New York City in a New York Minute
Since my discovery of the Beatles in High School (late bloomer, I know), al I have ever wanted to do was go on a Beatles inspired trip! Naturally, number one on my list was to attend the memorial for John's death anniversary. With that said, my trip to NYC was an absolute dream come true! Thanks to my very good friend for gifting me my flight, I got to travel to the Big Apple for my birthday. Although it was a short stay, it was an incredibly wonderful experience. I flew a late flight and landed at La Guardia airport in the evening and waited a wonderful hour for my car to take me to my temporary living quarters. I stayed at the amazing Hostelling International NYC. I highly recommend it as it was affordable and in a very convenient location. There was a pizza place a few blocks away where I had dinner after checking in and settling into my room. Ah, found it on google! Mama's Pizzeria was (and still is) one of the best pizza places I have ever been to in me entire life!
Fast forward to the next day (December 7) I go downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed some breakfast to go and headed out the door to explore New York City!
After I learned to navigate through the subway, I found myself at the port for the Staten Island Ferry. It's free, and it takes you by Ellis Island for an incredible view of Lady Liberty. Once I was back in NYC, I simply walked down the streets and literally got lost in the city. But those always make the best stories! I walked for what seems hours and eventually ended up by the Brooklyn Bridge. Such a beautiful piece of architecture. I kept on walking and eventually grabbed an Uber to Little Italy where I ate some of the richest pasta I have ever had. This was before I started blogging, so unfortunately I don't have much information. I went to the 9-11 memorial afterwards and It was such an overwhelming experience for me. I stood there, alone, crying and remembering where I was when the towers fell. If you are ever in NYC, please stop by and pay your respects. You will not regret it.
After standing there in silence, I walked back to the station and traveled back to my room. Day one was all walk, little eats, and a lot of exploring.
Day 2 (December 8) was the day! One of my memory cards was full, so I had to make a quick trip to Best Buy. I decided to walk to Central Park since the GPS said it was a 45 minute walk. Well, with a camera in hand and a new memory card inside, my 45 minute walk turned into a 2 hour marvelous detour of the streets and Central Park. Central Park is HUGE and so incredibly beautiful. The autumn leaves were falling, making way for the snow that was to come a few days later. I finally reached Strawberry Fields where I was immediately overwhelmed with tears of sorrow and joy. The crowd could be heard from a good distance singing "Give Peace a Chance" and "Imagine". I stood there, in utter disbelief at the fact that I was standing there. I let it all settle in before I made my way through the crowd and found a nice cozy little place inside the circle. There, musicians gathered around Lennon's IMAGINE memorial and sang songs from his Beatle Years to his late years as a solo artist. Flowers and notes surrounded the memorial and candles lit up our spirits on such a heavy day. I think I was there for about 4 hours...singing, crying, laughing, remembering.
After a while, I got hungry and decided to venture off again. Reluctantly, I got up and rented a bike to ride around in. RIDERS BEWARE! Bicycles are not permitted in central park and can cost you up to $200 in fines. You have been warned.
Also, riding a bike in New York City will be one of the craziest and scariest things you'll probably do in your life.
I grabbed a hotdog from a vendor before meeting up with a few girls in Rockefeller Center. If you ever get a change to go around the holiday season, you need to make this one of your stops. It is such an incredible view. Be prepared for huge crowds though.
I finally met up with a few girls and we went to Times Square and sat on the red steps. I didn't spend much time there, but the lights were cool. Nothing too amazing in my opinion, but don't be discouraged to visit if you get the chance!
We went out for some food and drinks, and I made it back to my room nearly around midnight. Woke up a little early the next day to beat the bathroom rush so I could get ready for my departure flight. Took the bus back to La Guardia and made my way inside the airport. It was with a heavy heart that I left New York, but I brought back so many wonderful experiences. It was an appetizer of a trip. I'm still waiting on my main meal!
