Ok, so I know this blog is supposed to be about beach destinations, so I apologize for the departure from warm, sunny places right off the bat! We kicked off the New Year right doing what I love best. Traveling with my family! We decided to venture up to New York City for a 5 day stay. I grew up in the suburbs of NY and every year we’d go downtown to see the tree and all the Christmas decorations. NYC is simply magical during the holiday season and I wanted to recapture those memories and share them with my daughters. The girls had a long Christmas break this year and I figured the crowds would be diminished just after the New Year when the craziness of Times Square was over and most of the local kids were back in school. Turns out, I was right! It really was a perfect time to enjoy all the sites without ridiculous waits and wall to wall people. I confirmed the tree would still be up. They take it down on Jan 6th every year so we were still able to enjoy all the Christmas lights and their splendor.
We traveled from Wed. Jan 2nd – Sat. Jan 5th. We arrived via train. I found an incredible deal on Amtrak where all four of us could travel for $300 round trip from Union Station to Penn Station. What a steal and so easy and convenient!
Since we were traveling with kids I hit up TripAdvisor to discover the best places to stay. NYC hotels almost always tend to be on the smaller side, definitely smaller than the standard size hotel room. In all my research, I stumbled across the Kimberly Hotel and could not have been happier with my choice! I booked our stay in a One-Bedroom suite with King Bed and pull-out sofa. The hotel was originally an apartment building, so they were converted to suites. We had room 20D complete with a balcony, bar, kitchenette with fridge, microwave, toaster, and dishwasher. It was perfect! The sitting room and bedroom were very spacious, comfortable, and beautifully decorated! The only complaint was the bathroom was on the small size, but served it’s purpose just fine, nonetheless and honestly, you wouldn’t find much biggger anywhere else in the city.
Although we didn’t take advantage of them while we were there, the hotel has 2 restaurants on site and the biggest attraction is their rooftop bar located on the 28th floor which has a glass roof with spectacular views. You can eat breakfast there during the morning hours and at night it turns into a bar/nightclub. No children are allowed after 5pm, so unfortunately we couldn’t check out the scene, but it definitely looked like it would be pretty cool with both outdoor and indoor spaces for grabbing a drink. From 11am – 4pm they offered complimentary coffee, tea, fruit and pastries. I grabbed a coffee and checked out the view on two occasions. The hotel also has a 24 hour gym located on the 2nd floor and free access to the NY Athletic and Racquet Club, which has a pool and workout facilities. Again, since we were with our children, we weren’t able to take advantage of these ammenties, but it’s nice to know we had the option. I should also mention the hotel staff are all incredibly friendly, welcoming, and accomodating. Overall, we were very please with our stay and hotel accommodations and would highly recommend giving this hotel a try!
The Kimberly Hotel is situated in the midtown area on the east side. 145 E. 50th Street between 3rd and Lexington to be exact. Rockafeller Center, Times Square and all the major sightseeing attractions were within walking distance. We lucked out with the weather in that it was fairly mild for this time of year (in the 40s) so walking was much more bearable than we expected. If you’ve never been to NYC in the Winter, it’s always a good idea to dress in layers. The skyscrapers create a wind tunnel that can be quite bitter cold, especially since the sun doesn’t reach the streets in a lot of places during the day. On really cold days, make sure you where tights under your jeans and have a long jacket. Scarves, gloves and hats are a must! I like to take a backpack with me to keep my layers in when it becomes necessary to strip them off going in and out of the various buildings.
During our trip, we jammed packed our days with plenty of activities. We took a 8:10 am train out of Washington and arrived in Penn Station about 11:30 am and headed to our hotel. We arrived via cab, which was a pretty quick ride. If you wanted to take the subway, you can take the E Train. It’s a straight shot to 53rd and Lexington and you can walk a couple of blocks to the hotel from there. Luckily, our room was ready when we arrived so we were able to take our baggage straight up to our room, freshen up and start our day. We had lunch at a restaurant called The Smith. The hotel concierge recommended it as a good place to take the kids. I have to say I beg to differ as they don’t have a kid’s menu. After asking the waiter, he offered up options such as a cheeseburger and grilled cheese. While the burger was good, the grilled cheese was a little more fancy than my picky 9 year old cared for. My husband and I split a burger and salmon tartare. The restaurant was big, with a lively crowd, but the food in my opinion was mediocre at best. Definitely not our favorite.
After lunch, we headed toward Rockefeller Center to see the tree. Along our way we stopped in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is a massive and beautiful Catholic Church. It’s open to the public and tons of tourists stop in to worship or take in it’s breathtaking architecture. After that we headed to the tree. It was so fun to see the awe in my girls’ faces as we turned the corner and saw it standing there in all its glory. I have to say this year’s tree was one of the more beautiful trees they’ve had in my opinion. While in Rockafeller Center we hit up the LEGO Store and FAO Schwartz’s, an iconic NYC toy store, which recently reopened in it’s new location. We had theater tickets to Aladdin that evening so decided to grab a quick bite at a local pizza joint. We wanted to go to Ray’s, which I love, but they didn’t have plain cheese. Ha! They ran out and weren’t making anymore. What a disappointment! Even more disappointing, we ended up at another pizza place (Pizza Cafe) in Times Square that was less than stellar. I was totally craving a good old slice of NY style pizza and sadly my expectations fell short. Such a bummer because one of the best things about NY is their pizza! Or any type of bread for that matter (bagels, pretzels). It has to do with the water and why they make the best dough! We finished off the night on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre to see Aladdin. I have to say I wasn’t really impresssed with the guy who played Aladdin, but the rest of the cast was great and the real stars of the show were the Genie and Yago. Both characters were hysterical and really made the show! The plot felt rushed at some points, but the sets were beautiful and the magic carpet ride was impressive to say the least! Overall, a wonderful show and I highly recommend going to see it while in NYC.
Our second day, we decided to head downtown to check out the 9-11 Memorial. Something I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time. We were going to do the museum as well until I read that the experience may be too intense for my 7 year old. They did have a section and a downloadable guide that was more suitable for younger children (6-12), but we decided to skip the museum and do Top of One World instead. Truth be told, I don’t think I could get through the museum unless I was armed with a box of tissues. 9-11 was a horrific and tragic day and being a native New Yorker, who knew people who lost their lives when the towers collapsed, it’s hard to recount the events without choking up. I have to say though that they have done a beautiful job at honoring the memory of those who perished. The 9-11 Memorial is just beautiful, with the endless square fountains marking the place where the towers once stood. Listening to the waterfall brings about a sense of peace. All the names of the people who lost their lives that day is etched into the wall and a single white rose is placed on their name on their birthday to celebrate their memory. I really wish the people visiting the memorial realized they were standing on hallowed ground and were more respectful while viewing the memorial. You see all these tourists smiling and taking pictures as if they were just standing in front of the Empire State Building or some other infamous attraction. I get it, but would you smile and take pictures in front of someone’s grave who you didn’t know? It’s heartbreaking to know people don’t realize how many bodies lie beneath those grounds and the gravity of what those fountains represent.
View of Brooklyn Bridge from top of One World
After visiting the memorial we headed up to One World Trade Center to the observatory. We found a site online (Viator) that provided better discounts than purchasing online from the official One World Trade Center site or at the door. We skipped the line and were to the top within 10 minutes. The general admission line was about a 45 minute wait at the time. You enter and head downstairs where you travel through a corridor that shows the bedrock in which the tower stands. They had some interesting facts projected on the wall as you headed toward the elevators. The unfortunate part was they weren’t constant so if you weren’t passing through when they were present, you missed out on the information. You then enter the elevators and screens display the progression of NYC from past to present while you ascend to the 102 floor. Upon arrival you are again shown another screen of the incredible transformation of NYC and then a window opens and viola, there’s NYC in all its maginificent glory. It’s fast and fleeting as they close the shade. You then exit to the actual observatory 2 floors below. While here you can rent an iPad that gives you a guided tour of the buildings you are looking at. Simply point the iPad at your view and it will reveal information to you. Again, being a New Yorker, we skipped this part as we pretty much knew what we were looking at from afar. The views were spectacular and we were lucky enough to have a gorgeous afternoon with good visibility. I’ve been to the top of the Empire State Building before and the views from One World by far surpass those of midtown. You can see every burrow from the top, the bridges, and the Statue of Liberty. The views are incredibly picturesque. The nice thing about One World is you are inside the entire time. In the dead of Winter, that is definitely a plus, but maybe not so on a gorgeous, warm, sunny day. The one downfall is that you are dealing with window glare while taking pictures of the concrete jungle below.
After One World we hit up a Mexican restaurant in the area called El Vez on Vesey St. It was beautiful inside, with authentic Mexican decor and the food was fantastic! The guacamole was amazing! My husband and I split two kinds of ceviche. One had shrimp, crab, and avacado in it and the other was red snapper. Both were delicious, but the red snapper was my favorite. This place had a great kids menu as well, with standard Mexican staples that kids enjoy (i.e. nachos, tacos, quesadillas). The drinks were scrumptious too. I had the skinny Paloma. Yum!
We ended our afternoon downtown heading to the waterfront to get a better view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and stumbled along a great playground for the kids along the waterfront. A great way for them to run off some steam before heading back uptown. We also stopped in a little shopping mall area right across from One World that had fantastic shopping and an ice rink. If we didn’t need to get back we would have lingered a little longer. All in all a great visit downtown with lots to see and do. We jumped on the Subway (E Train) and decided to take it back to Times Square, which was a quick and easy ride. Again, another straight shot (no transfers). We had some time to kill so we decided to head up to “The View” restaurant in the Marriott Marquis. It’s a rotating restaurant situated on the top of the hotel providing 360 views of New York City. It’s a cool place to check out. They offer cocktails and food/dessert buffets. The food options are quite pricy. The dessert buffet is $21 a person, no sharing. Totally not worth it in my opinion. The restaurant opens at 5pm so head on up for a cocktail and continue your evening elsewhere. My husband and I always hit this up when we are in NYC just for the ambiance. Totally worth checking out at least once! We had 6:30pm dinner reservations at Carmine’s in the Times Square area. It’s an Italian chain restaurant that serves up Italian favorites family style. I used to go to Carmine’s for my birthday when I lived in NY so was dying to check it out again. It didn’t disappoint, but due to the large portions, each dish serves 3-4 people, we only ordered a salad and rigatoni with meatballs so we could appeal to all palettes. While it was delicious (the sauce made the dish) I kind of wish we had went to a different Italian restaurant where my husband and I could pick and choose what we wanted. Good Italian is hard to come by in the DC area. New York knows Italian, so I highly recommend hitting up at least one highly rated Italian restaurant while you’re visiting. The options are endless!
Day 3… We got a late start on Friday as I wanted to sleep in some. (Noise factor in the hotel. Near a fire station or something, constant police/fire activity throughout the night. Hotel provides ear plugs, so you might want to consider taking advantage, especially if you are a light sleeper and not used to the sounds of the hustle and bustle of NYC). By the time we were ready we already missed breakfast, so decided to head straight for lunch. We headed on foot toward the Times Square area again to check out a place called Ellen’s Stardust Diner, that a friend had recommended as a kid-friendly option to eat in midtown. When we arrived we were dismayed to discover the line ran out the door half a block down. We decided to wait it out anyway since we weren’t in a rush because the allure of this place was that they had singing waiters. Our wait wasn’t too bad clocking in at about 30 minutes. They seat based on party size so you never know how long you’ll wait. For instance, when a 2 top table opens up and you just joined the line and you are the only 2 top, you get pulled out of line and are able to be seated. Once inside, you will be entertained by the singing waiters. They are all aspiring Broadway actors and had to audition to work at the restaurant. Apparently, this restaurant is responsible for jumpstarting quite a few Broadway careers.
The menu has a plethora of options available, but the minimum order per person is $20 so don’t expect to share. The portions are large too so come hungry. At least you can build up an appetite while on line. During your meal the different waitstaff performs songs of their choice. They throw confetti from the top of the diner and the staff rotates around the restaurant so there are different vantage points throughout. Your waiter will perform at least once while you are there. I’m really glad we went to check this out! Ellen’s Stardust Diner claims to be the 3rd most visited restaurant in the world. The staff is all incredibly talented and entertaining. Although it’s pricy, it’s like getting lunch/dinner and a show all in one. I wasn’t blown away by the food, typical diner fare, but it was good enough. It’s a very unique experience that I’m glad we had the opportunity to check out and was well worth the wait. Definitely put it on your hit list at least once! My girls absolutely loved it and still talk about it to this day!
After lunch we headed to Bryant Park to ice skate. This was a “must-do” for the girls, so I researched the various options to find the best match. There is no way in hell I’d do ice skating at Rockefeller Center. Too expensive, too crowded, and the lines are ridiculous. That left us with 2 options within walking distance: Central Park and Bryant Park. Since it was Friday, Bryant Park ended up being the cheaper and closer of the two options so we opted for that. Bryant Park is a really cool area anytime of year. They have outdoor food stops and bars and movies under the stars in the summer time. In the winter, they set up Winter Village. Admission to the ice rink is free, but skate rentals are steep. $20 per person. Don’t expect them to store your shoes either. You will need to rent a locker or storage cubbie to keep your belongings depending on the size. Lockers are technically “free” and will store shoes and small items, like a purse IF you bring your own lock. Try storing shoes in a locker without a lock and they will be confiscated. In order to get them back, you’ll need to pay $12. What a racquet! Luckily for us, my husband had no interest in skating, so he held onto all our stuff while we headed to the ice.
The setting of the ice rink is beautiful, with the New York Public Library in the background and surrounded by tall buildings lit up for the holidays. They set up an entire area called “Winter Village” complete with bars and what I’d refer to as stationary food booths. This was perfect since my husband was allowed to grab a drink outside and watch from afar. It wasn’t too crowded when we went, about 2pm, but noticed it got a lot more crowded as the day lingered on. Once you are in the pavillion you can skate for as long as you want. We lasted about an hour and then hit up the local food booths for beers for us, hot chocolate and dessert for the girls. It was a nice evening so we could tolerate sitting outside and soaking up the scene. It truly love Bryant Park and highly recommended stopping by at any time of the year to check out the scene.
The girls were interested in checking out another show, so we headed to the Times Square box office (Tkts) where they offer discounted tickets for the nights’ performances to see if they had anything appealing left. We managed to score discounted orchestra seats to the 8pm performance of School of Rock. We were supposed to eat at Dos Caminos in Times Square at 7:30 pm and decided to see if they could seat us early. They were able to and we mentioned we were catching a show. We sat down at 7pm and they had us out of there by 7:40 pm. I wish we weren’t so rushed because I would have liked to order an entree, but we opted for a large order of guacamole and ceviches again. They were scrumptious and so were the sangrias. I would definitely dine here again when I can enjoy a proper meal. We made it to the theater by 7:50 pm with plenty of time to spare before curtain call. I loved this impromptu change of plans! The show was AMAZING! What’s really unique about it is that all the kids play their own instruments during the performance. The actors were all so talented and the music was fun and catchy. Very similar to the movie with some added scenes and songs. The guy who played Dewey was incredible and really stole the show. We all agreed this blew Aladdin out of the water! Sadly, it ended its run on Broadway on Jan 20th and I know it was playing at the Kennedy Center in DC, but that too has ended. If it ever comes back to the stage again, go see it! You won’t regret it!!
We wrapped up our world wind of a stay by grabbing breakfast and hitting up Times Square to do some souvenir shopping. We were hoping to walk around Central Park, but the weather didn’t cooperate. We’re back on the train and headed home to VA. I absolutely loved sharing the bright lights of the big city with my girls. They really enjoyed it and even my husband is itching for more. We had a fabulous time and I couldn’t think of kicking off the New Year in a better way. Traveling with my family, exploring new things, and exposing my kids to unique experiences is what this life is all about. My moto is “anywhere, but here” because life is too short to stay in one place! Stayed tuned for our next adventure in Cabo San Lucas!