Trip to New York. Feb, 2024

On the February long weekend we took a short trip to New York. Since we only had 3 full days, we decided to stay right in Manhattan so we could be within walking distance of the main attractions 

Day 1

In the morning we leave Toronto. The navigation shows about 8.5 hours of driving, but with stops our trip takes almost 10 hours. We leave the car at the hotel until departure day. The hotel Voco Times Square South New York is within walking distance of many of the city’s main tourist attractions. The hotel is very nice, with a good breakfast.

We immediately head to the heart of Manhattan — Times Square

Probably the most visited tourist spot. Lots of bright billboards, lights, restaurants and shops. In the evening the crowd in the square can be a bit unappealing in some areas. We also noticed a lot of cannabis shops, and the corresponding smell…

We walk around a bit and stop by the famous M&M’s store

Then we went to the Hershey’s store 

Пора отдохнуть, ведь завтра у нас насыщенный день.

День 2

Завтракаем

And we head out again. All roads lead through Times Square. Be careful with the street performers — they lure you in for a photo and then ask for money from each one of them:)

In this famous restaurant Junior’s, it was not our first visit. They say this is where you can try the best cheesecake in New York. In reality, New York has delicious cheesecake in many places. After standing in line for only about 20 minutes (which is not much for popular tourist spots), we enjoyed cheesecake and cappuccino 

The only places where you can get food without a line are food trucks 

We pass by Radio City Music Hall — the largest indoor theater in the world and also the largest concert hall in the world — and arrive at the Fao Schwarz toy store 

We head out to Rockefeller Center — the largest office complex in New York. In front of the building there is an ice skating rink. And now we are on the famous Fifth Avenue — the most well-known street in Manhattan for shopping lovers. We pop into a few stores. For example, in the Kate Spade store, we saw this adorable little bag shaped like a pizza 

By the way, pizza in New York is absolutely amazing. I would even say — it tastes better to us than pizza in Italy. And it doesn’t matter where you get it. Even in the cheapest little place, the pizza is incredibly good!!! 

We return to Fifth Avenue. Our favorite store — Aritzia 

And this is the famous Lego store 

And this is Trump Tower — an office and residential skyscraper, which also serves as the headquarters of The Trump Organization 

And now we are approaching the famous Central Park. We see the well-known and very expensive hotel The Plaza, as well as the most popular Apple store in New York 

The park is huge. It would take several hours to walk all the way around it. There are alleys, paths, gardens, several artificial lakes, two ice rinks, playgrounds, and a zoo. So many famous movies have been filmed in Central Park! It has appeared in more films than any other location in the world, which is one of the reasons for its popularity.

We didn’t have a fixed plan for our walk in the park, but it unexpectedly appeared when a very friendly man approached us and offered to take us on a carriage ride through the entire park. Later we found out he was a Russian speaker from Tajikistan. We really enjoyed the ride, wrapped in a warm blanket, listening to interesting facts about the park

Here we are in front of the most expensive skyscrapers in Manhattan. And in the next photo behind us is Bethesda Terrace — one of the key spots in the park, known not only from many films but also as a favorite place for festivals and celebrations 

Nearby is the same-named arch with a beautiful tiled ceiling. And now we are at Columbus Circle. To the right behind the golden globe is the Trump Hotel, and to the left is a prestigious shopping center as well as one of the best hotels in New York — the Mandarin Oriental 

We really enjoyed our tour. We were dropped off right next to the Russian restaurant Samovar. The design is very much in its own style 

For the evening we had a show planned. Every tourist in New York simply has to see at least one Broadway show. This time we watched Moulin Rouge. The show was wow! Just wow! 

Day 3

We take the subway and arrive in the financial district of the city. This is near the World Trade Center 

We visit the 9/11 memorial — Ground Zero 

And then we head to the famous Charging Bull on Wall Street. There was quite a line to take a photo with the bull’s face, and an even longer line to get behind it and rub “that part” :) I didn’t really feel like standing and doing that, so in between groups of people taking photos, I managed to capture everything I wanted 

We go into the famous bagel shop Liberty Bagels, known for its bagels. The lines here are just as long as the one for the bull. These are the beautiful bagels you can buy here, along with dozens of types of cream cheese 

Our plan was to get to a nice viewpoint of the Brooklyn Bridge, but we somehow didn’t approach it from the right angle. And then we headed to Grand Central Terminal 

And now we are heading to a very interesting place — the unique immersive observation deck Summit One Vanderbilt. This modern project opened in 2021. Visitors can explore three levels of the building on the 91st, 92nd and 93rd floors, which we reached by a glass elevator. Each floor has its own immersive space with glass walls, offering spectacular views of Manhattan from every direction.

Once you move up to the next level, you can’t go back down. So when booking tickets in advance, we planned to arrive at Summit at 4 pm so we could enjoy both daytime and nighttime New York.

The most impressive floor is the 91st. It’s a huge mirrored space. Everyone is given protective shoe covers to keep the area clean, and we also received sunglasses because the sunlight in this environment is extremely intense. In the second photo below, you can clearly see the Chrysler Building

We move further along the same floor and enter a room filled with floating balloons. It was quite crowded, but everyone was having fun 

On the next floor there was a large open space with stunning views of the city and plenty of opportunities for photos 

And on the top floor there was a fairly small space with a bar. We managed to find a cozy corner and waited for the sunset 

And then, on our way down, we saw this beauty on the mirrored floor

In the evening we celebrated our mini vacation, and in the morning we headed home to Toronto