A FAB WEEK IN NEW YORK CITY

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Hi there, happy Wednesday!
Thanks for stopping by today. So I recently just came back from New York this passed Monday and wanted to do a recap of where I went and what I did! I know I have countless posts on the blog on New York, but this time around..I did tons of new things that I want to share..including where I stayed the entire week! I'll try to keep each short and sweet...key word...TRY.





Let's start!

WHERE WE STAYED: 
So when my mom and I visit New York, we usually save tons of money on hotel because my aunt lives in Queens and we would just stay at her house when we would visit; however, this time around...I wanted to do something different and stay somewhere I've never been before....BROOKLYN! I did my research and booked my first room on the AIR BNB app. The area we stayed in was in Bushwick and we loved it! It was very very reminicent to Wynwood here in Miami. It's very picturesque and has a lot of character. It was also close to the subway (J train passes by there) so all we had to do was walk a couple of blocks and catch the train into the city. Not to mention, our room was fully stocked with breakfast, had a huge tv, full-size fridge, microwave and a whole bunch of toiletries. I was super impressed and I'm afraid my expectations for the next Air Bnb will be high because of my host LOL. He spoiled us! It was such a great experience. The priority for me was to find a nice and comfortable room with our own private bathroom..which I did! Mind you, I booked this room wayyyy in advance (back in January) so I had time to cancel or rearranged anything if I changed my mind. Our host was the best. He was very attentive and helpful during our stay. If you'd like more info on this...just email me or message me on instagram ! All in all, it was very pleasant and I would stay there again! Another great aspect was that I saved a ton of money compared to staying in a hotel in New York. What I paid for the 9 days we were there is easily a quick fri-sun weekend amount in a hotel!





What we did each day:

Saturday: We flew in Saturday afternoon and arrived during the evening. We just landed and went straight into our room to get settled. We also went down to the local market to stock up the fridge we had in the room so we wouldnt always have to go out to eat!



Sunday: We woke up early and took the train to times square. It's another touristy spot...but we LOVE IT. We did a bit of shopping there before going to lunch. A couple of my mom's friends invited us to lunch at this restaurant on broadway called Albert's Mofongo House. The menu is typical dominican food and they also had a live dj there. I'll be honest, I was not fond of the mofongo. Its basically fried and smashed plantains with a side of whatever you want lol. I'll stick to my mom's mangu (;
Address: 4762 broadway
New York, NY 10034
// more info here





Monday: We took the train and stopped on Chambers St..which is a close distance to the brooklyn bridge. This place isn't new but we loveeee coming here everytime we are in New York. New York has plenty of amazing views, but the ones from the Brooklyn bridge are my favorite and it is always a great photo opportunity! I always recommend coming here :) We also went to the 9/11 memorial site  to check out one of their newest attractions there..the Oculus. I remember when it was being built and thought it was just going to be a monument or a symbol of some kind..boy was I wrong...its actually an entire Westfield mall inside..its amazing! So much great shopping. I also visited Century 21 for the first time too. I was basically drooling the entire time I was there. It's a department store similar to Nordstrom Rack...designer heaven at great prices!

Oculus / Westfield mall @ World Trade Center:
185 Greenwich st New York, NY 10007

Century 21 (very close to the oculus!):
1972 Broadway New York, NY 10023













Tuesday: This was one of the days I was most anticipating...I finally got to watch a live play on Broadway! And the best part? I watched Harry Potter and Cursed Child: Parts 1 AND 2! It was amazing..and I still can't believe I was able to get tickets for it. It was everything I could've dreamed of and more. The actors, the storyline, the way they switched scenes...it was just too good. I wouldn't mind watching it again; that's how good it was!! Since the play was divided into two parts because its a bit long, we were in the times square area the entire day. The first part started at 2p and it was close to two and a half hours. Then the second part started at 7:30p till almost 10p. Totally worth the time & money! This is definitely something I recommend experiencing if you are in New York. I'm so happy to have this memory now ! If you're a Harry Potter fan, you need to go and make the trip to watch it yourself! Next time I will try and go watch Aladdin or Anastasia!

Harry Potter and the Curse Child: parts 1 & 2 is playing at the:
Lyric Theatre: 214 W 43rd st New York, NY (in the heart of Times Square!)






Wednesday: This was a fun day. We took the train to Brooklyn Bridge park because I have seen tons of photos of the fabulous views of the city. It definitely did not disappoint. The park also has a great area where you could bring out a blanket and have a picnic right under the Brooklyn bridge! My mom and I came prepared and did just that! This is also where the famous "Jane's Carousel" is. You could get on it for a $2 fee. It's so peculiar of how they just built a working carousel in the platform right next to the park. I want to go back already! It's also a great little area in Dumbo Brooklyn with many things to do...including great food! I had the best ice cream I've ever had in a long time at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. The shop is inside a lighthouse by a pier where there's also tons of other places to eat. This was one of my fav spots that we went to. So many pretty spots for photos and to enjoy the day. I will definitely come back next year :)

Brooklyn Bridge Park:
334 furman st Brooklyn, NY 11201
Jane's Carousel:
 located in Brooklyn Bridge park, on the east river between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.
Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory:
1 water st Brooklyn, NY 11201















Thursday: We went to visit Central Park, which is one of my favorite places ever in New York. This massive city is filled with the highest of skyscrapers, and in the middle of all that craziness..central park exists! It's so beautiful; I could only imagine how it looks during the Fall time when the leaves start to change color. :) They offer many activities, including renting a cute little boat to take it out in the water! I also think Central Park has one of the great views of the city too.








Friday: We woke up extra early this day. We went to rockefeller center and visited the very top for breathtaking views of New York. I'm writing a separate blog post on my visit there with more info..so stay tuned for that! It's very worth it if you have never done it. After we finished at rockefeller center, we took the train near madison square park, which is also the area that is home to the famous flatiron building! I had never been around this area, so I really enjoyed it. It's filled with so many great places to eat, and its home to the original shake shack!

Flat Iron Building / Madison Square park:
175 5th ave New York, NY 10010

 Just a little tease...I'm writing a separate post on this visit ! :)





Saturday: This was also a fun-filled day. We went to eat brunch at this amazing place in Brooklyn called, Scriptum. WOW, what an experience. I'll be going into more detail in a separate post in the coming weeks...I promise it'll be worth the wait! ;) On sat we also went to the Brooklyn Botanical gardens. I had always heard about it and wanted to go see it..so we did! Its very very pretty, and the best part, you could cover the entire area in a little less than 2 hours. It's pretty small but its great for photos. They have an amazing area where they have different types of flowers...especially roses. I was a little bummed because they are known for their magical walkway of cherry blossom trees..but we went about 2 months too late lol. They start to bloom late march, early April. So when we went all the trees were green and boring LOL. It is definitely worth it around this time but in June..not too much. The cost is $15 per adult, with a student id: $8, Kids under 12: free, and its free on Fridays before noon! After the garden, we headed to the Guggenheim museum. I was excited to go because its one of those museums I have never visited. If you go on Fridays after 5p..the cost of admission is what they call " Pay as you wish"...in other words..a donation. And it'll also save you $25 general admission per person! This museum was pretty boring to be honest. The structure and the concept of the building is very unique, but the art that was on display itself....*YAWN*..Maybe it was just me, but after floor 4 of scribbles on a piece of paper..I was ready to leave. LOL. Next time, I'll check what is new and up on display before I go since I know its constantly changing.

Brooklyn Botanical Garden:
990 Washington Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225

Soloman R Guggenheim Museum:
1071 5th ave New York, NY 10128






 Guggenheim Museum!


Sunday: This was my mom's actual birthday so we kept it pretty low key. We went to have lunch with my aunt at a restaurant called: Casa Rubio...really good and authentic dominican food...I loved it! :) After that we went back to our room because I wasn't feeling well and we still had a lot to pack before going home the next day!

If you reached this far into the post...thank you!
I always appreciate you stopping by

Stay tuned for next week ;)











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