New York City - Take Two!

Lately with the world as it is, New York has been receiving a mixed amount of reviews. Like most large cities in the world there is going to be good with the bad and vice versa. New York to me is a bit of both. Yes, we can talk about the traffic, the scammers at Times Square, and the trashy piss covered streets. Not gonna lie to you though, I am still a BIG fan of the city.

This past year I was able to scrape up enough money and go back to New York with my bestie. We went during the ass heat of July, which I would recommend you not do unless you enjoy the extreme heat. We ran into a few issues of course, no travel trip is without those, but we still had a great time! So let's get into it.

Let's talk about the first destination: Times Square. I wouldn't say it was a "destination," but rather something on our checklist. We wanted cute Instagram pics with all the buildings and whatnot. In my opinion, Times Square is overrated. Between the crowds, the noise, and the scamming going on- there are better places to see. Now like everyone, Times Square was on my bucket list to see so I wanted to go back during the daytime to check it out. I would say go there, take a photo, do some shopping, and then move on with your day. But that's just me.

The only thing I would warn people on is the people in costumes are not your friends. They seem soooo sweet and will offer to take a photo of you and your family. But as soon as you've taken the photo they will demand money and low key not give your phone back until you do so. Just saying... It happened to us and then as we moved through the city during the week, we saw it happen on a daily.

The second place that I would like to talk about is the Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn itself. Again we have to thank Tiktok and Instagram for the inspiration behind this idea. We had seen a lot of posts about the Brooklyn Bridge and wanted to get that iconic Bridge photo. Sadly for us, we were so hot and sweaty that we looked like a tired mess so we skipped out on the photo shoot. Even though we didn't take the well known bridge shot, we did have a good time crossing it with everyone. Now Brooklyn as a city is cool. We went there on one of our night outs and found a club to party at. We jammed, drank, and met a lot of cool people that night and I would say to take a chance and go explore when you are there. That is one of the beauties of New York to me, is that there are so many different things to do for everyone out there.

The third place that I would like to mention is Chinatown and Little Italy. Both of these areas are side by side (you will have to walk between the two) so it was easy to explore both in one day. As tourists with limited time, figuring out which areas we could make it to and not was a challenge. So we were so excited to find out that we would be able to see both at the same time! Little Italy itself is all about pasta, a good time, and outside patios. I imagine at night it would have been lovely to sit outside with a glass of wine. Since our visit was during the day and it was hot as all outside, we stuck to the tables inside. We didn't spend much time in Little Italy but we enjoyed our stay all the same. The people who work in this area are very friendly and will help you out as long as you aren't a problem- we noticed.

Switching gears to Chinatown, I was in love! I am a huge fan of Asian cuisine so I was enjoying my time exploring the town. There are so many restaurants, shops, and people constantly on the move in this part of town. If you are a foodie like me, I recommend you check this section of NY out. From pork buns to soup dumplings, everything that I had to eat that day was hot and delicious. I had so much food that I was happy to walk for once after. I will say that Chinatown felt more like a spot for locals which was comforting in a way as someone who was visiting.

My last two stops that I would like to talk about are Central Park and the Public Library. I've mentioned Central Park in my previous post however, I still want to take a moment to gush about it. Can I just say that I love it? From its green lawns to the lakes that are sprawled throughout, the park is a city staple. That might sound counter productive but let me explain. Imagine you've been in the city all day and then all of a sudden you come across an oasis of nature. I cannot explain how refreshing it was going from walking all day in a city of concrete to going to a beautiful park. It truly felt like a different world that allowed me to relax again while being out.

Now the Public Library is another place where I felt this sense of relief. I am a huge book lover and always have been. The NY Stephen A. Schwarzman Public Library was another bucket list item for me and I finally was able to go and see it! I would recommend getting there early as it fills up during the afternoon and becomes very crowded. The library itself is a huge historic building smack dab in the city. There are study rooms for students/workers, museums, and shops as well. There is also the famous Rose Room which can be seen on a first come first serve basis, so be sure to line up early!

Sorry if this post seemed very long but what can I say? There is something about the always hustling, never-sleepy city that I love so much. I do plan on going back there again someday and will keep exploring the city as much as I can! For more information on New York City, please refer to here.