Travel Blog By J
Sep 2010
For my second visit to New York, I did not go to the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Wall Street or Battery Park anymore. This time, I made sure I had time to really enjoy Central Park and to satisfy the foodie in me by trying as many desserts as my pants would allow. All these, together with a super fun reunion with my best friends of 20 years!
Here are some of my New York Moments:
Biking in Central Park
I told my friends that I wanted to see more of Central Park since I was only able to see the Alice in Wonderland sculpture the first time I was here. It was the perfect sunny day to ride a bike and go around the park!
...and here are some of the stops we made along the way:
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| Belvedere Castle |
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| The Great Lawn |
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| Strawberry Fields |
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| Long Benches Under The Trees! |
A Walking Tour of Greenwich Village
We had a free Wednesay morning so we searched the web for a free walking tour of 'The Village," popular for its old red-brick houses that date back to the 1800's. I found the free walking tour here. Here are some of the buildings I liked:
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| F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Apartment Building 90 Bedford Street |
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| The narrowest home in New York City is #75 1/2 Bedford Street. This house is only 10 feet wide! |
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| Harrison Ford's former home at 66 Morton Street. |
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| a charming street lined with old apartments |
Broadway, Broadway!
An NY experience must have at least one Broadway Show in it. This time, I was 'greenified' by Wicked (really, really loved it!) and Promises, Promises that starred Sean Hayes (Will and Grace), and Kristin Chenowith who was the original Glinda in Wicked.
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| "Wicked" was wickedly good! |
The Unisphere
A giant steel globe located in Flushing Meadows in Queens. This was used as a shooting location of Men In Black and Iron Man 2.
Gray's Papaya (402 6th Avenue and 8th St).
Yes, the hotdog that was made famous by movies and sitcoms too many to mention. There was a Recession Special: $4.45 for 2 Franks and a Drink! Must try their Papaya drink!
Magnolia Bakery
Okay, this is part research and part guilty pleasure. I liked their Chocolate and Devil's Food Cupcake.
Junior's Cheesecake
I learned of this through Bobby Flay's Throwdown. When I watched that espisode, I knew I had to try their Devil's Food Cheesecake! This is also a good breakfast place.
Veniero's Pastry
Delicious cakes and cheesecakes. This shop has 115 years of baking experience behind its name so it's definitely a must-try. I tried their chocolate velvet cake (very chocolatey), cannoli and assorted pastries.
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Carmine's
Huge servings meant to be shared. Gotta love their Fried Calamares, Mixed Seafood Pasta and their Shrimp Fra Diavolo. Very, very satisfying!
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| Mixed Seafood Pasta |
They serve remarkably juicy burgers in a soft, tasty bun! They also serve hot dogs and frozen custard.
'Good Morning, America' Show
We got tickets to be part of the audience of GMA. Lined up as early as 6am and went on air at 8am. I had my 12-seconds of fame! Yey!
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| Hosts Robin Roberts and Juju Chang came out after the show for a photo! |
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| GOOD MORNING, AMERICA!!! |
* All photos used here are the writer's own.
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