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5 Day NYC Itinerary🍎

 We spent our girls Fall Break in NYC. This was their first time visiting New York City. Because of the girls age difference (15 & 9) Greg and I split up a few times to make it more enjoyable for both. Charlotte is interested in Fashion design, so I added a few stops that she would enjoy.  Day one was the busiest day so we got an early start. My girls were excited to see NYC, so they didn’t mind the long day. Remember the subway and Uber are your friends in NYC.

Day 1:

•Angelina Bakery- Donuts (Italian-Style). I loved the Nutella!

•Rockefeller Center
•St. Patrick’s Cathedral 
•5th Avenue- shopping
•Grand Central Terminal- check out the Main Concourse Ceiling
•Chrysler Building- Take a pic
•The New York Public Library- Take a look inside. 😍
•Bryant Park- right behind the library 
•Angelina Paris- lunch
•Macy’s Herald Square- More shopping 😂
•Empire State Building-we didn’t go in but great views from Macy’s 

•Mood fabric store- Project Runway was filmed here 

•The FIT Museum- It’s free
•Chelsea Market- boutiques, shops, delicious restaurants & food stalls. 

•Little Island
•The High Line- Once a railroad track and now a park. It’s about a mile and a half long.

•Vessel- Loved seeing the Vessel at night

•Hudson Yards- Lots of shopping, but we were ready for bed. 

Mood Fabrics

The High Line

Vessel

The Met

Day 2: We split up today…

•The MET- Greg & Charlotte

•Natural History Museum- Me & Cicily 
•Central Park- Explored Central Park together 
•Serendipity 3- lunch &🍨 
•Roller Skating at Rockefeller Center- Greg & Cicily
•Broadway show- Beetlejuice, Me & Charlotte 

Oculus

Day 3:

•Staten Island Ferry- Take the Staten Island Ferry for free views of the Statue of Liberty.

•The Seaglass Carousel- The fish you sit in glows as you ride, simulating a trip under the sea. Just a short walk from the Staten Island Ferry. 

•Battery Playscape- Cicily loved this park! 
Wall Street: 
•Charging Bull- Symbol of financial optimism & prosperity
•Fearless Girl- Four foot sculpture promoting female empowerment.
•Federal Hall- This is the spot where George Washington was sworn in as President & where the first US Congress was held. 
•Trinity Church- Hamilton fans: The founding father is buried at Trinity Church cemetery. 
•9/11 Memorial- We didn’t go into the Museum. I thought Cicily was too young. 

 •Oculus- Part shopping mall, part subway stop & part memorial. 

Fearless Girl

China town:

•Vanessa’s Dumplings- 😋Spicy beef fried dumplings
•Broadway show- Harry Potter and The Cursed Child 

Washington St. & Front St. Get a picture of the Manhattan Bridge & Empire State Building. 

Day 4:

•Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge- It’s 1.1 miles and took about an hour with all the stops. 
•Pictures @ Washington St. & Front St.
•Brooklyn Bridge Park
•Pebble Beach- For views of Manhattan

•Jane’s Carousel- Built in 1922
•Lunch at Time Out Market- 24 restaurants. Don’t miss the 5th floor rooftop terrace for views of the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan skyline. 
•Jacques Torres Chocolate- Our friends from Brooklyn have been coming here for years. The gelato & chocolate were really good!😋 Jacques is a French pastry chef and chocolatier based in New York. 

Brooklyn’s Flea Market

•Brooklyn Flea- Brooklyn’s largest flea market. Open every Saturday & Sunday.

Coney Island:
•Coney Island Boardwalk- We took the subway from DUMBO to Coney Island, it took about half an hour to get there. 
•Luna Park- Fun rides…🎢 Check out the Cyclone roller coaster… built in 1927.
•Nathan’s Original Restaurant- 🌭The original location, opened in 1916.

Day 5:

•Ellen’s Stardust Diner- Singing waiters 
•Flatiron Building- get a pic 
•Harry Potter Store
•Strand Bookstore- For book lovers ❤️. This giant bookstore sells everything from new books to used books and rare books. 
•Museum of Illusion 
Greenwich Village: Greg & Cicily found a park while Charlotte & I visited:
•Bleecker Street 😍
•Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment (Sex and the City) 64 Perry Street 
•Friends apartment- 90 Bedford St. 
•Washington Square- The center of NYU student life: campus buildings surround the square and a great spot for people-watching. Checkout the fountain!

•Los Tacos No. 1 (said to be the best tacos in NYC) Delish! 340 Lafayette St. 
•Levain bakery 😋 (next door)
•SoHo- Designer boutiques, restaurants and cafes. On Broadway between Canal Street & Houston are the chain stores like H&M, Uniqlo, etc.  Venture off to smaller streets like Sullivan, West Broadway, and Thomson to see the real charm of Soho. 

Things to see in Central Park:

•The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir
•Bow Bridge
•Literary Walk
•Bethesda Terrace & Fountain
•Strawberry Fields & Dakota Building
•The Lake
•Shakespeare Garden
•Belvedere Castle
•Conservatory Garden
•The Obelisk
•Alice in Wonderland statue 
•The Met
•The Ramble

Activities in Central Park: 
•Picnic at Sheep Meadow
•Rent a bike
•Ice or roller skate at Wollman Rink
•Go for a run
•Take a carriage ride
•Watch a free concert or play
•Rent a boat at The Lake 
•Watch the sailboats at Conservatory Water
•Take a bike tour
•Central Park Zoo
•Central Park Carousel

NYC FOOD BUCKET LIST:
•Los Tacos No. 1
•Balthazar
•Katz’s Deli (Home of “I’ll have what she’s having”)😆
•Momofuku Noodle Bar
•Buvette- Brunch
•Angelina Paris
•Ellen’s Stardust Diner- Singing servers
•Vanessa’s Dumpling House- Spicy beef fried dumplings 😋
•John’s Pizza
•Artichoke Basille’s Pizza
•Black Tap- Burgers & dessert 
•Carmine’s Italian Restaurant 
•The Halal Guys- Middle Eastern food stand 
•Empanada Mama

Bagels:
•Absolute Bagels
•Kossar’s Bagels 
•Ess-a-Bagel. 

Hotdog:
•Grays Papaya

Levain Bakery 

Dessert:
•Magnolia Bakery- Banana pudding 
•Junior’s Restaurant & Bakery- Cheesecake 
•Levain Bakery- Chocolate pb chip
•Amorino Gelato
•Angelina Bakery NYC 
•Doughnut Plant- Crème Brûlée 
•Serendipity 3- Frozen Hot Chocolate 😋
•Dominique Ansel Bakery- Frozen S’more on a stick


Public Markets:
•Time Out Market New York in Dumbo- 24 Restaurants 
•Chelsea Market- Most famous food market in NYC 
•Eataly- Italian food & products 

*We stayed at the Sheraton New York Time Square. It’s nothing fancy but I like the location. It’s between Time Square and Central Park. 

Florida Keys Road Trip☀️

Our favorite stops between Miami and Key West...

Day 1: It’s 1.5 hours to drive from Miami to Key Largo. 

📍Key Largo: 

Check out John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. It has a has a beautiful beach and many activities to choose from:

•Snorkel to Christ of the Abyss 

•Powerboat rentals

•Kayaking & paddleboarding

•Camping

•Swimming

•Fishing

•Visit the Visitor’s Center’s aquarium

•Trails

Day 2:

📍Islamorada: 

Robbie’s of Islamorada: 

•Hand-feed the massive tarpon at Robbie’s. You’ll also see pelicans and manatees. 

•Visit an Island ghost town. It takes 30 minutes to kayak to Indian Key Historic State Park from Robbie’s (you can rent a kayak there). It was once home to a community of wreckers in the early 1800’s. 

•Don’t miss kayaking to the nearby Islamorada mangroves from Robbie’s. We loved seeing all of the wildlife. 

•From Robbie’s you can rent a boat and visit Alligator Reef Light House. 

•If you’re a fan of the Netflix original series Bloodline it was filmed in Islamorada. They have a boat tour you can take to see filming locations

•Try the pizza at the Italian Food Company

Day 3:

📍7 Mile Bridge:

•The Seven Mile Bridge is the longest bridge in the Keys and a spectacular sight with turquoise waters and picturesque views. 

📍Key West:

•We took a sail, snorkel & kayak day trip that included food and drinks on Danger Charters. 💦 🤿 🐠 

•Take your photo at the Southernmost Point and Mile Marker Zero

•Climb the Key West Lighthouse

 

•Tour the Hemingway Home:

Ernest Hemingway lived in Key West from 1931-1940. You'll learn about his life as a writer, fisherman, and cat lover. His first kitten, Snow White, had six toes. You will meet descendants of Hemingway’s famous 6-toed cats. 

•Mallory Square:

Home to the nightly Sunset Celebration…street performers, musicians, and artisans. The entertainment begins about two hours before sunset. Lots of shopping here and on Duval Street. 

•Try Key Lime Pie: 

It originated in Key West! We loved Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe... The coconut Key Lime was 😋!

•Take a Day Trip to Dry Tortugas National Park. You need to book a tour months in advance! When we were there the tour was cancelled because refugees had landed there. 

Day 4:

📍Everglades: Stop at Everglades National Park and do an airboat tour. We used Coopertown The Original Boat Tour. They have large boats which means: more people. If you prefer less people look for a company that has smaller boats.

📍Drive to Miami. We stayed in South Beach. 

Day 5:

•Relax on the beach

•Lunch in Little Havana. We went to Versailles. It was so good. 😋 

•We checked out the Biltmore Hotel Coral Gables... Lots of interesting history. I also love the architecture of the hotel and homes in the area. Drive around and get lost. 

•Flight home

🏡 Where to stay in the Florida Keys?  We stayed in Islamorada. Next time we go I would stay in Islamorada for a few days and then Key West since it takes two hours to drive from Islamorada to Key West. 

Washington State & Oregon Itinerary...

We LOVE the Pacific Northwest, it's become one of our favorite places to vacation! On this trip we visited  Marrowstone Island, Olympic National Park, Washington Coast & the Northern Oregon Coast.

Costa Rica

Awe... Costa Rica!  We spent 10 days in this beautiful country and visited Tortuguero, Manuel Antonio, Monte Verde & Lake Arenal.  Each destination is unique and spectacular!

France…

Bonjour! Charlotte and I spent fall break in France.🇫🇷 This was her first time in Europe and my first time since having kids. We went to the Loire Valley and saw Château’s, visited Monet’s home & garden in Giverny and spent the day in Versailles. The night before we went home we were on a Seine River cruise in Paris & saw Sarah Jessica Parker and Mr Big filming a movie. 🙌 We tried crepes, chocolate croissants🥐, gelato, macarons, etc. France was so dreamy!