Hello, Hello!
Welcome to another installment of our travel series. This one’s a bit late, but
better late than never!
Last month, a
group of friends and I took a lovely little weekend trip to NYC. It’s my best
friend’s dream city, and I’ve always wanted to go, so considering her birthday
had just passed, we decided to round up some of our friends and take a little
vacay!
We left on the
night of October 11th, by Greyhound, and after 12 hours of stories,
sleep, unflattering pictures, one late night truck stop bathroom run (which
seemed more like a prison bathroom), one stop over, and one bus driver
exchange, we finally got to the city.
Once we navigated
through Port Authority, we stepped out onto the New York streets and hailed our
first yellow cab. After directing the driver to 39th Avenue of the
Americas, and squealing over the TV’s in the back of the cab, our cab driver
stopped and we promptly got out. ONLY TO REALIZE that he had dropped us off
SOMEWHERE on the Avenue of the Americas, about 600 blocks away from where we
were supposed to be… So we hailed another cab, and proceeded to drive to what
seemed like the opposite side of the city, where our hotel actually was; but
not before our new cabdriver got pulled over by the cops.
Finally, we were at
the hotel (the Hilton Garden Inn in TriBeCa) and able to put our bags in
storage! We then grabbed some maps and headed out the door to explore for the 3
hours before our check-in time. First on our list was FOOD! We strolled down
the city blocks in search of a place we all agreed on, not that we cared at
this point. Eventually we stumbled on a little café. The doors next to our
table were open, and the sounds of the city poured in. We sat, people watching,
talking, and mapping out the places we wanted to spend our weekend. For some
reason, from the minute we stepped out into the city, it felt like home. It
didn’t feel like we just got off a bus, but rather like we woke up and called
our friends out for a bite to eat.
After lunch, we
walked around, stopped in a few stores, and headed back to the hotel to change
before heading to Central Park.
Once we were
changed and ready to go, we looked around for a cab, and after not finding any
willing to take us to the Central Park Area, we noticed a subway station right
outside our hotel. THIS DISCOVERY CHANGED THE FACE OF OUR ENTIRE WEEKEND. Note
to anyone going to New York: Don’t let the reputation of the NYC subway system
scare you. Some people say it’s hard to navigate, others say it’s rough and
tough down there. Not only was it super easy to figure out where to go, and not
only was it super fast to travel on, IT COSTS $3 TO RIDE. Instead of paying
three times that per cab ride for the whole weekend, definitely take the
subway. It’s easy, quick, and we got to hear a really cool spoken word
performance, and see an old guy singing Motown tunes. WHAT’S BETTER THAN THAT?!
By the end of the weekend, we were hopping on and off the subway like we lived
there. ALSO I got to ride “the 6”, which I thought was pretty cool (SHOUTS TO
JENNY FROM THE BLOCK).
A quick and life
changing subway ride (and a quick walk) later, we were at Central Park. We went
there with the intent to ride bikes through the park, so we found two guys
renting bikes out and we were on our way. Now, I haven’t ridden a bike in
YEARS, so I was kinda scared, but I’m telling you if you ever find yourself in
NYC: RIDE BIKES THROUGH CENTRAL PARK. It was absolutely amazing. You can’t ride
on the trails themselves, but there are roads where runners and bicyclists can
go. Riding through the crisp fall leaves, with the breeze my hair and a group
of friends in tow was one of the best experiences I’ve had. It felt like we
were in a movie. We cycled around for two hours, stopping at lakes and various
other scenic points along the way. One memorable point was Strawberry Fields.
Strawberry Fields is an area of Central Park that pays tribute to the late John
Lennon, of The Beatles, and is named after their song “Strawberry Fields
Forever”. Being there was indescribable, and I would definitely recommend you
take time out of your stroll to visit. After Strawberry Fields, we hopped back
on our bikes, and left Central Park.
We went back to the
hotel, and got ready for our night out! This was the night we decided we would
head to the party scene. Hours later, we were all ready to go. We got to the
club we planned to go to, however the cover was $50. We then cabbed to Spring
Street, an area some boys outside of the club recommended. Note to anyone
partying in NYC: cover/booth at clubs seemed to be pretty expensive. Especially
for university students used to paying $1 for beers on a Thursday night! Down
on Spring Street, things seemed to be relatively the same price until we
stumbled across what looked like a lounge with no line, no cover, good
music. We walked in, found a table, and ordered a bottle of GIN for the 6 of
us. Judging by the hazy memories of belting out 80’s classics, my best friend
getting her foot stepped on by a little girl in stilettos, and feeling like
Snoop Dogg while sippin’ on “Gin & Juice”, I gathered it was a pretty interesting
night. I really wish I could remember
the name of the place (because we didn’t look at the sign before walking in,
not because of the Gin), but if you’re ever partying in SoHo, remember Spring
Street. It has exposed brick, a gazebo and fairy lights. Yes, it was magical.
That was Day One of
our Two Day trip! Stay Tuned for Sunday!
Remember :
· Ride the subway!
·
Bike Ride through Central Park
· The little lounge near Spring Street is amazing
Have a great
Wednesday!
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