New York City

The Statue of Liberty for years was my missing travel location. Despite traveling to New York many times, I had never taken the ferry out to see the statue up close. I remember as a child having a statue of liberty backpack and teddy bear, waiting for a chance to see it. My husband and I visited during a weekend trip to New York, and it was definitely worth it!

You are likely familiar with the story of the statue – a gift from the people of France to the United States of America. Anyone interested in history and engineering would love the museum filled with information on the creation, shipping, and rebuilding of the statue. Then the real joy is getting inside and seeing the statue put together.

To get to the statue, you will need to take a Ferry either from Manhattan (battery park) or from New Jersey. Tickets would need to be purchased through StatueCityCruises. There are three levels of admission: General, Pedestal, and Crown. With general admission, you would just be able to explore the grounds of Liberty Island. To get inside the statue you would need either the Pedestal or Crown ticket. The Crown and Pedestal tickets can sell out, so if getting inside the statue is important to you, be sure to book in advance. Note – if you purchaset the NYC City Pass, you would only have access to the General Admission ticket. All tickets will include the Ferry ride with stops at Liberty Island with the Statue of Liberty, and a stop at Ellis Island before returning.

One of the older icons of New York, the Empire State Building stood for years as the tallest building on earth. While it is nowhere near the record today, it’s still iconic in movies and TV shows. Whether you want to see the lobby as a Percy Jackson fan, or have an itch to press all the elevator buttons like Buddy in Elf, it’s always fun to pass by the impressive building.

If you want to step inside, you can purchase tickets for a guided tour of the building and learn about its history. For height enthusiasts, you can travel up to the 86th and 102nd floors to see wonderful views of the city from above. There are various options for early morning and late afternoon tickets if you’re searching for the perfect sunrise or sunset views.

Likely the most touristy area of the city, Time Square is one of the places you have to visit to feel like you’ve been to New York City. We typically don’t spend a lot of time here, but it is exciting to see all the lights and advertisements around the streets. At one end of the square you will find a set of red stairs – typically they are open to sit and lounge on, but don’t be surprised if they are roped off for an event.

Many iconic stores and restaurants will be located around the square, but I would recommend walking a few blocks away for food. Ray’s Pizza will cost you almost $20 for two slices in the area, while a block or two away you’ll find New York style Pizza for $1 a slice. Juniors Cheesecake is one exception I make – I find they have the best cheesecake around and I’ll pay the higher price for a great slice of dessert!

Nearby Times Square you will find the other heart of New York – Broadway Shows. Shows run in specific theaters, some for a short stint and others for decades. If you’re intersted in Theater, this is definitely the place for you. Typically I find the best ticket prices directly from the show’s website. I avoid Ticketmaster or other sites for Broadway shows to avoid excess fees. If you’re OK with flexibility or just feeling lucky, you can wait until you’re in the city to try to snag tickets. The TKTS booth might have discounted tickets, or if you’re looking for a show in particular you can head right to the box office and try to join the lottery for the day.

If you need a break from the hustle of the city, you can spend hours exploring the largest park in Manhattan: Central Park. While you can find larger parks in other boroughs of New York City, there is something special about walking just a few blocks north of Times Square into an open greenspace to explore.

Roads and walking paths intersect the park to give you endless areas to wander. Some top spots include the Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon, Bow Bridge or the Lake for beautiful scenery, or stopping by the attractions in the park such as the Central Park Zoo, Wollman’s Ice Skating Rink, and the Loeb Boathouse where you can rent boats to explore the park by water

One great way to explore the park is by bike. There are bike rentals available nearby Central Park to make this an easy trip. Booking from a bike rental shop such as Bike Rental Central Park or directly with CentralPark.com will typically get you better bikes and come with helmets, locks, and possibly a map. You can consider booking in advance to make sure a bike is available, or just to save time on your vacation. For last minute plans, you can also rent a from any number of CitiBike stands located near the park. These bikes can be returned to any other CitiBike location, giving you flexibility, but will no include any accessories like a helmet or lock.

If you want to step away from Manhattan and explore another borough, consider heading over to Brooklyn with a visit at the Brooklyn Bridge. While you can drive across, if you’re exploring the city by foot or bike the Brooklyn Bridge is a great pedestrian option.

If you’re just looking to visit the iconic bridge, you can walk across and spend a little time in the Brooklyn Bridge Park before heading back across to Manhattan. The park features plenty of green space with playgrounds, recreation including courts, fishing, kayaking, and more, and even an ice skating rink between November and February.

Everyone around my age and older remembers where they were on September 11th, 2001. For me, I was in my first grade classroom in Ocean City, Maryland, confused why the adults were crying and everyone was getting picked up from school. I can still remember first seeing the videos of planes hitting the towers on the news at my house later that evening, however.

I was a little too young at the time to really understand what happened, but I do remember later that year visiting New York City with my mom, and looking through the construction fences to see what remained of the Twin Towers. That sight had a real impact on me, and years later I still believed the site was still a smoking hole in the ground. During a visit in college, I was finally able to see the beautiful memorial that remained in its place.

For a more solem experience sprinkled with hope, head to downtown Manhattan to visit the 9/11 Memorial and view the One World Trade Center building. Travel back to 2001 and hear stories of loss, recovery, and hope. Remember the victims and first responders of the tragedy, whose names are all etched into the monument. And remember through all tragedy, hope is born as well, where you can see the beautiful One World Trade Center towering above the city.

Like the Empire State Building, if heights are for you, you can head to the top of the One World Trade Center to visit the One World Observatory. Travel up 100 floors in 47 seconds to get a 360 degree view of the city, with options to shop and dine or have a guided tour. While the One World Trade Center is currently the tallest building in the United States, the observation platform is between floors 100 – 102, about the same height as the Empire State Building observation deck.