Taking New York City by Storm (Part One)

Destination: New York City
Total Miles: a bunch (sorry...don't know exactly. we flew)
Total Cost: you do not want to know (suffice to say, it was worth it...but if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a trip, do not expect to see tips to save money in this post)

Still playing catch up from the summer's travels...but this is one of my favorites.

Back in March when I went to the Dominican Republic, one of my roommates and I were discussing our love for traveling. She has been to places I dream about going...but she had never been to New York City! Which, I've been to three times. We talked about some day, after graduation and boards, possibly going to NYC.




Fast-forward to the middle of June.




We had graduated, studied our brains out, and taken boards. While we had studied, we would occasionally park ourselves in the travel section of Barnes and Noble and would discuss our future trip to NYC.

Little did I suspect that the day after boards, she would look up flights, I would subsequently look up hotel rooms, we would have everything booked within 24 hours, and within a week and a half from taking boards, we would be in NYC.

The trip started the day after Caroline flew out (read up on Caroline's visits here and here). Chenille and I drove up to Charlotte, parked Mr. Darcy, and were in the air by early afternoon.

The flight was just as interesting as all my flights...and I made a new friend (of course!). Random fact, but I love flying for the sheer fact that I like meeting people and one never knows who one will sit next to on the plane. We had the pleasure of sitting with an unaccompanied minor who talked our ears off. I helped her with her math work, she watched part of a movie on my iPod (having kid movies on that iPod is a lifesaver!), and we talked about American Girl dolls. She thought we were 14 year olds and was "shocked" to find that we were twice that (and, apparently, her mother's age...which made me feel peachy).

After making sure she got to her family after we disembarked, Chenille and I took a taxi into the city. A rather expensive venture. Since Chenille had never had the pleasure of riding a taxi in NYC, I thought it would fun to ride one at the beginning. On the way back, we just rode the subway (which was MUCH cheaper).

Our first stop was the hotel, and after checking in and putting our stuff in the room, we headed to Times Square for some shopping and supper.

I doubt that I will ever get over the massive quantity of people located at any given moment in Times Square.

While we were waiting for a table, we did some people watching...nurse practitioner style. Diagnosing was never so fun!

After a delicious dinner, we voted to visit a place I dream about: L. A. Burdick. I love hot chocolate. Drink it year around. People think I love Starbucks because of their coffee...but what they don't know is that I am really addicted to the hot chocolate. Well, L. A. Burdick makes Starbucks' hot chocolate look like cheap, watered-down hot chocolate. However, we opted to walk...over 20 blocks...to the Flat Iron District. And by the time we got there, even this hot chocolate fanatic did not want a hot beverage. Fortunately, they have created a masterpiece for such an occasion: the Iced Hot Chocolate. One word: ambrosia.

But, consuming that many calories required extensive exercise. So, we walked back to our hotel...and stopped for some classic tourism in the form of the Empire State Building. (Which I have not been to the top of since my high school senior trip in 2004). The view was stunning, and we had a blast walk around and around the top getting pictures of the New York City skyline at night.

Upon returning to our room sometime after 11 p.m., we determined to get up early, catch some free breakfast at the hotel, and head to another classic must-see: the Statue of Liberty.