New York, New York- April 22-30, 2023

Evan finally agreed it was time a NYC trip together! Even though this was my fourth trip here, I was still nervous to navigate completely by myself. We also wanted help getting into the museums cheaper with a military discount. Therefore, we called Aaron to meet us for as much as he could for the week. Aaron didn't have anything specific to add to our itinerary, so all of the planning was up to me (which is fine by me)! I added things I wanted to do again, things I wanted Evan to see, and things neither one of us had done. A week was still not enough time! Evan was still nervous about going, but thankfully one of his coworkers used to live there and calmed some of his nerves. We decided to stay in Newark to save money on the hotel and just take the train into town every day.

Day 1- We spent most of the first day just taking in the sights and getting used to the crowds in the Midtown and Times Square area. We had to stop and get umbrellas! We walked through the theater district to see the marquees for different plays. We got to Times Square early in the day, so it was oddly 'empty' and bare. We toured the Empire State Building and went to the deck. Even though it was cloudy and raining, it was a good choice for the first day so Evan could see the layout of the city. We walked to Rockefeller Center and walked through the shops and restaurants underneath the building. I had to stop for a while to treat my first low blood sugar. We went to FAO Schwarz (and saw the Big piano), NBC Studios, Nintendo Store, and Radio City Music Hall. We also went to the M&M Store and Midtown Comics. We went to a matinee to see Wicked (our first time) at the Gershwin Theater. We absolutely loved this play! By the end of the day, we walked a total of 10.35 miles!

Day 2- This day was our Central Park day! Evan got to take his first subway ride. We got a week long pass to use for our time in NYC. I absolutely love the tranquility of the park in such a busy city. We started at the south end of the park at the Plaza (where Hugh Jackman was staying!) We walked north along the trails until we got to Central Park Zoo. It's a small zoo, but they had a really neat sealion show while we were there. We walked the famous Literary Walk to Bethesda Fountain. We saw the famous Bow Bridge. We also walked to Belvedere Castle. That walk had some elevation to it, and we got warm and tired by the end of it! We saw Cleopatra's Needle, an obelisk outside of the Met. We visited the Lexington Candy Shop, but it was too busy to buy anything. Of course we stopped at the Sheffield House from 'The Nanny' (a must for me). We walked around inside of Grand Central Station. We went to the NY Public Library where we saw the original stuffed animals that inspired 'Winnie the Pooh'. While we were there, there was an exhibit displaying several famous books, writings, and other famous items from literary history. We even got to see Charles Dickens' desk! Surprisingly, we only walked 8.68 miles this day!

Day 3- Today was the Financial District, Chinatown, and Little Italy! Our first stop was to Battery Park. Evan saw his first close views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. He said seeing it was enough and didn't want to tour (I had toured both before). We walked around Castle Clinton, aka Castle Garden, the immigration port before Ellis Island where my 3x great grandma came through. We saw Charging Bull and Fearless Girl (she was in a different spot from the last time I saw her). We also saw the New York Stock Exchange Building. We went to Trinity Church and saw the burial site of Alexander Hamilton. We went to the One World Trade Center and Reflecting Pools at the sites of the towers. We walked through Little Italy and Chinatown hoping for some food, but we felt too harassed by the waiters in Little Italy and the non-English menus in Chinatown. We did get some souvenirs in both areas though. We walked back through Soho to see Richard Castle's house from 'Castle'! We accidentally found the 'Climate Clock'. We walked to Washington Square Park and saw Washington Square Arch and the Hangman's Elm (supposedly 300 years old and the oldest in Manhattan, rumored to be the site of several hangings during Revolutionary times). I believe it was this day that we also had some time to explore Greenwich Village and go the The Strand Bookstore and Forbidden Planet. Because we took the subway more today, we only walked 7.24 miles. Aaron flew in from Orlando this night and met up with us at the hotel.

Day 4- We started the day with one of my favorites- the High Line! I have found that I tend to love the areas of peace in the middle of chaotic city life. Evan thought this walk was okay, but he wasn't as excited as I get! The High Line is an old elevated subway track that the city turned into a peaceful walking area to 'escape' the city. We did some walking and shopping in the Chelsea Market. We walked through several parks (Aaron's favorite part) and saw some beautiful tulips. We went into Greenwich Village to see the 'Friends' apartment building. We went to Joe's Pizza, a famous pizza place that Evan had researched. We all agreed we would go back to NYC anytime just to get a slice of this pizza! Aaron was on a quest to find a fishing line used for people who observe Jewish traditions of not doing certain things on the Sabbath outside of their 'fence'. Because of this, a fishing line was placed all around Manhattan. I didn't know if we would ever find it. Lucky for us, we started really looking as soon as we got done with our pizza, and there it was! Our next stop was the Modern Museum of Art (MoMA). We saw Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup, Water Lilies, Starry Night, and many other famous paintings. We walked by Carnegie Hall, the Russian Tea Room, and up to Columbia University. We went up there to see President Grant's tomb (I think the only reason Evan agreed to see NYC). I needed to treat another low blood sugar, so it was the perfect time to stop at Gray's Papaya, the best hot dogs in NYC! We walked by the Flatiron Building (under construction). We also went to the Harry Potter Store New York. This was amazing! Evan was excited for a chance to get more Butterbeer! Of course we had to buy some souvenirs! On our walk back, we also found some Boba for me! I knew our days with Aaron would bring us more mileage- 11.81 miles for the day! I had to buy a knee brace to add to my foot brace and wrist brace. Haha!

Day 5- This day was a little different! We left NYC and drove out to Oyster Bay and the burial site of President Theodore Roosevelt. While there, I stopped at a cemetery to get a tombstone picture for a coworker. We drove to Coney Island to walk the beach and get a famous Nathan's hot dog. I was excited because the schools for Orthodox Jews were having field trips. It was cracking me up to see the kids with their curls and yamakas riding the Cyclone. It was really cold, but I'm glad we were able to go! We ended up driving through all five boroughs in the same day (all of our first time in all 5)! We drove back to the hotel and took the train back into Manhattan. We rode the Tramway to Roosevelt Island, a 2 mile island beneath the Queensboro Bridge. The island was used as a Penitentiary Hospital, insane asylum, workhouse, and Smallpox Hospital. This was another peaceful location that doesn't get many people. We had amazing views of the city. The building for the Smallpox Hospital was overrun with ivy and looked so domineering on the tiny island. Aaron left us to catch up with some friends for a night out. From the island, we were also able to see the United Nations. On our way back through Penn Station, we saw the site where WWE held an event with a ring set up in the station. With all of that driving, this day only brought us 6.63 miles.

Day 6- We walked through part of Central Park again to go to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met). The painting, statues, suits of armor, exhibits, etc. in this museum were phenomenal. We saw so many famous works of art, beautiful stained glass windows, and such informative exhibits. My favorite was 'Washington Crossing the Delaware'. I had no idea how massive it was! It was absolutely breathtaking and just inspired patriotism. After the museum, we walked around Dumbo (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) to soak in the atmosphere and get some pictures of the Manhattan Bridge. We then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge (another of my favorites). These views are absolutely amazing, even though it was cold and raining. We walked back through the Financial District to see an 18th century cistern accidentally discovered during construction. We also walked by a tavern where Sons of Liberty would gather during the Revolution. By the end of this day, we were exhausted and feeling it- 12.47 miles!

Day 7- We started this rainy day at the one Evan was looking forward to the most, the Museum of Natural History. We loved seeing the exhibits on the animals, gemstones, dinosaur fossils, etc. We also went to The Morgan Library and Museum. I fell in love with the collection of books here! This was a short day bringing us 7.54 miles.

This was such an amazing week! We had a lot more downtime than I thought I would allow myself, but by the end of the week, I could have used more from the way my legs and feet were feeling! We walked over 64 miles this trip! Aaron had one more day in the city while we used our last day to drive back home. We were anxious to get back home though because while we were gone, grandma got admitted in the hospital and was diagnosed with rheumatic encephalopathy. This had been an amazing adventure, and I am always ready for my next trip to NYC! Despite this being my fourth visit, I have yet to ride in a taxi!