Friday I-Wish-I-Were-There (New York Part 1)

Welcome to my Friday I-Wish-I-Were-There Blog.

Today I’m winging my way to the city of all cities – New York. It is with affection, respect and sadness that I’ve chosen to revisit New York this week. Like many other people worldwide, I grieved with New Yorkers and indeed all of America for the tragic loss of life on 9/11. 

Highlights:

Ground Zero. I had always sworn that if I made it to New York I would visit Ground Zero to pay my respects. Our first visit to this great city was in 2007, six years after the tragedy and much work had already taken place in lower Manhattan. It was an eerie, sobering experience, but I felt we as a family needed to do this in remembrance before enjoying the rest of our time here.

Tick Tock Diner. On the corner of 34th Street and 8th Ave, we first discovered this gem at around 3am on our arrival to NYC. Due to our stuff up with accommodation, we found ourselves without a room shortly after hopping out of our yellow taxi at our hotel. So two kids in tow we headed into the darkness and stumbled across this diner where we stuffed the kids with sugar and ourselves with coffee to stay awake.

Times Square. The neon is something not to be missed and it’s a fascinating place to people watch – even in the early hours of the morning! New York’s truly a city that never sleeps!

Statue of Liberty. We hopped on a Staten Island ferry for a free glimpse of this icon, and then another day we paid to spend the morning here on a tour. It was all very surreal to a girl from a small city in New Zealand. My kids enjoyed earning their junior rangers badges, but we gave up on the huge lines waiting to go up into the statue itself.

Top of the Rock, the Rockefeller center. This, we found out, is the place to see New York from above. The atmosphere was relaxed, there were comfortable couches you could sit on when your feet got tired, and amazing panoramic views through clear safety glass.

Brooklyn Bridge. We walked over here and got caught in a thunder storm, but what a blast to say we’d done it!

Toy shops. Since we have two kids it was kind of inevitable they we were going to end up paying a visit to Toys R Us and F.A.O Schwarz. The kids loved the huge ferris wheel in Toys R Us, while I had a major sentimental moment watching my daughter dance across the keys of the floor piano used in the movie ‘Big’ at F.A.O Schwarz.

Street food. OMG. Hot pretzels—I loooove hot pretzels. And bagels. And hot dogs. 

Squirrels in Central Park. OMG. I loooove squirrels and all their nutty, hyper cuteness! (FYI—we don’t have squirrels in New Zealand, which is why we found these critters so fascinating).

New York Public Library. Could there be a better place for a writer to visit in New York City? I don't think so!

Hope you’ll return next week when I return to New York again—there’s just too much to see in one visit!

Tracey