New York City
New York City is one the the most fascinating cities in the world. There is always something to do there and plenty of good restaurants to dine in. My son was getting ready to be deployed and he wanted to go and visit NYC before he left the United States. So we decided to go to NYC for a quick 5 day visit. This is what we did for our quick trip.
A Brief Recapture of our trip
Day 1: Arrive in NYC, Go to hotel, Times Square, Tony’s Restaurant for lunch, dinner at O’Donoghues
Day 2: Brooklyn Bridge Walk, lunch at Irish Pub, 9-11 Memorial, Rooftop bar near Chinatown, Smith’s bar for dinner
Day 3: Central Park, Serendipity Restaurant, Shopping, Walking through NYC, Rooftop bar at Hyatt
Day 4: Empire State Building, Little Italy, Grand Central Station, Dinner
Day 5: Leave NYC to go back home to Houston
Day 1
We arrived at JFK airport from Houston Intercontinental Airport and took an Uber to our hotel. It was easy to order an Uber from my phone and it arrived in 5 minutes. The ride from the airport to the hotel was about 20 minutes long.
Hotel
The Times Square Area was the place we wanted to stay at since it was the most centrally located for everything we wanted to do. I searched on hotels.com and booking.com for the best hotels deals, and found a great deal for the Intercontinental New York Times Hotel on 44th Street, which is under two blocks from Times Square. This was a wonderful find and we got a 4 plus star hotel for a fantastic price .
The hotel is stunning. It has a mixture of elegance and glamour and we got the New York City vibe right away. Our room was ready so we went up to the room to put our luggage away and start to explore the city.
Times Square
Who can visit New York without going to Times Square? It was a very vibrant and electric place. Lights and sounds abound in every corner. Cars, people, street performers, food vendors and stores were everywhere. It was so much fun to see and take in the every wonderful minute.
We absolutely loved it. People from all walks of life were converging on Times Square to take in the ambience. The atmosphere was electric. The hustle and bustle of people walking around and tourists trying to take in all the neon lights Times Square has to offer.
Hunger was taking over so we set out to find a great place to eat near Times Square. After taking a side street, we came upon an Italian restaurant called Tony’s di Napoli. It is located at 147 West 43rd Street between 6th and 7th avenues.
Since it was so close to the hotel and Times Square so I thought it was a great place to try.
It totally was very New York. A classic Italian restaurant in the city. Famous people’s caricatures were framed all over the walls. We loved looking at them. The food was delicious. We ordered a variety of items and loved every bite. The staff was very attentive and friendly. Top notch service.
After that, we headed back to Times Square to take in some more of New York City The street performers were there and very entertaining. Lots of traffic, horns honking and pedestrians walking very fast. Just what I expected in New York!
We had dinner that night at a local restaurant and pub O’Donoghue’s. It was an Irish bar and the food was delicious.
Day 2
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge
One of the items on the list of things to do in New York is walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Bob and Nick wanted to do this adventure (I didn’t want to start walking then want to turn around and go back). They took the subway from our hotel to near city hall.
There is a pedestrian bridge walkway and that is where they walked. They went around 9 am in the morning and it wasn’t very crowded then so that was a good time to go.
Once you start the walk, you either have to finish it and go to the other side or turn around on the bridge and go back. It’s around 1.1 miles across. Walking is the only means of transportation to cross the Brooklyn Bridge on the pedestrian bridge. Which is one of the reasons I didn’t want to do it – in case I got tired halfway through. I knew they could walk across the entire bridge and I didn’t want to make them turn around and go back with me.
After they walked across, they enjoyed the views from the Emily Warren Roebling Plaza on the many benches in the park. They could see the Statue of Liberty in the background and where the Twin Towers used to be. The views of Manhatten were gorgeous.
There were vendor carts along the walkway selling sourvenirs, water and snacks.
They walked around a bit and saw the Original Grimaldi’s pizza restaurant. Then it was time to head back over and walk across the bridge back to Manhattan.
Lunch
I met them in the financial district and we had a nice lunch at an Irish bar called O’Hara’s Restaurant and Pub. It’s a very good Irish Pub with an awesome staff and delicious food. We highly recommend it.
There were lots of emergency responder patches adorning the walls.
It was your typical neighborhood bar where people gather to have a good food and meet up with friends. We felt the atmosphere and could imagine many police and firemen hanging out there.
http://www.oharasrestaurant.setrush.net
9-11 Twin Towers Memorial
A visit to the Twin Towers Memorial Site was next on our agenda. We observed the memorial fountains at Ground Zero and the trees in the area that survived the attack.
A picture from the museum of a photograph of the Twin Towers 16 minutes before the first plane crashed into it.
This is a picture of Nick in front of the Survivor Tree and the sign explaining it.
The 911 memorial reflecting pools and waterfalls. They are located in the exact sport of the former World Trade Center Twin Towers. The names of all the people who perished that day are engraved surrounding the memorial.
The 911 Museum tour was very somber and moving when you think about the tragedy that day. Be prepared to have your emotions tested. It was a very moving experience.
Some of the pictures we took from inside the museum.
The firetruck and fireman’s hat that are in the museum.
https://www.911memorial.org/
Rooftop 93
A rooftop bar in Chinatown was next on our agenda, Rooftop 93. Nick heard about this bar and really wanted to go and have a drink there, so we did. We decided to walk there since we wanted to enjoy some of the different areas of NYC. It was about 1.2 miles from the 911 Memorial Museum to walk there. It is located in the Wyndham Garden Chinatown on the 18th floor.
The views were outstanding. It was so nice to enjoy a cocktail before dinner with a different view of NYC.
Our drinks: two old fashion’s and a cosmopolitan. Delicious!
Some views from the rooftop bar. A great way to see New York City!
Day 3
Central Park
When I think about New York City, Central Park comes to mind. I still can’t believe that there is a 843 acre park in the middle of a bustling metropolitian city. You can spend an entire day there.
We entered from the Southwest corner near Columbus Circle because it was about a 15-20 minute walk from our hotel. There were horse drawn carriages all around and people were enjoying riding around Central Park in them.
We started walking on the pedestrian path without a plan – we just wanted to enjoy the beauty of the park and take in the beautiful green trees and lush grass.
I think someone is going to have a marriage proposal today. What do you think? Very romantic.
People were playing soccer and throwing a football and some people were just having a picnic on a blanket in the park. Everyone doing their own thing.
Street vendors were there selling their goods. They were all along the walking paths. There were a variety of items to buy, including T-shirts, prints of scenes of NYC and celebrities, jewelry and handmade items.
We were walking our way through Central Park and came across this beautiful arched walkway.
Balto
We were on our way through Central Park to the statue of Balto.
One place we had to go was to visit the statue of Balto in Central Park. When Nick was little, he loved the book titled Balto, who was the dog who saved Nome, Alaska in 1925.
Nome ran out of diptheria medicine and there was an epidemic, which led to the entire city being quarantined. Balto led a team of sled dogs to deliver the medicine to Nome to stop the spread of diptheria and save the children of Nome. He was a hero.
A visit to the statue of Balto was a must for us.
After Balto we walked along one of the many paths in Central Park. It was such a pretty day and the weather was perfect to be outside.
We came across a pond that had ducks in it. It was so serene a beautiful sight to see in NYC. It was hard to believe that this beauty in in the middle of all the skyscrapers and buildings.
Serendipity Restaurant
I have heard so much about the frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity Restaurant that I had to go and try it. After all, I’m a chocoholic at heart. So after Central Park we walked to Serendipity. I didn’t make reservations so we had to wait about 10 minutes for a table, which was ok for us.
We decided to have lunch there and then wanted to order their famous Frozen Hot Chocolate for dessert. We had a foot long hot dog and chicken and waffles. They were delicious.
Waffles with bananas, nutella and whipped cream. Very decadent!
Thank goodness we decided to order one Frozen Hot Chocolate – it was humongous! I couldn’t believe it.
Just look at it!
It tasted just like frozen hot chocolate. Delicious. I love chocolate and I’m glad we shared because it was too much even for me!
Walking around
We walked all around New York City. It was fun to see the Plaza Hotel where some famous movies were filmed, like Home Alone 2. We had to walk down Broadway, 5th Avenue and Park Avenue.
We went by Radio City Music Hall but didn’t have time to see a show. On our next visit.
NBC Studios is at 30 Rockefeller Plaza and was along the way on our walk. It’s different to see the studio that originates the news and other shows right there in NYC.
Shopping, shopping, shopping! There are so many famous stores in New York City to visit. Take your pick. Bloomingdales, Macys, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstroms etc.
We came across a lego store and took some pictures from the outside windows. I must admit, when I was looking through my photos I couldn’t remember where I took this picture from since it looked like we were on a high floor of some building.
The ice skating rink in Rockefeller Center is in the picture too and then I remembered the lego store! Kudos to the designer and builder of these creations.
Bar 54 – Rooftop Bar
We loved the views of NYC and we were close to another rooftop bar so we decided to make reservations at Bar 54 located in the Hyatt Centric Times Square.
It’s on the 54 floor and you definitely need a reservation to go there. There was an employee in the lobby of the elevators asking for our names and if we had reservations or not. They were totally booked so if we didn’t have reservations we would not have been able to go up to the bar.
The views from the 54th floor were amazing!
We ordered some appetizers and cocktails and enjoyed the magnificant view from their expansive outdoor terrace. Sipping on our cocktails and watching the views of NYC from 54 floors above the street (or ground) was awesome.
After that it was back to the hotel to turn in for the night.
Day 4
Empire State Building
One stop that is usually on everyone’s places to visit is the Empire State Building. It’s a 102 story skyscraper that is located in the Midtown South area of Manhattan. One of the iconic buildings in NYC and on many people’s must see list.
There are two different tickets you can buy to go up in the Empire State Building. One is for the observation deck on the 86th floor and the other ticket is for both the 102nd floor and the 86th floor observation decks.
The outstanding views are breathtaking, and you can see Manhattan, Central Park and the Statue of Liberty from the top of the Empire State Building.
We went up to the 86th floor observation deck. Since we were doing many rooftop bars, we decided to skip going up to the 102nd floor and save that adventure for another trip.
Grand Central Terminal
One of our stops was the Grand Central Terminal. The commuter train station was bustling with many people trying to get to their destination. It was beautiful with the arched windows and high ceilings.
https://grandcentralterminal.com/
Little Italy
We couldn’t go to New York without trying any a slice of New York City’s pizza. After the Empire State Building, we took the subway to Little Italy and went to Lombardi’s Pizza (pizza place name) for a slice. Nick found this place online and wanted to try it.
The pizza was delicious and it delivered on taste. We couldn’t have been more pleased with this place.
Naturally, we had to sample the cannolis at a local bakery Caffe Roma. They definitely lived up to their reputation. Creamy filling that was just heavenly to eat. The shell was crispy and held the filling together perfectly.
Dinner
We had dinner that night at our hotel. We enjoyed some drinks before dinner in the bar. They were beautiful as well as very tasty.
My drink was the stinger.
https://www.thestingernyc.com/
Day 5
We got up and had breakfast at the Stinger Restaurant, which is the restaurant in the hotel. It was a plentiful buffet breakfast and we enjoyed it every morning.
And just like that our trip was coming to an end. We packed up and took an Uber to the airport to fly home.
There are so many things we didn’t do because of time constraints. Next time we will visit the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, stroll through the stores, go to a baseball game. The things to do in New York City are endless!
Planning a visit to NYC in 2026 and we will take more pictures.
