The Library Hotel
I thought we should start out with my #1 recommended place to stay. I first learned about the Library Hotel on an old Travel Channel show (that is sadly no longer on) called Great Hotels, which was hosted by the now famous (& always fabulous) Samantha Brown. This 60 room boutique hotel, located just down the street from the New York City Public Library & Bryant Park, is an easy walk from both Penn Station & Grand Central Station, as well as several subway lines. I’ve stayed in two types of rooms at the hotel: a very tiny, but charming, single room (when I was traveling solo) & a slightly larger full room. All the rooms are numbered by the Dewey Decimal System (doesn’t that throw you back to elementary school?), with each of the 10 floors having a different “theme,” based on one of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System: Social Sciences, Languages, Math & Science, Technology, The Arts, Literature, History, General Knowledge, Philosophy, & Religion. The hotel is so comfortable & the perfect place to curl up with coffee & a book (something I, unfortunately, haven’t yet had the chance to do). The staff is friendly & welcoming. A highlight of the hotel is the continental breakfast & afternoon wine & cheese reception, both of which are included in your room rate & take place in the lovely second floor reading room.
The Library Hotel
http://www.libraryhotel.com/
299 Madison Avenue at 41st Street, New York, NY, 10017
(212) 983-4500
http://www.libraryhotel.com/
299 Madison Avenue at 41st Street, New York, NY, 10017
(212) 983-4500
Central Park
My favorite time to stroll through Central Park, no matter what time of year, is first thing Sunday morning. You will largely have the park to yourself, except for a few joggers who are out enjoying the morning solitude. As you walk past the different areas of the park, your mind wanders back to the historic events that have happened there. Strawberry Fields, the memorial to John Lennon, who was killed outside his apartment building across the street. The Great Lawn, home to many concerts & even a Mass led by Pope John Paul II in 1995. The Alice in Wonderland & Balto statues, quiet now, but filled with children later in the day. The Central Park Lake, filled with row boats. To walk the entire park is quite a feat – it’s huge – so I recommend picking a section to explore. My favorite route: enter the park by the Pond (the corner of Central Park South & Fifth Avenue) & follow the path up the Literary Walk to the Bethesda Terrace. Keep going to the right, past the Loeb Boathouse, before heading left, around The Lake, across the Bow Bridge, down past Strawberry Fields, exiting the park around W 72 Street & Central Park West. But that’s just me. The park is yours to discover.
Central Park
http://www.centralparknyc.org
http://www.centralparknyc.org
Bryant Park & the New York Public Library
My other favorite green spot in New York City is Bryant Park. You’ll find this park bustling in the afternoon, which bocce ball players, sun bathers, & children riding the carousel. There are lots of trees & shady places to grab a chair, pull out a good book, & relax. An area with a storied – & sometimes rough – history, the park has been revitalized to what it is today: a true escape in the middle of NYC’s urban landscape.
It took me several trips to New York to be able to actually go inside the main branch of the New York Public Library – it always seemed to be closed for private events. Inside you’ll find cavernous ceilings, long corridors & a pretty good gift shop. Even if you can’t get inside, stop by outside to take in the beautiful architecture of this historic building, famously guarded by the twin lions out front.
Bryant Park
http://www.bryantpark.org/
Bryant Park is situated behind the New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan,
http://www.bryantpark.org/
Bryant Park is situated behind the New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan,
between 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
New York Public Library
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
http://www.nypl.org/
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
As a rule, I am not a modern art fan. I would much rather look at Monet, Degas & Seurat than Pollock & Warhol. Yet, the New York Museum of Modern Art (lovingly known as MoMA) keeps calling me back. Located conveniently in midtown, MoMA is located inside a gorgeous glass building that blends seamlessly in with its neighbors. The regular exhibits range from Lichtenstein & Pollock to Monet & Dali to architecture & photography. Make sure & check what special exhibit is running as well; last summer I saw a stunning collection Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photos (made a day trip up to NYC just to see the exhibit!). Before you leave, you must check out the gift shop – in addition to prints & books, they have lots of neat little trinkets, gadgets & cool stuff you never knew you needed (like these coasters shaped like pieces of toast).
MoMA
http://www.moma.org
11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019
(212) 708-9400
Note: the museum is closed on Tuesdays
http://www.moma.org
11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019
(212) 708-9400
Note: the museum is closed on Tuesdays
The Strand
I waited for a solo trip to NYC to visit The Strand for the first time. I knew that my husband, for as patient of a traveler as he is, would have no patience spending hours & hours in a used bookstore. A used bookstore with 18 miles worth of books, to be exact. This “family run, independent business” (random fact: the store is owned by Nancy Bass Wyden & her husband, Ron Wyden, the U.S. Senator from Oregon) is a breath of fresh air in a world of big box bookstores. Their main store at 12th Street & Broadway has over 200 employees & more than 2.5 million used, new & rare books. It is a book lovers paradise. Rows & rows of books stacked as high as the eye can see on every subject manner imaginable. Of course you have to pick something up while you’re there. On my first visit, I purchased a book of architectural walking tours in NYC & a Strand tote bag.
The Strand
http://www.strandbooks.com/
828 Broadway New York, NY 10003-4805
(212) 473-1452
Top of the Rock
It’s one of history’s great questions: to visit the top of the Empire State Building or the top of 30 Rock on a visit to NYC? Okay, maybe not, but I’ve been told by many visitors that this is a question they struggle with. My choice? 30 Rock & this is why: why visit the top of the Empire State Building, where you don’t have a view of this beautiful piece of architecture, when you could visit a taller building down the street that allows you to look at the Empire State Building?
Observation Deck on the Top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza
http://www.rockefellercenter.com/tour-and-explore/top-of-the-rock-observation-deck/
30 Rockefeller Plaza (Entrance on 50th Street), New York, NY 10112
(212) 698-2000
30 Rockefeller Plaza (Entrance on 50th Street), New York, NY 10112
(212) 698-2000
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge may very well be the coolest place in all of Manhattan. I know this because the day I walked this famous bridge last July, it was 103 degrees out. Yet, when I was on the bridge, there was a magnificent breeze & it was easily 15 degrees cooler. Needless to say, I walked across the bridge very slowly that day.
No matter what the weather, a visit to this landmark is a must. The walk takes about an hour if you go at a leisurely pace & stop to take photos along the way. It’s easy to access, even if you only want to walk one direction. Take the subway down to the Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall exit in the city or to the High Street-Brooklyn Bridge stop in Brooklyn (this isn’t the prettiest walk, but it’s the closest). If you’re there in the summer, you can take a convenient water taxi either way. Stop to enjoy the views along the way & once you arrive in Brooklyn (or before you depart), walk along the promenade for some of the best skyline views of Manhattan you’ll ever see.
Visiting Ground Zero
It always surprises me when people tell me they have been to New York City multiple times & have never been to Ground Zero. I make it a point, on every trip there, to visit this hollowed ground for at least a little bit. As an American, it seems like my patriotic duty to do so. To remember those whose lives were lost on that terrible day & to support those who are trying to heal the gaping hole that was left in lower Manhattan almost ten years ago. Yes, Ground Zero itself looks like a giant construction zone. But over the years, as I have watched the Freedom Tower start to take shape & the memorial pools form, it looks less like a construction zone & more like an area coming back to life.
For the best views of Ground Zero, go inside the World Financial Center buildings that are on the west side of the site (they’re open to walk through even on the weekend). I like to stop here, look out, remember, & say a quick prayer; you’ll see others doing the same. On the south side of the site, there’s a makeshift sidewalk with plaques bearing the names of those who died on September 11. On the east side of the site is FDNY Station No. 10, which suffered devastating losses on that day – stop & look at the moving art they have installed on the side of their station to pay tribute to their fallen colleagues.
Whether you visit Ground Zero during your trip to New York is up to you. But in my mind, a trip to the city is not complete without it.
Union Square Farmer’s Market
The Union Square farmer’s market is a lovely, non-touristy way to spend a Saturday morning, & a great chance to mingle with actual New Yorkers who are out with their families. The market is open year-round & during the holidays has a fantastic holiday market, which takes up a good portion of the square. Grab a cup of hot cider (or an iced coffee) & spend an hour browsing the different vendor stalls.
Union Square
http://www.grownyc.org/unionsquaregreenmarket
north and west sides of Union Square Park – corner of E 17th Street & Broadway
Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
http://www.grownyc.org/unionsquaregreenmarket
north and west sides of Union Square Park – corner of E 17th Street & Broadway
Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
Eating a hot pretzel in Times Square at midnight (bonus points if it’s lightly snowing)
This is my New York City tradition. You simply have to try it. You’ll feel like a dorky tourist, but in my mind, for this one activity, that is a-okay.
This is my New York City tradition. You simply have to try it. You’ll feel like a dorky tourist, but in my mind, for this one activity, that is a-okay.
Other favorites to include in your visit to the Big Apple (lets be honest, this post could be an entire guidebook):
– standing in the middle of Grand Central Station by the famous clock
– chowing down on a slice of Ray’s/Famous Ray’s/ Original Ray’s New York pizza
– catching a show at Radio City Music Hall
– visiting at the holidays to take in all the beautiful holiday decorations
– heading to the top of the Empire State Building at night
– window shopping along Fifth Avenue
– hopping on the Staten Island Ferry for a free trip to see the Statue of Liberty
– standing in the middle of Grand Central Station by the famous clock
– chowing down on a slice of Ray’s/Famous Ray’s/ Original Ray’s New York pizza
– catching a show at Radio City Music Hall
– visiting at the holidays to take in all the beautiful holiday decorations
– heading to the top of the Empire State Building at night
– window shopping along Fifth Avenue
– hopping on the Staten Island Ferry for a free trip to see the Statue of Liberty
Disagree with any of my suggestions or have a favorite I didn’t mention? Leave a comment below!
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