gladysjpadilla posted: " "Concrete Jungle where Dreams are made of. There's nothing you can't do" ~ Alicia Keys There are dreams, childhood dreams, lifelong dreams. And then there is New York. For as long as I can remember, New York has been on my bucket list. Marry" The Working Mom Chronicles
"Concrete Jungle where Dreams are made of. There's nothing you can't do"
~ Alicia Keys
There are dreams, childhood dreams, lifelong dreams. And then there is New York.
For as long as I can remember, New York has been on my bucket list. Marrying my husband--it was on his dream destinations too. And so when the opportunity presented itself to go to New York for my cousins wedding, we found a reason to finally make our dream a reality.
It took a lot of arrangements to make this trip. From permissions and leaves both in school and office, to buying our winter gear, to planning our itinerary, everything took months to iron the details. We had two weeks to plan a dream itinerary, and we pulled out all the stops. I'm grateful to have Nikki, Bryan, Steve and Leigh on as their tips helped us make the most out of the vacation:
Shake Shack. The first ever shake shack in the world was in New York. It was in the middle of Madison Park where we took a bite of our favorite burgers and Sofie's newest discovery, her new favorite milkshakes.
Friends Experience. As fans of this beloved sitcom, it was necessary for us to go and do the experience. Surreal to experience the show through the made up sets, made even more poignant with the recent passing of Matthew Perry. Good to have had a copy of his book also in a Hudson stand.
Hudson Yards and the Vessel. Another must-see, but another last minute addition to our itinerary. Lovely to see the lighted hot air balloons up close.
Legoland. We had hesitations to book as the park seemed to cater to younger children. But Sofia and ourselves still had fun on the rides and building our own legos.
Lotte Tree. Gossip Girl site in Serena's old hotel, and the Christmas Tree in its yard is a must-see. So glad to have visited early in the morning before mass where the crowds were not yet awake.
St Patrick's Cathedral. The massive church was a sight to behold. It was a solemn mass to celebrate advent, and to get commemorative coins and rosaries from the church.
Breakfast at Tiffany's. Oh this one was a nice surprise! After waiting for a month to get reservations, the waitlist staff came through when a cancellation opened up for us. Am I willing to take it? Oh yes! Dream come true to have tea at Tiffany's amidst its famous blue boxes. Got myself a souvenir mug too for the experience.
Saks Fifth Avenue Lights. It was raining that day, which dispersed the crowds a bit. So we were able to get some space to enjoy the lights show and the equally mesmerizing window displays along Saks Fifth Avenue.
Macy's Santaland. This was one spontaneous booking, as an afternoon slot opened up for us. We took it gratefully and lined up for ninety minutes to see Santa. Good thing the displays around gave us good opportunities to amuse ourselves and take nice family photos as well.
Wicked. Broadway show is a must for this musical family, and we chose Wicked (who fortuitously celebrated our magical number 20th anniversary this year!) to enrich Sofie's treasure trove of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz saga. The actors, set and production seemed to be more festive from its Manila run, and we were glad to experience this at an orchestra level, one of the first tickets I booked early for our trip.
Times Square. No trip in New York is complete without setting foot in this ever-busy square, where tourists abound and lights (and Alicia Keys!) are on 24/7. Concrete Jungle's best definition is in Times Square.
Papillon. One of the five Christmas bars in New York, I was lucky enough to secure a table two months ahead with the only opening they had for December, and it was for lunch too. The place was full of christmas decor and even more christmas cheer.
Grand Central Station. I was in awe of the main concourse, as this was the setting for most movies that I've watched in my lifetime. Just taking in the hustle and bustle of this place was enough to transport us magically into those movies.
New York Public Library. Oh the nerd in me must see the Rose reading room (which we had to go back for during the public viewing hours). But we did enjoy seeing the exhibits of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol, the inspirations from Winnie the Pooh, and even the first written Bible.
Hudson Yards. So thankful to have booked the igloo for ninety minutes; the heater did wonders for our freezing limbs. I took a power nap cocooned inside our little nest, after savoring the hot chocolate and the truffliest philly cheesesteak that hubby got from the Christmas market.
Statue of Liberty. At the last minute, we decided to take a 1920s inspired boat instead of the free Staten Island ferry to experience Lady Liberty more up close. We had most of the boat to ourselves, and the staff even helped us take great photos of Liberty and the skyline.
Wall Street. The Bull and The Fearless girl were tourist spots and shots, and we took time to walk around the financial district.
World Trade Center Memorial. This was a somber moment, as we paid respects to the heroes of 9-11. Very humbling to stand at the feet of where these twin towers stood, and to pray for the countless lives taken during this defining moment in NY's history.
The Plaza. To live like Eloise and Kevin McAllister is the dream; to spend the day enjoying afternoon tea with cousins is sublime. Santa doling out sleigh bells and yuletide wishes was a definite plus as well.
Build-a-Bear. This was where Melody and Miss Liberty were born. Sofia had a blast stuffing and dressing up her new babies. Even got certificates too. Very legit.
Top of the Rock. One of two observatories that we went to. We booked for a sunset view, and what a view it was. The silhouette and the colors reflecting on the city's skyscrapers was so beautiful! One of our best family photos yet.
Radio City Rockettes. What better way to ring in the Christmas spirit than to watch the ever famous Rockettes ladies can-can through Christmas carols. Took photos of the giant ornaments too outside.
Woodburry. Ahhh the outlets. Finally time to swipe and do some serious retail therapy. Bought an extra luggage for all other extra bags that I bought as gifts and pasalubongs to family. Dad bought as some jewelry charms also.
Museum of Ice Cream. We could not push through with weekend sleepover due to some sudden illness from our cousins, so we opted to do museum of ice cream instead. This was such a pink blast! Daughter had so much fun with the unlimited ice cream, the slides and ball pits. Will definitely recommend for those with kids and kids-at-heart.
St Paul Church. Our family passed by this church on the way home, and decided to attend Gaudate Sunday. We were blessed to be chosen to offer the gifts. Very humbling experience.
Paw Patrol. Sofie learned how to bike her way out of the activity zone, and got a medal for finishing with a zipline. We ended a day painting a porcelain Ariel, a much needed down time from our busy iti these past few days.
Museum of Natural History. We followed the path of Night at the Museum, where we got to see Dum-dum (and the Philippines artifacts), Capuchin Monkey, The T-Rex, and Teddy Roosevelt.
One Summit Vanderbilt. The Summit was an amazing experience, and I'm glad we got to see the New York skyline at night. As a city girl, the view is spectacular and one of the best I've seen in my lifetime. Daughter loved the floating balls so much.
Brooklyn Bridge and Dumbo. Oh it was freezing! But we soldiered on and caught the first rays of the sun at the bridge and at Dumbo. Worth the Sacrifice.
NBA at Barclays. My first time to watch the NBA live, and glad we caught a game between the Knicks and the Nets. It was a teaching moment for our daughter to learn about basketball, and it was a dream for hubby to watch this live.
Central Park. Our trip's highlight, and one of our favorite days. We spent two days in the park, ate at Tavern (delicious Christmas meal!), tried the Eggnog and Cider, rode one of the oldest carousels in the city, did both the pedicab tours and the carriage ride, and got our family photos taken over the Gapstow bridge, The Mall and the Fountain. Best way to end our trip!
Travelling with a family is different than travelling for business. It was my first time to be out of the country for two weeks, which meant more planning, more clothes to pack, and more time to ensure that all of our wish lists were fulfilled. But being with family on a trip also meant more considerations for morning rituals, mood swings, and our own budget to be spent. A lot of these discussions we had prior and during the trip itself, but we wanted to make sure that we carried on a positive, patient and more forgiving disposition with each other. It was nice to have someone carry my luggages (and shopping bags too!), and to take photos the way we wanted to.
It really pays to book in advance, as we got good seats for our shows including Broadway's Wicked and Rockettes, and restaurant seating at those hard to book venues like Tea at the Plaza, Papillon and Tavern on the Green. Some of our trip items were also delightful surprises, and those that we booked on a whim or opened up at the last minute during the trip: Macy's Santaland, The Blue Box, Santa at the Plaza, Museum of Ice Cream, the pedicab for Central Park.
Safety too was always a priority, which was why we opted out of experiencing the subway and took Lyfts everywhere instead. We warned our daughter not to talk to strangers and to strange mascots or monks, and we stayed away from irate locals who had more colorful language than most. There were some protesters over the Israel-Palestinian war, because of the Jews in New York, so we tried to be more conscious and reroute our itinerary if they came across these activities.
Oh the weather outside was frightful! Temperature dropped to 0 degrees, which felt like even less, so layers of thermals, sweaters, winter coats and waterproof boots were our saviors. I was freezing and chilling one day after Brooklyn Bridge, but glad I was able to warm up enough to continue our trip.
We knew that it was a once-in-a-lifetime vacation in New York, and we don't know exactly when we will be back. This is why we pulled out all the stops and committed all these tourist spots to memory. For sure, we created a lifetime of memories for this trip.
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