Weekend in New York City

A few weeks ago, my husband and I left the kids with the grandparents and spent a weekend in New York. I thought I’d share a few of the highlights with you!

Central Park

The first day we arrived we spent the afternoon in Central Park. The day was sunny, cool and gorgeous. We started by The Plaza and grabbed a quick hot dog at a food truck. We walked arond the pond area and saw a painting class going on, which looked super fun. Then we stopped and took a picture on the Gapstow Bridge. We saw the Central Park Carousel and then walked toward the Mall area with all the benches and statues. This area was so beautiful and surprisingly peaceful. The weekend we went to NYC the trees were starting to turn a lovely yellow color with the arrival of fall. We even saw a few trees losing their leaves too. We continued to walk and saw the Bethesada Terrace and Bethesda Fountain. This area was unsurprisingly more crowded, as the ceiling tiles are amazing and the fountain is exquisite. We walked past the Lake area and saw families and school children enjoying the row boats. Lastly, we saw the Alice and Wonderland bronze statue. This area was definitely crowded with lots of families taking pictures and even a film class trying to get some footage. This was a lovely end to our Central Park adventure.

The Alice and Wonderland Statue

Look how detailed this beautiful bronze statue is!

MOMA (Museum of Modern Art)

The next morning we had tickets for the MOMA. This was such a treat! We spent most of our time on the fifth floor, which houses art from the 1880s to the 1940s. I was so thrilled to see two self-portraits by Frida Kahlo! We saw the painting called The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí. The canvas was smaller than I imagined but the details were amazing. We saw Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, which was so special. It was not only magnificent but the texture he created on this painting was resplendent. Next, we saw one of Claude Monet’s large scale water lilies panels. This panel was immense and made me feel like I was immersed in Monet’s pond and gardens in Giverny. Lastly, we saw numerous Pablo Picasso paintings, Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol and countless others. This museum was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours at during our trip.

Frida Kahlo

This painting is called Fulang-Chang and I

Broadway

One evening we enjoyed a Broadway show. This time we saw The Book of Mormon at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre. . It turned out to be way funnier than I expected! Definitely an adult show only. Last time we went to New York City we saw Moulin Rouge at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. This show is so intense, dramatic and the sets are amazing. If you are a fan of the movie, you will love this show! Going to a Broardway show is definitely a must do for first time visitors to NYC. I will say this I always thought everyone would be super dressed up to go to a Broadway show but actually most people wear jeans or casual outfits. Either way dress how you like, and just enjoy the Broadway experience!

Hamilton Grange

Alexander’s Hamilton’s country estate in Harlem

Harlem & The Belnord

On our last day, we took the subway up to Harlem. We walked around and enjoyed this peace and quiet side of town. Our main goal was to see Hamilton Grange, which is Alexander’s Hamilton’s country estate. You can book a tour or just walk around the property and stop into the visitor’s center for more information. This location was near a park and right by CCNY (The City College of New York), which is lovely campus. As a huge fan of Alexander Hamilton this was a memorable part of our trip for sure. One afternoon, we decided to walk by this stunning property called the Belnord. Exterior shots of this building are used in one of our favorite show, Only Murders In The Building. So we had to stop and see the fictional Arconia ourselves!

The Belnord

The exterior is used in the show Only Murders In The Building

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

One afternoon we walked by the St. Patrick’s Cathedral and decided to stop in. We were pleasantly surprised to see inside this church, which was built in the Neo-Gothic style. All the statues of the various saints were gorgeous and just overall we enjoyed our time walking around the exploring this cathedral. The cathedral also has the cutest and smallest little gift shop. This is free site , and they just ask for a donation to help with the upkeep of the cathedral.

Restaurants

We had so many delicious meals in NYC so I’ll just highlight our favorites. Our first night we were craving pizza so we went to B Side. This place has amazing pizzas, salads, wines and craft beer. We enjoyed some prosciutto pizza, arugula salad, roasted avocado, and ended with tiramisu! Another favorite place is Hibernia Bar in Hell’s Kitchen. This Irish sports pub is a fun little spot to hang out and grab a drink and appetizer. The evening before we saw The Book of Mormon we found a Cuban restaurant called Guantanamera. This place has traditional Cuban food and delicious mojitos. We enjoyed ham croquettes, chicken empandas, Ropa Vieja (braised skirt steak) and ended with flan de leche. This place was a spontaneous choice, and the food was so delectable! Our last meal of the trip was a Spanish tapas bar called Rincon 50. Here we enjoyed some wine and tapas. Our favorite tapas were sautéed shrimp (Gambas Al Ajilo), breaded stuffed olives (Aceitunas A La Gallega) and sautéed basco chorizo with caramelized Brussel sprouts. Overall, the food in NYC is beyond delicious but also beyond expensive!

Packing Tips

We did carry on only for this trip, which is extremely challenging for an over packer like me. Some recommendations for packing for a fall trip to NYC would include: a comfortable pair of sneakers, some comfy leather boots and a light weight jacket or trench coat. These platform Converse were super comfortable for walking around all day. Definitely pack a cross body for safety reasons in crowded areas and pack a small canvas tote bag to carry around a bottle of water and a small snack. You will for sure work up an appetite with all the walking you will do in New York City. Another useful thing to pack is power bank to charge your phone on the go.

Our weekend in NYC was such a lovely weekend getaway! I hope this post helps you and inspires you to travel with your partner and have a weekend away from the kids.