and doing all the shopping you’d imagine. There are a lot of neat spots to stop and gaze at and among those is just watching people skate at Rockefeller Center or event watching people go by, minding their business, within Grand Central Terminal.
Since the weather was slightly better but still grey the next day, we kept strolling Central Park for then. We then took the subway and went all the way south to the Statue of Liberty View Point (we didn’t particularly want to do the huge lines or pay for the ferries to get closer to the giant green lady). We then walked our way to Ground Zero. Still very much as eery as the first time. It’s shocking to realize what used to stand right there not too long ago. We ended the day by walking a bit on the Brooklyn Bridge, which, honestly, isn’t that big of a deal. It is much more interesting during day time (which is what I did when I first went there a couple of years ago).
However, what I really loved doing throughout the past two days in NYC was visiting bookshops. I mean, come on, you didn’t think I’d skip an opportunity like that to visit some of the best places for bookworms, right? Whether it was Barnes & Noble (there are so many of them and I could never get tired of them) or Midtown Comics, it really was comforting to be around books. It was also a mandatory stop to check out the Strand Book Store. And yes, it’s still as huge and awesome as I remember it. Honestly, if you’re going to NYC, you have to go there. There’s also an awesome Forbidden Planet right next to it!
I do have to say that everything in NYC felt like it was on the fast lane. Even if there are empty benches and seats wherever you’re, the whole city is fuming, constantly moving, with everyone trying to get to their destinations quickly. Quite the life out there. We didn’t run into any trouble either but you can still tell that some people are actively struggling with mental health. At least in the tourist sectors of NYC, things didn’t look as bad as they could be. Then again, we didn’t go into some of the more… dangerous neighbourhoods. It would be hard for me to compare it to what I got to see in Skid Row, for example. đ
Of course, visiting NYC was also an excellent excuse to pick up some of the best pizza (Famous Original Ray’s Pizza) and burgers in the city (I’ve tried Burger World and Shake Shack, and they were both fantastic). We also tried Best Bagel & Coffee, which turned out absolutely amazing! Even with such a pretentious name, the place was awesome and their stuff was delicious. Yep, I don’t think I ate a single fruit during my stay there. But hey, as per my usual tradition, once we finally got back home, I passed by Tim Hortons. Honestly, there’s nothing more comforting than picking up something at Tim’s and rejoicing at the sight of snow. đ
Till next time! đ
Roars and Echoes 
How fun! I love the pictures you took.
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Thanks, I appreciate it! đ
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I thought you lived in England! đą
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Nop, I’m as Canadian as it gets, Carol! đ
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Now your drive to NYC makes sense! đ
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It’s funny that you start out talking about New York and end up talking about getting home to snow because one of my last memories of New York was one evening when some friends and I got off work in Virginia around 9pm (working retail) and we wanted to see snow and knew it was supposed to be snowing in New York, so we spent the night driving to New York. We went just over the border so we didn’t really go into the city, but we did get to see our snow. Then we turned around and got back to the store just in time for me to work the morning shift, too (no sleep that night). I wouldn’t do that again, but it was a lot of fun at the time. đ And we don’t have any Tim Hortons around here but I do buy their bags of coffee and make it myself. đ
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Oh man, in my case, I drove straight through a snowstorm (which occasionally transformed into massive rain) to get to NYC but once there, there was not a single trace of it anywhere. It was actually a sad sight. Everything felt… dead. It’s only when driving back, once I hit Vermont, that there was snow and things looked so much more lively again hahaha Somehow, snow was such a comforting sight. I bet no a lot of Americans or Europeans could ever really say that hahah! I’m actually smiling at the knowledge that you got yourself bags of Tims at home! That’s what I’m talking about! đ
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Sounds and looks like a very nice visit to NYC. I’ve been there a couple of times for work, but never got to do any sightseeing. Perhaps one day I’ll get back up there to do just that. If nothing else, the pictures and descriptions of the food stops you made are worth the trip. Have never been to Tim’s, but have heard so much about it being a part of people’s lives it would be nice to get to one of those as well!
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I wouldn’t really recommend staying in NYC too long but a quick weekend felt like plenty of time to properly enjoy the city without feeling overwhelmed. You should definitely give Tim Hortons a try someday. I’d recommend their French Vanilla, something you’d never find anywhere else outside Canada. đ
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Glad you were able to see some positives in a city full of negatives (or so I hear).
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Yep, it’s quite easy to get distracted by all the negative you can find there!
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Looks like a fun trip! I hear you on visiting bookstores in your travels. I do the same thing whenever I go anywhere- and then I buy books as souvenirs (and yes, I’ve read all the books I’ve bought on my travels!).
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It’s so reassuring to find an environment like bookstores to slow things down and I too love to bring back home books, associated with the place I visited. So far, I too have made an effort in reading everything I bought on my travels! đ
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There’s something about bookstores that still feel familiar and homey when you’re somewhere very different . It helps you center yourself, I think.
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It seems incredible to me that NY is only a 6 hours drive to you!!! And you seem to have had a grand time!
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Yep, not a far city from my home! đ
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You make me want to visit Lashaan. Fab post!
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My pleasure, Nicki! If you do try NYC, someday, just don’t stay too long and feel overwhelmed by the amount of activity out there. đ
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How’d the border crossing, both ways, go?
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Actually waaaaaay smoother than I thought it would be. It might be because of the timing of the road trip or something.
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Did you flash your creds and show you were part of the “brotherhood” đ
You law enforcement folk gotta stick together against us masses, hahahaahahaha đ
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I didn’t even have to hahhaah I did wear a hoodie my university’s logo on it. Maybe that helped and was enough to reassure them of my intentions. đ
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When you mentioned the frantic pace that seems to involve every activity in New York it’s impossible not to think about “the city that never sleeps”: it’s indeed the feature that comes across more clearly every time images of the city are shown.
Thanks for sharing this new “travel adventure” with us! đ
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It’s really so! The whole city is constantly active, moving, and noisy. It’s hard to even imagine a corner of NYC not illuminated or crowded at any moment of the day. đ
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How fun to just take a spontaneous trip to New York! And like you said, it’s always nice to come homeđ
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Absolutely. I was so happy to finally be home after all that! đ
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I’m glad you had a fun time in NYC. I’d like to visit, but only for a day or two. I prefer the slower paced west coast (though LA seemed fast paced to me). I think the amount of people might overwhelm me.
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That’s exactly what I’d recommend. Any more time spent there would probably make you realize how overwhelming everything is. I definitely felt like L.A. was a lot more relaxed and slower (probably also because of how huge it is).
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Thanks for sharing your adventures! When I think of NY I just think of the yellow taxis and skyscrapers from the movies! I saw the Statue of Liberty lately… it was a mini version at a model village in the UK đ
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Hahaha from where we saw it, it probably was the same size as that mini version you saw! But yes, plenty of yellow taxis honking left and right and tall skyscrapers! đ
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Thanks so much for bringing back long ago memories, Lashaanđ I lived in Manhattan for two years many years ago and left because of that pace. But, itâs an ideal place to visit, over and over again.
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It’s my pleasure, Jonetta! And yes, that frantic pace of the city was hard to not witness the moment you step into NYC! đ
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Looks like you had fun time. Big cities are great for visiting but I can’t imagine myself living in that fast life.
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It’s quitw chaotic honestly hahah! But still fun to visit! đ
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I can honestly say when I visited NYC, I never ate a single bad food. It was fantastic.
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I absolutely loved everything I ate there too. It was sooooo good!
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That’s great you visited. I have fam there so I visit often, but never really as a tourist (since I usually just drop in to party before quickly leaving lol). I’ll have to try fully being a tourist there one day.
Also, the traffic is crazy!! Especially in Manhattan. And parking costs can be so high. I refuse to drive there.
“the whole city is fuming”<< you're so right. Best description of it.
And, ugh! I have a weakness for Shake Shack lol.
Sounds like it was a lot of fun.
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Lucky you, NYC is one of my favourite cities in the world. It sounds like an amazing trip! I think, despite all of the famous sites, my favourite thing is just wandering around in the streets taking in the atmosphere.
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