24 hours in new york city.
Logan was in NYC for a work trip so I figured why not fly out and spend time with him while exploring the city? I am a huge fan of red eye flights, they make you feel like you aren’t wasting away time traveling. Instead of using up a day of exploring, why not fly through the night?!
I took the redeye Thursday evening and landed in Newark, NJ by 7am on Friday. The Newark airport can be a bit confusing, but just follow the signs towards the AirTrain and you will be led to a train that takes you straight to downtown NYC. I took the AirTrain from Newark to Penn Station and it cost me $13.
As soon as I met up with Logan, we went straight to get coffee! That’s what redeyes will do to ya! Coffee was followed by a walk through Central Park and climbing the dozens of large rocks that live throughout the park. Central Park is a must-see while in the city. It’s so refreshing that a city of that size still makes sure there is an outdoor getaway for it’s residents. Though you are surrounded by skyscrapers taller than you can imagine, the park still feels as though you are far away from the hustle and bustle. We ended our time in Central Park with a Nathan’s Hot Dog from a food cart, because when in NYC! I felt my inner Oliver and Company coming out.
South Central Park, October 2019
The Plaza Hotel is right across the street from the south side of the park so we swung in the hotel for a quick look into Pretty Women and Eloise’s life. Keep in mind, only registered guests can access the hotel lobby, but there are plenty of shops and restaurants for everyone else. The hotel is beautiful and full of so much history, I definitely recommend a quick walk through.
Following the Plaza, we walked to Times Square. This is definitely something to see. I have heard that the Square looks best and brightest at night but time didn’t allow for that on this trip, so we walked through it during the day. We then took a taxi to the Flat Iron building and we walked around that area. Something I love about NYC is that there are so many places to sit and gather. Among the massive city, you can still find a place to rest. Surrounding the Flat Iron building were many tables and chairs and several small parks.
From the Flat Iron, we walked a few blocks and grabbed a drink from a small Irish Pub. There are so many old pubs in NY, I recommend visiting at least one. The pub we chose just happened to be right outside of the Empire State building! We didn’t go to the top but we got to see the whole building looking from the ground up. I couldn’t help but think of Elf when he hit all the elevator floors!
After the Empire State, we walked down 5th Avenue to Grand Central Station. This is a site to be seen. I’ve never seen such a busy yet organized public transportation area. It was fun to experience NY life and take the subway, plus the subway is so much cheaper than a taxi!
Our hotel was as south Manhattan as you can get but we were in walking distance of both the water and the World Trade Center. We walked to Pier A Harbor House of which I highly recommend. Not only for the amazing clam chowder and fun atmosphere, but, if you walk to the end of the pier, you have a great view of the Statue of Liberty! Since my time was short in NYC, we chose not to do any tours so this was a great view of Lady Liberty that I didn’t know I was going to get to have! After enjoying drinks and chowder, we grabbed a taxi and headed towards Little Italy.
Pier A Harbor House, October 2019
NYC’s Little Italy reminded me a lot of Rome in that there were vendors all over the streets trying to sell you knock off purses and watches. There were even restaurant owners standing outside trying to entice you to come into their restaurants. Needless to say, Logan and I were enticed and we had some of the best bruschetta of our lives! Little Italy was a cute neighborhood to see but if you are in a time crunch, I think this is something you can leave out.
Little Italy, October 2019
After dinner, we took a cab to the 230 Fifth Rooftop Igloo Bar. This rooftop bar had incredible views of the Empire State building lit up at night!
View of the Empire State Building, 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar, October 2019
Walking back to our hotel, I understood why NYC is called ‘The City that Never Sleeps.’ There were street performers, busy streets, and food carts all along the streets well after midnight! Your options in NYC are always endless.
The next morning, we grabbed coffee and walked to the World Trade Center. I didn’t think I would get emotional but it’s hard not too. If you’re in NYC, this memorial is a must see.
The Oculus caught our eye so we went inside the mall. The Oculus really is just a fancy mall in an amazing building so we took a few pictures and headed to Wall Street. We were able to see the place where George Washington was sworn in as the first president of the United States, and we walked down Wall Street to see the New York Stock Exchange.
Finally, we caught a taxi to be close to our rental car pick-up, and walked around NOHO. We were both pleasantly surprised with the neighborhood. NOHO is not very touristy and seems more like your small neighborhood where everyone knows each other.
Overall, I loved NYC, we covered a lot of ground in just 24 hours. I couldn’t sleep on my redeye and was awake for 41 hours. With no sleep, I like to think I did well in NYC! Next time we visit, I would like to go to the top of the Rockefeller (our taxi drove us by this so I got to see the ice rink!), and I would like to visit both the Met and the Natural History Museum. New York, I’ll be back.
Where We Stayed:
We stayed at the New York Marriott Downtown in South Manhattan. The hotel was in walking distance to the water with great views of the Statue of Liberty. We were also within a short walk from the World Trade Center, The Oculus, and Wall Street. Before I arrived in New York, Logan stayed at the Lotte New York Palace. This hotel was bit out of our price range (his work paid!), but was absolutely stunning. The hotel was off 5th Avenue and just a short walk from South Central Park and Grand Central Station.
Where We Ate:
I think you could go out to eat for every meal for your whole life and still not eat everywhere in NYC! There are so many options everywhere you go. A few favorites were Vic’s in NOHO, you have to try the pizza, Restoration Hardware Rooftop near the Chelsea Market in SOHO (I had the arugula salad and cannot stop thinking about it), Pier A Harbor House (mentioned above), and any street food you can find!
Finally, did you really go to NYC if you didn’t get a slice of pizza in the middle of the night? We stopped by a small pizza by-the-slice hole in the wall, Majestic Pizza. Because when in NYC, you fold your pizza in half and eat it like the locals do. There’s nothing better than a good ol’ slice early into the morning.
Best Time to Visit:
Spring
Summer
Fall