Adventure and fun. Those were the pre-requisites for a special celebratory trip honoring the milestone birthday of one of my epic nieces. She’s a bright light in my life, so the choice was obvious – we celebrated in the bright lights of the Big Apple! 

Not only was it a trip for my niece, it was also a trip for me, plus my sister, and two more nieces (our brothers daughters). Our adventure to New Your City turned out to be perfect and memorable in every way, a great balance of adventure and fun, with no shortage of laughter. This was our itinerary.

Day 1

  • Chelsea Market – we snacked on Aussie meat pies from Tuck Shop.
  • Highline Park – perfect for a picnic of goodies from the market.
  • Max Brenner – a true chocolate aficionados stop.
  • Double Decker NIGHT bus tour – loved it!

Day 2

  • Double Decker DAY bus tour – we had the tour bus guide laughing in no time, which made everything even funnier.
  • Cafe Habana – a fantastic Cuban/Latin casual restaurant.
  • Peter and the Starcatcher on Broadway – it originated at the La Jolla Playhouse and was a Tony winner. It’s a great story and a must see for anyone that enjoys musical theater.

Day 3

  • Central Park Bike Ride/Rental – watch out for the one way paths in the park!!!
  • Momofuku Milk Bar – check out their story online (compost cookies, and cereal milk!).
  • Tina’s Cuban Cuisine – another Cuban/Latin option, with a walk-up counter and excellent empanadas and plantains.
  • MoMA – free Friday’s!
  • National Comedy Theater – great improv AND family friendly too.

Day 4

  • Shopping ALL day – Macy’s, boutiques, souvenirs and chachkies.
  • Times Square – for people watching!
  • Eataly – awesome Italian market and restaurants (the brainchild of Mario Battali).

A few extra trip tips:

  • Groupon & TravelZoo offer great deals (like bike rentals and show tickets) if you can plan ahead!
  • Trip Planner is a great app that helped me keep lists of the stops that everyone wanted to make and roughly plan out our days.
  • Yelp allowed me to bookmark our favorites, so we could figure out which stops were in the same general area – and of course the reviews, hours, addresses & phone numbers were helpful too.

It would not have been an adventure without some obstacles! The first one popped up early in the trip. Our group was booked on three different flights, and as we got to the Chicago airport, we discovered that the flights were delayed (two would eventually be cancelled). My two older nieces were able to get on a flight while the rest of us stayed overnight in Chicago, rebooked together on a flight the next morning.

The two that managed to depart had never been to NYC (they were young adults, in their early 20’s). They arrived at midnight, navigated the bus system and some dark side streets, but thankfully made it to their destination intact with the help of map apps, good attitudes (probably a little anxiety), stories to tell, and lots and lots of laughter (a coping mechanism and prerequisite for our family).

Their destination was the apartment I had rented, and the property owner/manager, upon hearing of our delays, cancellations, and my solo-traveling nieces, was kind and helpful. He arranged to have someone waiting at the apartment to greet my nieces in the middle of the night after their long day of travel – you betcha that earned a five-star review.

I picked the apartment (versus hotel rooms) because I had wanted accommodations that would keep us all together. Guess what, we were together indeed, in cozy quarters! The apartment was basically the size of my first college dorm but with an added kitchenette. It was a great excuse to get out and get going each day! The location was excellent, amazingly there were beds for everyone, and it even had a private patio (nice, but we never used it because we were always ADVENTURING).

There is so much to see and do and there are some things that we missed – but we have a great excuse to go back to NYC to adventure again and again!