Tourist for a Day in NYC

Even though I grew up a mere 1.5 hours north of NYC, I never spent much time there. I would occasionally go down with a school trip or with my mom to see a broadway play but we'd only take the train down, go to the play, maybe have lunch somewhere near times square, and then get back on the train to go back home. So I feel like I've missed a lot of what there is to see in NYC. I saw Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty with the Girl Scouts so those are already checked off of my list. But I haven't seen the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, or the 9/11 Memorial. Among other things! I also enjoy just walking around the city and soaking in all the different cultures so I'm always game to just go down and wander around and eat.

Anyway, first stop for this trip was the tree at Rockefeller Center! We headed over there with about 1 million other people. Everybody was friendly and having a good time so it wasn't so bad. We took a few pictures and got out of there quickly though.





Next up, St Patrick's cathedral. Really pretty on the outside - completely under construction on the inside. I think it'll look amazing once they're all done with it.



Street crossing.



Next up we walked along the Highline, which is an old railroad track that runs along the west side of Manhattan from 34th street down to 12th street. It will be expanded more over time as well. It was a really nice walking path (though crowded) with a lot of benches and tables and lounges and viewing platforms and the occasional view of the river. It was a gorgeous day, very warm in the sun, so I can't blame everybody else for being out walking with us.



Lots of neat views of the different streets from the Highline. You could sit and watch the cars go by underneath you at most crossings.



Next we continued our trek down the island of Manhattan with tapas and wine at Boqueria in Soho. I'd recommend it if you're in the mood for some tapas and wine. They also had a brunch menu but we wanted tapas.



And, finally, we went to a Blue Man Group show. Those guys are very entertaining. After the show we headed back up to Rhinebeck. We still have a lot of things to see in NYC so this story is to be continued next year sometime ...