Throughout our stay in Philadelphia, we frequently took day trips over to New York City! This post is a Part 2 to A Philly Cheesesteak and The Big Apple. I had intended to describe the whole month in one fell swoop, but in the end, we just did, saw, smelled, and ate too many wonderful things! Buckle up, folks. Tales of the most wonderful and exhausting six days of the latter half of this year are about to be shared.

New York

Day One

Our first day in New York was many things. A busy day. A full day. The best day? A day full of firsts. It was Frank’s favorite day of the whole month. 

Time’s Square

We started our day by driving from north Philly into Manhattan, through the Holland Tunnel and to the parking spot we had reserved. Our first stop was to Stand in Times Square (✅), for several reasons. We figured it was a decent launching spot for the day, and that it was early enough that it wouldn’t be too crowded. Also, (from my point of view anyway lol) it might be nice to more or less get it over with. It’s like the Strip in Las Vegas or Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco – it’s a zoo and overrun with tourists, but you kind of need to see it just once! We actually really liked Times Square, to be honest. It wasn’t very busy, people were excited to be there, and there was just that buzzing energy people say New York has.

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

From Times Square, we went to the New York Public Library (✅), the Stephen A. Schwarzman building most specifically. We walked through this exhibit of some really intriguing artifacts and moments from history, and just admired the general splendor. The architecture is truly breathtaking. We came back for a second visit a few weeks later with my mom, because I was determined to take a tour of The Rose Main Reading Room. This space was very quiet and very beautiful, and it could only be seen through a guided tour or if bringing in study materials. Unfortunately, I’m not a student anymore, so I was consigned to the tour, and it was worth it!

Cha Cha Matcha

After we left the Library, we realized an exciting establishment was around the corner. As a major fan of matcha tea, both hot and iced, I insisted on a stop at Cha Cha Matcha. While I ordered my iced matcha, Frank perused the menu and noticed a Ginger and Turmeric milk/matcha beverage. He ordered it over ice and quickly declared that it is his absolute favorite drink. He ended up getting a second one later in the day, and we made several more stops here over the course of our visits to NYC.

Grand Central Terminal

We walked a little further and came across Grand Central Terminal (✅). Though we didn’t need to take a train anywhere, we wanted to go inside and see its architecture as well. If it wasn’t obvious, we are enthusiastic about grand, splendiferous architecture! The Beaux Arts design of Grand Central is similarly stunning, and we enjoyed watching the commuters hustle to their respective trains.

We went down to the Dining Concourse in search of lunch, where there are a multitude of options. I don’t really remember what we ate, but we did follow that up with cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery! Victoria and Frank in particular really enjoyed them. Dominic had passed out in his carrier, which was hilarious and drew many chuckles from passersby.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral ✅

We continued uptown and made our way to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I don’t always post specifics about our visits to beautiful churches, but St. Patrick’s is particularly special. This massive, Gothic place of worship has so much intricate detail throughout practically every square inch of the interior and exterior. We took a little bit of a breather, taking our time to explore as much of the insides as were available for private touring. I prayed for some special intentions and caught back up with Frank outside after a little while.

Central Park ✅

Both kids fell asleep not too long after we left the Cathedral, so we walked some more and made our way to Central Park. There were two spots within the Park that I was eager to see – Gapstow Bridge and Bethesda Terrace. What I didn’t realize was how far apart they were, and how much of a hike it would be to visit both! We got pleeeeeenty of exercise that day, but it sure was beautiful!

Chinatown

After we finally escaped made our way out of the Park, we took the subway down to Chinatown for an early dinner. As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, I am a huge fan of soup dumplings, and I tend to judge a Chinatown by the quality of their soup dumplings. I had wanted to go to Shanghai 21, but their wait time was too long. We settled on Noodle Village, and their soup dumplings were kind of just okay? Like not bad, but they didn’t have much flavor. It didn’t wow us, I’ll say that much. We walked through the neighborhood to find a subway north again, because we had one last major stop to make on our busiest day.

The subway did not cooperate, however. There was maintenance happening on some of the lines (apparently the lower letters of the alphabet are notoriously unreliable). We went up and down to two different platforms over and over again, trying to find the R line. Poor Frank had Dominic on his back and had to pick up Victoria in her stroller every time! At last, we finally realized we could just take the A.

Empire State Building

We had selected a sunset reservation for the observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors. Due to the nonsense with the subway, we were nearly 45 minutes late. We worried we wouldn’t get in, especially when we saw a massive line outside of the building. Still, we took our chances and walked to the front. The woman asked for our reservation time and when we said 7:30, she waved us on and said to go ahead! We had also purchased the Express Pass, which greatly accelerated how long it took to get to the elevator and get up to the first observation deck. We couldn’t wait to Take in the Views from the Empire State Building (✅)!

The observation deck on the 86th floor was unlike any that we had ever experienced. It offered magnificent views of the city of course, which we have seen before. Yet, on this deck, there is an open air section! This part was so neat, looking out over the city and breathing the night air! 

After a little while, we took another elevator up to the 102nd floor observation deck. This area had floor to ceiling windows and a 360 degree view of the city. We had a wonderful time lingering and soaking it all in, until we finally had to peel ourselves away. We knew we had to get back to where we parked and then still drive back to our AirBnb after that.

Finally, that wraps it up! It was the most jam-packed, exhausting, and thrilling day ever!

Day Two

Our first stop in NYC during our next visit a week later was somewhere to use the bathroom and change a diaper. Lo and behold, we stumbled into a lovely church with fantastic mosaics! St. Francis of Assisi (✅) graciously let us use the bathroom and I photographed its lovely interior. I also found an incredible memorial inside – some twisted metal from the World Trade Centers, with a single metal rose rising from it as a symbol of hope.

We carried on and made our way south, passing the Flatiron Building, and we took the subway at Union Square. I paused and took a picture of the massive clock on the face of a nearby building, because it is pretty.

Brooklyn Bridge

We took the subway to the Brooklyn Bridge and spent a little time walking across it (✅)! It was awesome.

DUMBO/Manhattan Bridge

We kept walking afterwards, for ages and ages, until we finally found this specific spot somewhat packed with other people as well. There is a fantastic view of the Manhattan Bridge in the DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) neighborhood, with a keyhole view of the Empire State Building and everything. We were quite tired by now, but I was once again in search of soup dumplings.

Flushing, Queens for Soup Dumplings

Manhattan has their iconic Chinatown neighborhood, yet many people believe the best Chinese food can be found in Flushing. Thus, we took the subway into Queens to find another place I had seen recommended online. Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao has high ratings, and I had seen it listed on multiple lists as having exceptional soup dumplings. I ordered the Lucky 6 sampler, where all six dumplings have a different filling and flavor. Apparently, that’s where I went wrong.

Frank Hated all but the pork dumpling, ranking this as the worst of all Chinatown’s we’ve ever tried, nay, the worst restaurant Ever. I certainly liked some more than others, but I do believe I should have stuck with the traditional pork dumplings and called it a day. This, unfortunately, ruined Frank for soup dumplings for a very long time. Personally, I’d encourage people to try an alternative, Shanghai You Garden, and then tell me how it is!

Times Square Again

We passed through Times Square at night to see it all lit up and to see if the crowds were substantially larger. They were, and it was a whole different energy. We enjoyed it though for a minute, and then drove home.

Day Three

Our third visit to NYC was on a Sunday, so again, churches were our game. We went to Mass at a beautiful church and then drove to the Bronx to find another gorgeous one before their next Mass started. Victoria enjoys a show set in the Bronx called Alma’s Way on PBS Kids, so we were eager for her to see it in person. This girl fell asleep and slept through the whole drive, so she missed the whole thing!

We drove back into Manhattan to try the world famous Joe’s Pizza, and once again, we were a bit underwhelmed! It probably is a perfect New York slice, but we didn’t love the sauce, it was too greasy, and just didn’t wow us. Besides the pretty churches, it was just kind of an underwhelming day, but that happens sometimes! We are still grateful and excited for the experiences and don’t regret any of the days we were in New York.

Day Four

My mom took a train from Bristol, RI into New York to meet us for an abundance of adventures!

The High Line

Our first stop was to the High Line, a former elevated freight train line converted into a green walking path in the middle of the West Side. It is a free public park and was a fascinating way to be among the skyscrapers while still enjoying some greenery and fresh air.

The Rose Main Reading Room

Frank left us for a while to go to a cafe to do some work. Without him, we went back to the Library to see the Reading Room mentioned earlier. It was incredible, and he met us there at the end of our tour. Naturally, being so close, we had to get Cha Cha Matcha again and have my mom try it! She liked the ginger/turmeric drink as well.

Cutting the day short

Eventually, it started raining, so we all headed for shelter in a beautiful subway station. Dominic fell asleep on ‘Lita, so we called it a day and went back to the car. We drove across the river through one of the tunnels and had dinner in New Jersey, near the hotel my mom, Victoria, and I were staying at. The food was yummy, and Dominic and Frank went back to Philadelphia for the night. Frank needed to take care of the dog, and we hadn’t brought a Pack n Play for Dominic to sleep in.

Day Five

Russ & Daughters Café

Another jam packed day! I was determined to finally have that perfect New York Bagel (✅), and man oh man, did I get it. ‘Lita, Victoria, and I made our way from the hotel across the river over into the Lower East Side, to Russ & Daughters Café. I am a fan of a good lox and cream cheese bagel, perhaps with some onions and capers. This bagel was the most incredible bagel of my life. My mom enjoyed her similar bagel, with baked salmon and tomato as the differences. In her supreme generosity, she also gifted us a magnificent first – our first time with caviar! It was so delicious, and smooth, and with the blini and crème fraiche…I still dream about it, honestly. Victoria loved it too, and I worry I’ve created a monster. 

Other Foodie Highlights

I had forgotten to take pictures and I even forget which day we went, but this seems a reasonable time to bring it up. One of our first meals in NYC was at Katz’s Delicatessen, another Lower East Side iconic institution. The Thing to get here is the pastrami sandwich, with mustard and pickles on the side. I was assured this was a life-changing sandwich, and the verdict? Pastrami isn’t necessarily my preferred sandwich, but for a pastrami sandwich, it was sensational! Would definitely recommend it, hope to go back one day.

In the same vein, we stumbled into a place called Bondi Sushi. We had to try the hand rolls and some of the other simple, small rolls. It is kind of an omakase place, yet they were incredibly kind and patient with our kids. The sushi was fresh and high quality, and we’d love to return here someday too.

Statue of Liberty (✅)

I had had it on the bucket list to visit the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island, so we researched the ever-living out of it to make it happen. After all that research, we realized some things. Waiting in line for (possibly) hours to take the ferry to the island, then wait around on the island and strain our necks looking up at it, and then wait for ages again to be able to leave? Probably wouldn’t be very pleasant with such young kids. So, we took one of the 60 minute river cruises! We saw both the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges up close, saw a wonderful view of the Manhattan skyline, and got up close to the Statue without the big wait times!

It worked for us, though one day I hope to go back to be able to climb up into the crown and see the view from there!

Teddy’s Bar & Grill

After Mass that evening, we made our way to Teddy’s Bar & Grill in Brooklyn. Frank and I happen to be big fans of the movie The Intern, with Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro. There is a post-heist scene set at this bar, and we thought it would be fun to visit and eat dinner there. The massive soft pretzel was the best we’ve had so far, and my burger and Frank’s wings were both scrumptious. We are very thankful for the visit and would be very likely to return on the next NYC trip!

Day Six

We had one last day in NYC, and we had intended to visit the American Museum of Natural History. It didn’t end up happening, as it took us a little too long to get back together and my mom had a somewhat early train back to Bristol. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the last of our quality time together, ate some food at the food court in the Moynihan Train Hall, got one last round at Cha Cha Matcha, and sent her on her way! Frank also wasn’t feeling very well, so we made our way back to Philly in order to get a little rest. It had been a number of thrilling but exhausting days, and we did need to take a little bit of a break.

Final Reflection

There are still dozens of things to do and see on our bucket list in NYC/Brooklyn alone. So, naturally, of course we will be back someday. We will probably have many repeat visits to New York. These incredibly special six days, however, will always be immensely cherished. Though our kids are likely too young to remember most of what we did and saw, Frank and I will treasure these memories forever. That special New York feeling and energy is unmatched. We wrapped up our time simultaneously drained and completely invigorated. I truly cannot wait to eventually go back!