Weekend in New York City

For anyone having visited New York City and has seen all the big tourist attractions, here’s a weekend in New York City for the seasoned visitor.

My friend, Phyllis, who is an avid gardener, wanted to spend a weekend in New York City to see and explore The High Line. Who am I to turn down a trip to NYC? Well, who am I to turn down a trip anywhere?

Friday

We decided to book the first flight from Atlanta to LaGuardia on a Friday morning. The first flight out departs Atlanta @ 6:45AM! At first, we were excited to be arriving in NYC early and have the entire day ahead of us. The night before, I think we both thought “What were we thinking?”.

The airport in Atlanta can be crazy at times, so we both arrive early to ensure not to miss our flight. The worst part is over – we are here for our early flight to NYC. The weather forecast isn’t looking too good, but we will make the most of it regardless.

Landed in LaGuardia right on time! This rarely happens, so we know it will be a great weekend. It is rather cloudy but looks like the clouds are breaking up and the sun coming out. Our hotel is the Courtyard New York Manhattan in Chelsea, so we decide to Uber there instead of the yellow taxi. Fortunately, the hotel was able to check us in early. We dropped off our bags, changed clothes and on a mission to find a breakfast spot. We head over to Best Bagels which is one of the best bagels in NYC. One thing is a must while in NYC and that is grabbing bagels.

The High Line

We set off for The High Line! The clouds have parted, and the sun is out. It is going to be a beautiful day after all. We get on The High Line close to the beginning near the new Hudson Yards to start our stroll.

If you aren’t familiar with The High Line, it is an elevated public park built on an old railroad line in Manhattan’s West Side. Originally planned for destruction, the neighborhood saved the historic line and has now been renovated into a public space of nature, art and design.

This was not a walk for exercise – it was a leisurely stroll to (literally) smell the flowers and appreciate them.

We also enjoyed the artwork, looking at the different view of NYC, astonished by all the on-going construction in the area and eventually, taking off our shoes for a dip in the fountains.

Nearing the end of The High Line, we spot a local bar and decide it is time for a drink. Serving at family style tables outside, Terroir on the Porch has a variety of local brews and ciders. We enjoy the people watching as much as the beer, but after one drink it is time to continue our journey.

After getting back on The High Line, we stop and take off our shoes for a dip in the art fountains. Everyone else is doing it, so we should as well! It’s another refreshing break from the heat of the day.

We continue our journey, but before we know it, the end is in sight. Instead of taking the same trip back, we decide to meander through the streets of New York on our walk back to the hotel.

Chelsea Market is along the way, so we stroll through for bathroom breaks, quick look at the shops, but we don’t stay long.

We arrive back to the hotel with time for a short rest before we head to dinner.

Dinner at Kashkaval Gardens

Upon a recommendation from trusted friends, we have chosen Kashkaval Gardens as our dinner spot for tonight. We didn’t have reservations, but the wait was short, so we were able to get in after a 15-minute wait. The portions were extremely generous given we are in the city and the prices we saw on the menu. We ordered a variety of skewers and fondue for sharing.

The restaurant has a flavor of bringing in the locals. We notice a couple groups near us who appear to be co-workers enjoying a Friday night happy hour. Finding local places is always a gem in NYC versus the touristy, over-priced locations.

We opt-out of dessert in hopes of finding some local cheesecake on the way home. We wonder down 9^th Avenue and stumble into a great place for cheesecake and coffee. It’s a perfect end to our first day in New York City.

Saturday

Since we have both been to New York City many times, we decide to do something a little different on our Saturday. My cousin, Christina, lives in Brooklyn, so we take the train to Brooklyn to explore there for the day and see her neighborhood.

Before taking the train to Brooklyn, we stop into Brown’s Bagels for our favorite New York City breakfast. Again, we aren’t disappointed. We have a relaxing breakfast planning out our day before our crazy day begins.

Brooklyn

Walking to the train stop best for getting to Brooklyn, we happen to walk through the flower district. Wholesalers and designers were out about possibly preparing for the day’s weddings and other events.

Waiting on the train to Brooklyn, we can’t help ourselves and take the “touristy” subway station pictures.

Taking the train from Manhattan to Brooklyn isn’t a short ride. But, we enjoy the people watching along the way and make note of how different New Yorkers are from Atlantans. Christina is able to time the right train and joins us at her stop, as we are going a couple more stops to the market.

We exit the train at our stop, drop into a McDonalds for water and bathroom break before setting off for the Saturday Market.

The market is a combination of outside tents with flea market type stuff along with drink and food vendors. I buy some unique baseball pins, before we walk inside. The indoor portion of the market is more professional crafts of paintings, rugs, and jewelry. We all buy a few little things, but nothing too big to carry around with us for the rest of the day. We also try some bourbon drinks while we meander through the stalls.

By this time, we are all starting to get a little hungry. Christina has suggested we try her favorite taco place which is just around the corner from her apartment. We stop to see her new place as she has only lived here a few months and say to her kitty, Atticus, before the next part of our day begins.

Just around the corner is Papi’s Grill serving a variety of tacos, tortas and on weekends – tamales! We heard the carne asada were the best and not always available. So, when we realized they were being served, we all ordered a variety of tacos including the carne asada. I see now why this is her favorite spot. With just a few tables in the small restaurant, we were lucky enough to have a family leave just as our food was ready. Topping off the carne asada tacos was fresh watermelon juice. Now my lunch is complete!

After filling up on tacos, we head for the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens which is just a few blocks from Papi’s. We didn’t realize until we entered how big this place is for being in the middle of the city.

Exploring all the areas including my favorite, the rose garden! Some don’t smell too much, but most leave you wanting to smell more and more roses! The colors were brilliant in the heat of June day.

Other areas of the gardens included the Shakespeare and Children’s Garden.

Walking around New York on a hot summer day requires a short stop for ice cream. We wait in line at the gardens refreshment center to indulge ourselves with a Haagen Daaz ice cream. It’s almost 5 o’clock and for most, you would start thinking about dinner. We had thrown around the idea of going out to Coney Island, but didn’t realize it was getting so late. But, it being 5 o’clock isn’t going to stop us. Next stop – Coney Island!

Christina would admit to us later she didn’t think we would really go to Coney Island after walking around Brooklyn all day. But, she’s never traveled with Phyllis and I. We go, go, go making sure nothing is left un-done or wanting for more.

Coney Island

We walk to the nearest train station for the Q train down to Coney Island. The 30-minute ride down would give us short rest before our next adventure. We have 2 missions while there, ride The Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone! The Cyclone is on my bucket list and The Wonder Wheel on Phyllis’ – it’s all about experiences and checking it off the list!

First up, The Wonder Wheel! The Wonder Wheel is a NYC landmark built in 1920. See views from atop the wheel at 150 feet high all the way to Manhattan. Want a little swing while you ride? Choose a blue or red car. No swinging? Choose a white car. Being the adventurers, we are, we chose the red one and yes, they do still swing!

Next up – The Cyclone! This is the “Mother of American roller coaster culture” according to lunaparknyc.com.

Phyllis and I both love roller coasters, but Christina opted out of this one as she has already been on it. The Cyclone tops out at 60 mph while going through 2,640 feet of track including twists, turns, 12 drops and 27 elevation changes. The big drop is 85-foot, 60 degree drop! The look on our faces says it all!

Instead of walking through the park, we decide to walk back to the train along the boardwalk to catch a glimpse of the ocean.

Photos of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and The Wonder Wheel courtesy of Christina Williams.

Dinner @ Juliana’s Pizza in Brooklyn

On my last trip to NYC, I discovered Juliana’s Pizza in Brooklyn (after walking across the Brooklyn Bridge!). They serve classic pizza pies from a coal-fired pizza oven. Certain to be a line, you wait outside until a table for your party is available. After waiting in line, it was close to 9:30 before we finally sat down. My mouth was watering just thinking about the pizza we were about the devour! This was Phyllis and Christina’s first time here and I was excited to share the experience with them.

Sunday

For our last day in New York City, we had purchased tickets including the tour of the 911 Museum. The last time we were both here, the tour was sold out. This time, we purchased our tickets in advance to ensure we got our desired tour time.

Taking the train down to the World Trade Center site, you already start feeling the emotions of that day in 2001.

9/11 Memorial Museum

Exiting the train to One World Center and I was breathless. My first time in the new building and it’s stunning. We slowly walk through on our way to the museum, again remembering what took place here almost 17 years ago.

Since we have pre-purchased tickets and tour time, we didn’t have to wait in line. We proceeded inside to check in for our tour. We received our headsets and met our guide in the lobby. The museum preserved artifacts from the destruction of the World Trade Center tours while reliving the events of that tragic day. The museum also did a phenomenal job of remembering the people who lost their lives that day – not just here in NYC, but also in Washington and on all the planes. I won’t ruin it for anyone here but recommend this be on anyone’s list when visiting New York City.

After the tour, we walked outside to see the fountains.

After a quick lunch at Brown’s Bagels, it was time to say goodbye to NYC. We picked up our bags at the hotel and headed for the airport.