Well, NYC day 1 is in the books. 😉
We made it to New York City the day before last. There was a slight hiccup getting there, but hey, Jen and I LOVE detours. Nothing stops us from having a good time together.
Not even flat tires.
In fact when it comes to flat tires, we’re pros! Remember the flat tire we got in England {and Mr. Tiddly}? HA HA HA.
Luckily since we booked our trip through Costco Travel {which included door to door service from the airport to the hotel} we were able to sit back and relax while our driver Sonny rolled us into Queens and got the tire fixed.
If you ever get a flat tire in Queens, Tire Express is the place to go! Man they were fast.
Yesterday we got up bright and early and walked to Butterfield Market to check on the place. 😉 And to get something for breakfast before our 6 hour walking tour started.
I LOVE Butterfield Market! Beautiful food, nice employees, great service.
And steel cut oat bowls with fruit!!
Jen loves yogurt bowls in the morning, I like my oats, so it was the perfect {3 mile?} morning walk.
After breakfast we met up with our tour guide, Luke from Real New York Tours for our private tour around the city. We’re staying right across from Central Park so that’s where we started.
The cherry trees are just beginning to bloom here and it’s beautiful! Central Park is HUGE! I wonder how much we’ll get to see while we’re here? Jen mentioned something about a Botanical garden {or greenhouse?} I’ll have to look that up.
We saw so many things, I can’t remember them all. Gapstow Bridge, Bethesda Fountain, Strawberry Fields, the Literary Walk. Central Park was lovely.
All that walking made us hungry. Luke suggested Gray’s Papaya for chili cheese dogs. At $4.75, they hit the spot!
We did so much walking and talking yesterday, I totally forgot to take pictures of some of the places we went. Jen and I were so busy looking around and soaking it all in.
New York City was much cleaner than I thought it would be. We even rode the subway! At $3 a ride, I thought it was a pretty good deal.
Joe’s Pizza was also a great deal. 🙂 How can you go to NYC and not get a slice of pizza, right? The HH would have loved it.
We walked through Greenwich Village. I stopped in front of Fire Patrol #2 thinking it was just a beautiful old fire station.
Turns out Anderson Cooper bought and restored it a while back.
We visited Little Italy. The area seemed so small. And touristy. It was nothing at all like The North End in Boston.
China Town was interesting though. HUGE. Lot’s of fresh produce.
One market we walked though was full of all sorts of live creatures. Lobsters, eels, FROGS. 🙁
A small take out box of dumplings was only $5.
So much to look at!!
So many things to try.
Jen spotted Levain Bakery so we had to stop there to load up on cookies.
I had never heard of the cookie company but she’s made their cookies before at home and wanted to know if the store bought ones would taste the same. They did.
We also stopped at a real neighborhood bodega to buy milk. Talk about one stop shopping! They had a little bit of everything in there.
It was awesome. 🙂
I think we did pretty good for our first full day in NYC.
We got in a little walking, went on a tour, ate some local favorites and made it back to the hotel before dark.
We used our $25 daily dining credit for dinner {2 kids fruit bowls} and then changed our clothes and hit the hotel steam room to soothe our joints.
Next up on the agenda… Museum day. I’ll be going to The Met, and Jen is headed to the Statue of Liberty. We’ll meet up this afternoon at The Plaza for tea. That’s the plan. We are loving NYC!
I hope you have a great day.
~Mavis
Tracey says
LOVE that you’re splitting up! So much to talk about over tea!
and I spy with my little eye the kettle I was wondering about last week – quick search and I see it’s the Wirecutter pick!! I need this in my life. Can’t wait for tomorrows morning report- and thank you so much for including us in your travels – you two are an inspiration.
Pam says
Arthur Avenue is supposed to be better than little Italy. One of these days I need to go! It looks like so much fun with lots of specialty grocery stores and restaurants. I can’t wait to see tomorrow’s post. It looks like you are having a blast.
Bonnie in GA says
Thank you for sharing your NY trip with us. It is like I am vacaying with y’all! I am on my Spring Break from school bus driving and trying to figure out where I am going to do a short road trip, maybe tomorrow. Lol. I love the Fire house. That is neat!
Bonnie in GA says
What kind of dumplings are those and the sauce? Was it good, may I ask?
Mavis Butterfield says
Pork, I think. And yes, they were great! 🙂
Sam says
Pricey fruit bowls but NYC…way to maximize your credit since you had other local treats throughout the day.
Tracy says
New Yorker here. Little Italy stopped being anything BUT touristy back in the 80s. Still some good restaurants, but if you want an authentic Italian neighborhood, you have to go to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. In many stores and delis, Italian is the dominant language, still. The food stores –of all kinds– are exceptional. Fresh pasta places, Butchers with 75 cuts of beef and over 100 cured meats flown in regularly from Italy. seafood markets where the counter workers toss 3 feet long whole fish over the heads of the customers to their coworkers across the aisle every 30 seconds, a cheese store the size of a high school gymnasium, and many, many reasonably priced restaurants. All walkable and within about a 6-7 block radius. Go!
sandy says
I just love how you embrace and wrap your arms around an adventure. Drink it all in! No matter how many times you visit, it is a new experience.
I have walked tip to toe and Brooklyn too. It is a very special city to me-
NYC- there is no place like it.
I visit every few years to attend a memorial at St Patricks Cathedral.
So much love in NYC.
Jeri says
I’m curious, was your $25 a day dining credit through Costco travel?
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes! We have used Costco travel many times {and so has Jen} and there always seems to be extras included. On this trip we get $25 a day dining credit PLUS a one time $50 dining credit during our stay. Tickets to MOMA, daily bike rentals and something else I can’t remember right now.
We have both used it for hotels in other cities and it is consistently about 30-35% less than booking directly with the hotel.
Jen used Costco travel for Hawaii once and ended up with $1,200 Costco shopper card, $100 daily dining credits and a bunch of free perks. You just have to scan the offers and see what works for you. Each city/offer is different.
Jeri says
WoW! That’s good to know, and I’ll definitely keep in mind. My kids have used it for travels to all inclusive resorts, but we haven’t! I’ll be checking it out in the recent mailer and see what is being offered now! Thank you!
CPMass says
I like that NYC is one place where you can get a bunch of friendly folks to participate in your photos! Everyone seems happy to socialize- have fun!
Sue S. says
My favorite photo is the Bodega with the guy in the shot behind you.
Nancy D says
Wow…the cookies look amazing! I did a search and watched the video of the owners making a batch of cookies. 6 oz each! Would Jen be willing to share the link for which copy cat recipe she found success with? There are SO many! Glad you’re having fun and have a like-minded pal to enjoy the adventures with!
Mavis Butterfield says
This is the one Jen uses. https://www.modernhoney.com/levain-bakery-chocolate-chip-crush-cookies/
Laura says
There are two botanical gardens – Brooklyn Botanical Garden and New York Botanical Garden. NYBG is in the Bronx- maybe Arthur Ave visit and garden if time. Enjoy!