The diverse culture, plentiful shops, delicious food, history, and site seeing, what isn’t there in New York City? It’s the place to fulfill dreams! Friend, what better place is there than New York City to spend our upcoming vacation!
The world’s largest annual marathon, TCS New York City Marathon, will be taking place a month from now, on November 5th, 2017. It was first held in 1970 with a mere 127 participants and 55 finishers. These numbers have grown drastically over the decades with 51,392 (“Race Overview”) finishers last year. The route is well-planned, taking the runners through all 5 boroughs of New York City, starting from Staten Island to Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and ending in Central Park located in the heart of Manhattan. Running a marathon has always been our dream so what better place is there to fulfill this dream? I can’t wait to cross that finish line with you!
The physical exertion from the marathon will be exhausting so, to relax, we can take a ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The Statue of Liberty, located on Liberty Island, has viewing decks located on the pedestal and at the crown of the monument. About 200 visitors (“Crown Access FAQ”) take in the spectacular view of the Hudson River and the NYC skyline from the crown of the Statue of Liberty daily and we can be one of them! The next stop of the ferry is at Ellis Island, where our great-grandparents first stepped foot in America in the early 1990’s. At the American Family Immigration History Center located on Ellis Island, visitors can explore the database of immigrants who entered the United States via Ellis Island or the Port of New York from 1892 to 1957 (“Family History Center”). We will personally check the Ellis Island Archives for our great-grandparents names and experience a part of their life as we walk through the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. This rewarding and relaxing experience is worth a whole trip by itself!
And on to the activity we both like the most: shopping! 5th Ave, located in Manhattan, is lined with prestigious stores ranging from fashion to technology. Many flagship stores are located on 5th Ave, like Saks Fifth Ave, Tiffany & CO., and Michel Kors. Walking 2 blocks over, we will arrive at Times Square, the 3rd most visited tourist attraction, with 50,000,000 visitors annually (“The World’s Most-visited Tourist Attractions”). Time Square is lively and busy at all times, wither it be during the day or the middle of the night. It’s brightly lit with huge colorful billboards and many people enjoying people-watching, which I think will entertain us for hours. But the best part of Times Square for us will be experiencing the passionate street artists, who make beautiful pieces of art right in front of you!
While we are in the area, enjoying a delicious meal of chicken or gyro over rice and the famous white or red sauce at The Halal Guys is a must. Though The Halal Guys have are a few different locations in New York City, it would only be fair to experience the flagship food cart, where this delicious food was first created in 1990. It started off as a hot dog cart, but soon after, the menu was changed to serve this delicious platter. The flavor was loved by New Yorkers and tourists alike, and the lines at the food cart started to become longer and longer, with some customers waiting in the line for hours before reaching the food cart! Conveniently, this flagship food cart is located at a 10 min walking distance from Times Square.
Most of our trip will be spent in Manhattan, which is the most expensive city in the United States(“10 Most Expensive Cities in America”) so you may be hesitant because of the overall cost of the trip. However, there are many ways to make this trip more affordable. Firstly, renting an Airbnb across the Hudson River in Jersey City will cut down significantly on the cost of accommodations. This does mean we will have to make a round trip daily to New York City, which is about 25 minutes one way. Also, we will fly to New York City instead of driving from our homes in West Virginia, which will not only save us time but also help save on the cost of gas and more importantly, car parking, which is very expensive in big cities. Instead, the main mode of travel will be through public transport, which is well-organized and inexpensive. Finally, if we purchase a package of attractions we would like to visit, we can save up to 20% on tickets (“Sale Now On”)!
These are just a few reasons for you, my dear friend, to join me on my trip to NYC. I can’t wait to climb up to the crown of the State of Liberty, discover our family history, shop at flagship stores, and most importantly, hold your hand as we cross the finish line at the largest marathon in the world. I implore you to accompany me as we make good memories and enjoy life to its fullest!