How to do New York in 3 Days

NEW YORK! A city girls dream city, and only 72 hours to see it.

As a fashion driven teen of the 90’s who’s soul inspiration was anything and everything from Sex and the City, New York was a definite must see in life. So last month I had the opportunity to go and stay right in the heart of Manhattan… but only had 3 days, with about a days worth of celebrating my mom’s award at the UNDP. So to get the most of our time and working around our moms schedule, Lele and I broke it down to:

• Major city highlights: Rockefeller Centre, Grand Central Station, Brooklyn Bridge, Twin Towers Memorial, Lady Liberty, Times Square
• Shopping: Century 21, Park Ave, Madison Ave, East Village
• Experience: The subway system, Cab Rides (and hailing one down), Uber, Pizza, Coffee

Day 1

In the morning, after checking in to the hotel, Lele and I strolled through the streets of Manhattan. We {window} shopped through Park Ave, Madison Ave, & Bergdorf . While strolling through the streets, taking in all the beautiful architecture of the historical city, we came across a beautiful church-turned-venue, 583 Park Ave, and lucked out on a private tour.

 

The afternoon was spent at the UN watching my mom’s presentation for her IIX-N-Peach Award, then dinner with all the winners and organizers at Patsy’s Pizzeria. Unfortunately, to mine and Lele’s disappointment, there were no sightings of the Jolie-Pitt’s, Dicaprio’s or Damon’s at the UN Headquarters.

We rocked our first evening at the top (and bottom) of the Rockefeller Centre. The city in the evening was beautiful and full of energy.

Day 2

The first half of our day was spent at the hotel celebrating my mom at her award ceremony so our touring didn’t start until mid afternoon. We walked to Grand Central Station and took the subway to our first destination, the Brooklyn Bridge. Although we only walked a fourth of the way in, we climbed the pillars and benches to get the shot and sat to feel the experience.

Our next trek was a bit of a walk to the Twin Towers Memorial Site. The beauty of the two pools they created out of such a tragic incident was beyond emotional. Despite the enormous crowd of tourists filling the site, there was a calming sense of silence lurking through, as we all paid our respects.

From the memorial site, was a hop, skip and trip (for me at least, down a set of steps lol) to Battery Park, where we could capture a teeny tiny view of Lady Liberty… the the gorgeous sunset.

Day touring ended to give us time for Century 21. No need to explain what went on there =).

We saved Times Square for an evening visit for obvious reasons and it’s no joke “These streets will make you feel brand new, The lights will inspire you”… legit. I was so amazed that there was SO MUCH going on from the Minions, to Captain America, to shopping until the wee hours of the morning. The city was ALIVE and kept you smiling.

Day 3

Our last day was meant for souvenir shopping and the East Village. Venturing into the East Village was like a world of Yaletown, Gastown, the Drive, Mount Pleasant & Main all hurdled into one. You can find tiny dogs in jackets, cafes & salons on every block, tons of great eats & a whirlwind of extremely fashionable, fast pace, New Yorkers. We ended the afternoon picking up our key souvenir pieces like the I <3 New York t-shirt, a statue of Lady Liberty, shot glasses & magnets. Then it was off to the airport for our red-eye flight back home.

I came, I saw, I conquered.

xo, L’nielle