NY Not?
The Best Things To Do in New York City
Hi friends,
Before the year is out, I want to take you on one more trip with me. 2021 brought me to Yosemite, California, Orlando, Florida, Costa Rica, all around Iceland, and now to round out an amazing year, New York City, New York (with a side of Philly).
Back in October/November, I went to the big apple with some friends and it was such an amazing trip! We spent about 5 days in New York and 2 days in Philly and I loved every second of it. We went to tons of shows, explored parks, museums, and monuments, and walked more steps than I could possibly count. I ate my way through both cities and saw the Broadway shows of my dreams. I’ve never been on a friends trip before so this was an amazing and new experience. I went with my besties: Ciara, Britt, and Trisha along with Britt’s boyfriend, Alex (more on that later) and her mom, Bron.
I came up with the 38 (I know it’s a lot) best things to do so please come along and join me on the perfect week in New York City and Philadelphia!
Let’s go!
Broadway is Back
See as many Broadway shows as you can
The number one thing to do in New York City? Broadway.
The reason we went on this trip was to see as many broadway shows as we could - and we absolutely accomplished that goal at a whopping 5 shows!
Aladdin
Chicago
Waitress
The Lion King
Wicked
I actually can’t even talk about how much I loved it and even if that was the only thing we did in New York I would’ve been perfectly happy. I plan on returning soon and am just going to watch every single show I can get my hands on. I am in love with everything and it’s hard to choose a favorite. I think it’s a very close tie between Lion King and Wicked but I straight up sobbed the last 10 minutes of Wicked because I was so overcome with emotion (and remember I’m an ugly crier), so I think I would have to peg that as my favorite.
Day 1: On Our Way!
2. Slay it in matching sets with your girl gang
Yes we are all wearing matching sets, thank you so much for noticing! You can’t go on an epic girl gang adventure and not kill it in coordinating outfits. You can clearly stamp “tourist” on our foreheads but that’s exactly what we are so I don’t mind and I had a blast that we were all looking extra fine while traveling.
3. Get New York style pizza in the middle of the night and go people watching
It was Halloween Eve so everyone was dressed up so fun and the streets were packed with people which was slightly overwhelming but we got some bomb New York style pizza, hit up some grocery stores (where a pomegranate was $8???), and walked around in the light rain enjoying the hustle and bustle. We then packed it in, went to our absurdly-tiny-but-somehow-perfectly-sized airbnbs and called it an early night to prepare for a long day of exploring!
Day 2: Exploring New York
4. Wander around the city
This was our first true day in New York City! We got up early, grabbed some Starbucks, and hit the streets for a grand adventure. We walked through street markets, meandered into cute antique shops and upscale bakeries, and looked up in awe at the sky high architecture.
5. Get a fancy treat at a bakery
6. Go shopping at Bryant Park
We meandered to Bryant Park which might be one of my favorite places we went to. It’s such a beautiful area with tons of nature, cool architecture, and tons of vendors selling all sorts of things and food stalls with everything from crepes, donuts, dumplings, and pizza. We all had a really fun time and I had so much fun looking at all the STUFF. This is where I bought the majority of gifts to take home.
7. Stop at Times Square
8. Eat as much food as you can
Okay I guess I don’t really know how to explain how much I love food and how much I eat when I travel - I’m a monster. On our way home, Britt asked me if I felt bad leaving New York in a food shortage because I ate my way through that city.
Food trucks, market vendors, hole in the wall places, and upscale restaurants are aplenty so make sure to try as many of them as you can!
9. Get a caricature done
10. See Aladdin
10/10 would recommend to anyone and everyone. The genie always steals the show and you laugh your way through this classic tale.
11. See Chicago
Iconic. That’s all I have to say about this powerhouse musical.
Day 3:
12. Breathe in the fresh air at Central Park
THE spot in New York for peace, quiet, and serenity is in Central Park. I wish we’d had more time to enjoy it I so loved walking around and if you get far enough in, the skyscrapers seem to disappear and the hustle and bustle of the city has hushed, and the air feels clean, fresh, and cool. We came at the perfect time of year, there were still golden trees, crunchy leaves on the ground, and that perfect chilly nip in the air.
13. Spend a day at the Met
When I say spend a day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art I mean spend an entire day there. We spent an entire day wandering around and still didn’t see everything. There’s so much art, history, and culture inside you need every minute you can to soak it up.
14. Make sure to pop into any exhibits they have - like this fashion one!
15. Get lost on the subway
Is it really an authentic New York experience if you don’t take the wrong train at least once?
16. See Waitress
This was a last minute addition to our broadway tour and I loved it! Funny, emotional, and upbeat I loved the music and the story.
17. Do a photoshoot in a gown
Now, you must know by now that I can’t go on vacation without doing a photoshoot and New York was no different. I borrowed my sister’s dress from Baltic Born, lugged that and some heels to New York and did some little photoshoots in Central Park and the Met! Every time I’ve done this it’s been so worth it so if you’re debating on whether or not to bring that V extra outfit on your trip? Just take it. You won’t regret it.
A special shoutout to my amazing friends who took a million photos of me everywhere we went!
Day 4:
18. Eat little canolis in Little Italy
19. Explore China Town
20. Spend way too much money at the Harry Potter store
Another “do not miss” spot in New York is the Harry Potter store which just opened! It is a magical two-story store with different rooms for different themes, tons of wands, amazing items, and magic. I bought way too much stuff here and I’m not even sorry about it.
21. Visit Washington Square Park
It’s also a great place for photos!
22. See Lion King + Meet the cast members!
I’ve been wanting to see this show forever and getting to see it in New York was just icing on the cake. We also got to meet the incredibly talented human beings who play Simba and Mufasa and just WOW.
23. Go on a bus tour at night
Day 5
24. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
I also got to put my face on a cat that was traversing the bridge with us and it was GLORIOUS.
And don't forget to stop at Dumbo for another beautiful view.
25. Get Chicken Teriyaki and sushi at Ajisen
By far my favorite meal in New York was at a Japanese restaurant in China Town - lol yeah you heard me right. But this place was absolutely incredible and their chicken teriyaki, sushi, and ramen were some of the best I’ve ever had and I’ve been craving them ever since.
26. See Wicked
Such a moving and magical show - absolutely obsessed.
27. Pop into specialty stores like the Disney and M&M Store!
28. Watch your best friend get engaged to the love of her life
Can we look at these two beautiful human beings that somehow found each other and now they get to spend the rest of their lives together??
This was such a special moment that I’m so grateful I got to be a part of. Tip for anyone getting engaged: have someone there to photograph it.
Day 6 and 7: Goodbye NY and Philly days!
29. Take a moment of silence at the 9/11 Memorial
There’s also a museum and a fund to help support the memorial both of which I highly recommend.
30. Walk inside the Oculus
31. See the Statue of Liberty (waaaaay out in the distance)
We meant to take the ferry to see Lady Liberty but ended up not having time but hey I saw it from a distance and that’s almost the same thing right?
32. Ride a train to Philadelphia
After our time in the bustling city, we said goodbye to Trisha and Ciara as they flew back home and the four of us took a train to Philly as an added bonus. The Macgregors wanted to check out the area to see if they want to move there (so funny they think they can leave me), and we had a fun time exploring the city and eating so much food that it became a running joke among us.
33. See the sights on a bus tour
You only have one day in a city and you want to see as much as possible? Take a bus tour! You get to sit and rest your weary feet while seeing everything around the city and hearing interesting history about it.
34. Eat a philly cheesesteak IN Philly
Literally the number one thing I wanted to do here.
35. Run (or walk if you’re out of shape like me) up the Rocky Steps
36. Take a tour of the Eastern State Penitentiary
This was very cool and I’d highly recommend it but also really sad. I’m too softhearted for places like this.
37. Go to the Reading Terminal Market
Arguably the best part of Philly is the Reading Terminal market which is a warehouse sized market packed full of homemade foods, candles, trinkets, baked goods, drinks, and almost anything you can imagine.
I’m actually not sure I can describe the amazing-ness of food options we all left with bags of food including but not limited to: two cups of banana pudding, at least 3 slices of pizza, a half gallon of strawberry lemonade, donuts, cookies, my iconic philly cheesesteak, and perhaps the best cinnamon pretzel I’ve ever had.
Day 8: Homeward Bound
38. Savor the memories
Make sure to take time and savor every second of traveling. This was the perfect trip, not because everything went perfectly, but because just being able to travel and do all this was such a blessing, being with my best friends, and everything, even the hiccups, was an adventure and I made such treasured memories along the way.
Thanks for coming with me and thank you if you stuck with me this long and went through the entire thing! I know it was a doozy of a post. This was my last trip of 2021 and while I’ve loved this year, I’m excited for what the next will bring!
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