Of all the places I’ve been, I have never been to New York City. I remember the times I’ve been to Europe and telling locals I’m from the states and them asking, “Oh how is New York?”. When you think of America, you think New York City. I felt it was time to finally go! I had a break in my work where I had 5 days off, so this time seem like the perfect time. This trip was originally going to be a solo trip, but my friend Josh said he’d come.
Where I Stayed
I stayed at a hostel for this trip, HI New York City Hostel. I have stayed in a hostels before in Europe. This trip I took full advantage of the hostel experience, I signed up for the events and tours the hostel was hosting. I was open to meeting and connecting with new people. Josh was worried about staying at a hostel at first, but by the end of our stay, he was in love with the idea. I stayed in a 10-bed female dorm. Josh stayed in a 4-bed male dorm.
One thing I love about this hostel is that you are able to get to a good cheap breakfast every morning at the cafe downstairs. The prices were right and the coffee wasn’t terrible. However if you hate their coffee, there is a Dunkin’ Donuts right across the street.
My only complaint was that you could not control the temperature in the room. Some nights I’d be so cold I’d wake up in the middle of the night. And others I’d be hot and just use a sheet. But there were extra blankets on the lockers I learned later in my trip. For more information click the hyperlink above.
Top of the Rock
Located in Rockefeller Center (look for the red carpet), the Top of the Rock is in my opinion, the best view in NYC. There are 3 levels of observation. The 70th floor is an open-air roof deck. What I think makes this better then another building is it’s free of a cage enclosure. It is surrounded by glass. This makes it better for pictures and to see the city.
I went at night with my friend, Nikki. It was nice to see all the lights of the city. I would like to someday go up during the day to get a different view. They actually have a ticket option that lets you go up during the daytime and the nighttime. Basic tickets start at $34. I would buy them in advance online to skip the line.
For more information, click here
Ice skating at Rockefeller Center
When I think of New York City in the winter time, I think of ice skating in Rockefeller Center.
As you can see by this video I am not that good, but at least I didn’t fall and I had a blast! It was a little pricey for how long we actually were on the ice (30 mins).
$25 to skate, plus $12 for the skate rental. To me, the $37 was worth it to live out one of my New York Dreams, even if I wasn’t as graceful as I hoped.
For more information, click here
NBC Studio Tour
I love the news. I love politics. I get my news from NBC News and MSNBC. So you can possibly already guess my excitement about this tour. I went on a Sunday at the 12:40 tour. I would highly recommend going on a Sunday. Most of the shows are not in production on Sundays. This means that you will be able to see more studios. They do not allow photos so I have no cool pictures of all the stages. 🙁 I got to see The Tonight Show, The Late Show, Nightly News, and the most exciting, SNL! At the end, they have an interactive studio interview. I, of course, volunteered to be the host. If you’d like to see me look ridiculous click here, nbc show
The tour is $33 and lasts about an hour or some. For more information click below
Broadway 🎭 Wicked
When going to New York City, you have to see a Broadway show. I saw Wicked on a Friday night.
After the play, I learned of some ways to get cheaper tickets. Wicked has a lottery where you can get 2 lower level tickets for $35. Enter the lottery at this link.
I paid $141 for my lower level tickets from broadway.com. Broadway.com is more expensive, but they have a good seat guarantee. For example, when I first booked my ticket they gave me a refund because they found out a prop blocked my view. I think that is a good thing for the premium price.
But if you are on a budget, go can go to TKTS. TKTS Discount Booth is located under the red stairs in Time Square. You can get same-day tickets for up to 50% off. The only catch is that you need to get there early.
ChinaTown-Dim Sum VIP
Take the Subway to Canal Street and you’ll end up in Chinatown. If you are looking for a bargain or knock-off handbag this is the place to go. Just know as you walk you will be asked “handbag, glasses” a million times. If you are there just to walk around and get food, just keep on walking. I think its worth the walk.
I knew I wanted to get lunch when I was here, so of course, I look up the best place on Yelp. I found DIM SUM VIP. The information below from YELP
I had never had Dim Sum before. I would compare it to tapas, but Chinese. The food was great! Know that when you go to Chinatown, most places are cash only
Little Italy – Caffe Roma
After lunch, Nikki and I wanted coffee and dessert. What better place to go then Little Itay! We went to this cute little cafe, Caffe’ Roma. This place is cash only. For a cappuccino and a desert it was under $20 and the servings were filling.
Empire State Building
For $37 you can go to the top of one of the most famous buildings in the world. Built-in 1931 in only 11 months, was the tallest building in the world till 1970 when the World Trade Center was built. Towering over 1,250 feet in Midtown Manhattan, you get a great view of the city. Before you go make sure to download the audio guide app. When you get to the top there are numbered signs that go with the app that will tell you what buildings you are looking at. I found this helpful and interesting. For more information or tickets, click here.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah- How to Get Tickets
The First thing to do is to go to this website to get tickets to The Daily Show. Click on the date you want and pick the ticket. There are 2 tickets you can choose from, guaranteed and standby. Both tickets are free I got my ticket a month in advance, so I had to get standby. How standby work is: doors open at 5pm for guaranteed tickets, once all these people go in, they will start taking from the standby line. I got there at 4pm and there were around 20 people in front of me for the standby. IT WAS SO COLD! I waited about an hour and a half before I knew if I was going to get in or not. Once you know you’re in there give you this ticket.
After you get this ticket, you wait another hour while you go through security. Once in the studio, you wait another 1/2 hour or so for the “opening act”. The opening act is a comedian that does a set to get the crowd “hot”. Once he starts, no photos are allowed. They are serious about this and will ask you to leave. After this, the show starts. They film the show straight through. The show is around 21 minutes.
SO is all this wait worth it?
Yes and No. If you are like me and grew up watching The Daily Show, then yes. I lived out a dream of mine seeing this show. I do wish that Trevor Noah would have interacted with the crowd more. But I understand its a taping, not a meet and greet. That being said, I would have paid to have had done that.
To see the show I watched live, click here
Kate Spade Flagship Store
If you are into fashion, there is probably a shop in NYC for you. I love Kate Spade. I like that her items are reasonably priced, good quality, and some of her designs are fun. As a fan of the brand, the store was an amazing experience. I highly recommend finding your favorite designers flagship store in New York and checking it out. And yes I got a bag. 💁🏼
nursewhotravels 