The Top 5 Free Places To View The New York City Skyline

I'm sure anyone who has ever been to New York City will agree with me when I say there are very few cities in the world that can rival its skyline. Some other cities like London, Paris, and Los Angeles have great skylines too, but you don't really notice it until you're in the city center. On the other hand, as soon as you're within a half hour of Manhattan (whether you're in New Jersey, the Bronx, or Queens), you can start to see the huge skyscrapers looming before you! It's really amazing when you're seeing New York for the first time, and even after seeing the skyline hundreds of times, I still find it so impressive.

I've been able to experience the NYC skyline from a bunch of different angles, but I have narrowed it down to my top 5 free spots to see the New York skyline! (I saw free, because from what I've heard the Top of the Rock has the best view, but I haven't experienced it yet, and that will cost you about $30.) You'll also notice that none of my spots are in Manhattan. That's because when you're in Manhattan, you're surrounded by so many huge buildings that it's hard to really see anything past those :)

Empire Fulton Ferry Park, DUMBO, Brooklyn

I experienced this park for the first time this past Saturday. I watched the sunset there, and it was completely breathtaking. It was so relaxing too, so I will definitely be returning with friends or a good book this spring! And out of frame to the right, you can also see the Empire State Building and the Manhattan Bridge from this park.

The Staten Island Ferry

The Staten Island Ferry is free to ride, so there's no reason to miss this view! The ferry takes about a half hour to get to Staten Island and then another half hour to get back to Manhattan. From the ferry you also get the best views of the Statue of Liberty!

Hunter's Point, Long Island City, Queens

For a view of Manhattan from the East, this is the perfect spot. You can see the Empire State Building and my favourite, the Chrysler Building. And this photo was taken on a cloudy night, but when it's clear out the view is even more stunning!

Maxwell Place Park, Hoboken, NJ

Hoboken is such a cute town to explore, and it's a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city. You can get to Hoboken by ferry, or even cheaper, you can take the PATH train (New Jersey's version of the subway) from several spots in Manhattan, including 33rd Street near Penn Station and 14th Street.

The Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Brooklyn

Another Brooklyn gem near the Brooklyn Bridge! I stumbled upon this promenade completely by accident when I first moved to NYC in October, and fell in love with the views. Next to the promenade there is a big park where you can relax, and there are lots of shops and food vendors nearby. When I was here, I even saw a show filming! I didn't know what it was at the time, but I recently found out it was the new show Younger with Hilary Duff!

There are still so many places I want to visit in NYC to check out the skyline and watch the sun set. I want to experience Astoria, Battery Park, and of course the Empire State Building and the Top of the Rock. I'll be sure to keep you updated on any more great places I discover in NYC!


**all photos are my own

11 Free Things To Do in New York City

It's no surprise that New York City is one of the most expensive ones to visit. After paying for your cost of getting there, a hotel or hostel, and food, you may find that you don't have much money left for sightseeing. But even though NYC is so expensive, there are still so many free ways to experience the city! If you take a trip to New York but can't afford to spend too much, you definitely need to add these places to your to-do list:

Times Square

Times Square is probably the most famous tourist attraction in New York City, and the best part is you can walk around for as long as you like for no charge! It's impressive during the day, but especially amazing at night, and there is never a shortage of street performers. Just beware of the restaurants surrounding Times Square...they are much more expensive than restaurants in most other parts of the city!

Rockefeller Center

Right around the corner from Times Square is another major NYC attraction, Rockefeller Center. Of course the best time to visit is around Christmas when you can see the huge tree and the ice skating, but it's beautiful all year round!

Central Park

You could dedicate an entire day to exploring Central Park and not get bored. There are endless things to do and see, especially if you visit during the Spring or Summer!

The 9/11 Memorial

While the 9/11 Museum charges a fee to enter, you can walk around the outside portion for free. There are two huge fountains where the Twin Towers stood with the names of everyone who died around the edge. When you see a rose like in the photo above, it means it would have been that person's birthday. It's sad to visit but definitely so impressive.

**UPDATE: After publishing this blog post, I found out that the 9/11 Museum is free to visit on Tuesday nights! Tickets go so quickly, but if you can get there right at 4pm for a ticket, it's a great museum. Powerful and sad, but definitely a museum worth visiting.

The Staten Island Ferry

Don't pay the expensive ticket price to visit the Statue of Liberty! You can get an even better view of the statue and the downtown skyline from the Staten Island Ferry, which takes a half hour and is free to ride! The best times to ride the ferry are during the warmer months so you can stand outside. And if you can, try to time your ferry ride so it's daylight on your way over to Staten Island and the sun is setting on your ride back to Manhattan!

The High Line

This mile-long park in Chelsea is built on an abandoned railroad and is a must-see if you visit New York in the Spring, Summer, or Fall. You get an amazing view of the Hudson River, Chelsea, and lots of art along the way.

The Museum of Modern Art on a Friday night

If you enjoy visiting museums, you have to add the MoMA to your list. On Friday nights, everyone gets in for free and you can spend hours looking at the impressive exhibits featuring Van Gogh, Matisse, Andy Warhol, and Jackson Pollack!

The Brooklyn Bridge

This is becoming a major NYC attraction and for good reason! You get an amazing view of the Manhattan skyline, the river, Brooklyn, and the Statue of Liberty. I would recommend walking the Brooklyn Bridge and then walking back on the nearby Manhattan Bridge...hardly any tourists, same great view of Manhattan, and a view of the Brooklyn Bridge too!

Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is one of my favourite places to visit in New York City and is exciting all year round. It's full of cool shops, restaurants, and a flea market. And if you're in New York on the first Friday night of the month, you can see a free concert featuring some local artists!

The American Museum of Natural History

While the website and signs say there's a ticket price, if you read the fine print, you'll see that it's just a recommended price. If you wait in the longer line to get a ticket from a counter rather than an automated kiosk, you can pay whatever price you'd like for tickets: $10, $3, or absolutely nothing! You might get some disappointed looks, but if that doesn't bother you, take your free ticket and explore the museum that has awesome exhibits about animals, dinosaurs, prehistoric people, and lots more!

Just walk around, get lost, people watch, and explore!

I think the best way to really experience a city is to wander around aimlessly observing all the interesting sights and people that you come across. My favourite places to explore and people watch: Soho and Greenwich Village.

Now that it's starting to get warmer, I'll be able to explore New York a lot more over the next few months! I know of so many more free things to do in the city that I can't wait to check out and post about :)



*all photos in this post are my own except the exterior shots of the MoMA and the Natural History Museum

Mother/Daughter Weekend in NYC

Last weekend, my mom came to NYC for a few days to spend time with me, see a Broadway show, and do lots of other fun things! I don't plan on living in the Northeast long-term, but at this point in my life, it's so great living close enough to home that my family can visit me for a weekend, or I can head home to Boston for a few days!

The weekend started off on Thursday when I met my mom at Port Authority Bus Station. After meeting up with her, we went to a nearby Thai restaurant where I got delicious pad thai! When we finished our late lunch, we headed back to my apartment to relax and watch some tv. We found Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist on tv which I was so happy about! I had been wanting to re-watch that movie for so long, especially after we saw Michael Cera in a Broadway show back in November (and met him)!

The next day was full of fun things! First we took the subway to Soho and went into a bunch of different shops. There were some second-hand stores that were full of nice things and a shabby chic furniture store that was completely my style. I used to get so bored by interior design, but as I've gotten older I've developed a love for it!

Once we shopped enough to work up an appetite, we walked over to Chelsea Market. My mom had never been there, so I had fun showing her all the cool shops, restaurants, and food stands. For lunch, we decided to get a chicken pesto crêpe to split. We watched our crêpe being made (and lots of other people's crêpes that looked amazing), and it reminded me of being in France. It was so delicious, and I think I'll have to visit that place again to try a dessert crêpe sometime! After walking around and checking out a bunch of the shops (Italian cooking supplies, a wine shop, and an artsy flea market), we went to a bakery called Eleni's for cookies. We got chocolate with white chocolate chips, and they were so good!

getting ready to eat our delicious crêpe!

Next we headed up to Midtown to check out the Museum of Modern Art. I haven't been to many museums since I've lived in New York, so we decided to take advantage. And the best part was that the MoMA is free on Friday nights! We walked around and saw all the exhibits. I think my favourite artists we saw were Van Gogh and Andy Warhol. I recognised a bunch of the art and had a great time walking through and taking it all in. I know there are a bunch of free museums in NYC, so I defintiely want to try and visit some more while I'm living here.

posing with a pair of underwear...I mean, "art" ;)

After the MoMA, we went to a Brazilian restaurant for drinks and some food. We got margaritas and a dish with chicken, beef, sausage, and pineapple. The food was really good but the drinks were just average and really overpriced, so I don't think we'll be going back to that restaurant!

The next day, we took the subway up to Lexington on the Upper East Side. We did some shopping and got lunch at a little cafe. I haven't been up to that area too much but I really liked it! There were so many cute restaurants and cafes and it almost felt like we were in Paris. After spending some time on Lexington, we went down to Times Square to get some Broadway tickets. We got tickets to see If/Then starring Idina Menzel. We had tried seeing it once before but Idina wasn't in that day, so we didn't end up going. But it's about to end its run so we knew we had to see it while we still could! Before the show, we got some Italian dinner from Tony's near Times Square and then got a piece of red velvet cake, hot chocolate, and coffee from Junior's. Both were delicious, and then it was time for the show! If/Then was so amazing, and if you want to read about it in more detail, I wrote another post all about the show recently :)

On Sunday, we headed into Chelsea again. We went to a restaurant called Westville for brunch that was really cool, and the food was awesome! My mom got a Greek salad with chicken, I got a kale salad with poached eggs, bacon, and avocado, and we got sweet potato fries to share. I haven't been out for brunch quite enough since living in New York, but I definitely want to experience more restaurants like that one. After brunch, we walked all around Chelsea some more and then headed south through the West Village, Soho, and Little Italy. I really liked the areas we walked through because they were way less crowded and overwhelming than the Midtown area where I work. For dinner, we went to a little Italian restaurant for pasta and then walked around a little more before heading home.

a cool pop-up store in Chelsea

The next day, I had to work but was able to meet up with my mom for one more lunch before she went home. It was such a great weekend, and I can't wait for her to come visit again. She just booked her bus to come again in April for a few days, and before that I'm going home for Easter weekend which I am so excited about! It was a great weekend and I was glad we were able to check out some different parts of NYC that we haven't experienced before!

My Favourite NYC Neighbourhood: Chelsea

I have been living in New York City for exactly five months now, so I have had lots of time to explore the different parts of the city. While there are a lot of sections of New York that I really like, in my opinion nothing can compare to Chelsea. Chelsea is an artsy neighbourhood in western Manhattan near the West Village, Midtown, and the Hudson River, so it's in a really perfect location. Every neighbourhood in New York seems to have its own energy and personality, and these are the reasons why Chelsea is a neighbourhood that I keep returning to:

1. Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is HUGE and full of every type of food you can imagine. There are sit-down restaurants, food stands, noodle bars, a crêpe bar, bakeries...pretty much anything you could want! I have eaten at a few places in Chelsea Market and been into a bunch of the shops, and I have loved every single one. There's a wine shop that does wine tastings, and you can even buy a bottle of wine and drink it at one of the many tables in the market. Something else that Chelsea Market offers (that I haven't experienced yet, but definitely want to) is live music on the first Friday of every month. They feature small local artists, and it seems like a great time. In the colder months, Chelsea Market is full of people, but the Summer is when it really comes alive!

2. the High Line

You've probably heard of the High Line in NYC. It has become really popular over the past few years and for good reason. It is a mile-long park on top of an old abandoned railroad in Chelsea. The historical aspect of the High Line is so cool, and the views from it are really amazing. You can get a good feel for the Chelsea area, and there are really nice views of the Hudson River. There are beautiful plants and flowers all along the park, and it's the perfect place to relax with some friends. And since Chelsea is so artsy, there's lots of artwork along the way for you to look at! Of course the best times to walk the High Line are in the warmer months, and if you want to beat the crowds, it's worth it to go early in the morning.

3. the huge variety of restaurants

New York City is probably one of the most diverse cities in the world when it comes to food, and Chelsea is no exception to that. Any type of food you could possibly crave, you can find in Chelsea. I've been to so many great hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Chelsea that have really impressed me. If you are hoping for a true New York experience, I would recommend getting brunch at one of the small, quaint restaurants in the neighbourhood. My mom and I got brunch at a restaurant called Westville last time she visited, and the food was so amazing!

4. the cool, eclectic shops

Almost any street you walk down in Chelsea, you are bound to come across a bunch of little shops. There are some chain stores of course, but there are so many independently-owned shops too. One shop that I recently discovered in Chelsea is Story. It's a pop-up store that changes its theme a couple times a year. Right now, their theme is "Your Story" where everything is really interactive and there are different sections of the store with products tailored to people with different interests. It's such a cool idea for a store, and I'm definitely planning to check it out some more to see what their future themes will be!

5. It's modern and historical at the same time.

You can be walking through Chelsea and be surrounded by modern skyscrapers. Then you can turn the corner and be on a side street with old-looking buildings and cobblestone streets. It's so cool and always keeps things interesting.

6. It's a bustling area of the city but way less overwhelming than Midtown and downtown!

Some parts of Chelsea, like Chelsea Market and the High Line, are full of people. But if you're looking to escape the crowds, Chelsea is the perfect area to wander down side streets where you can find some nice quaint and quiet sections of the neighbourhood. I doubt it comes as a surprise, but living in New York with almost 9 million other people can get really overwhelming at times, so it's nice to escape to more peaceful areas of the city from time to time!

Third Broadway Show of 2015: "If/Then"

Over the weekend, my mom visited me in New York. And as we always do when she visits, we went to see a Broadway show! Back in November we tried seeing If/Then starring Idina Menzel. We had amazing seats and were so excited...but five minutes before the show started we found out Idina wasn't there. I'm sure her understudy was great too, but since the main reason we wanted to see the show was because of her, we decided to leave and exchange our tickets for This Is Our Youth starring Michael Cera (which was so good too!)  If/Then is about to end its run in about a week, so we knew we had to see it while we still could!

The show centers around Idina Menzel's character Elizabeth and shows how much little decisions can completely change the way your life turns out. After getting divorced and moving back to New York from Phoenix, Elizabeth isn't sure what her next steps in life should be. When she has to choose which of her two friends to hang out with one afternoon, that tiny decision completely changes the path of her life. "Liz" meets a guy and starts a family but doesn't have a career she's really happy with. On the other hand, "Beth" has her dream career but a rocky love life. Scenes switch off between the two characters and we can see how different their lives become.

I had never seen a show or read a book with a similar storyline, and I think it was so creative and original! You find yourself rooting for the two characters at different times, not sure which path is better for Elizabeth since both have their ups and downs. There were a lot of funny parts in the show and really touching parts too, so it was really the perfect variety. And of course, since Idina Menzel was the lead, there were lots of songs! They were fun and catchy, and a lot of the songs switched back and forth between being Liz or Beth, so it was really interesting! I really liked all the songs, and Idina Menzel was amazing live. Although I've heard she can be a bit of a diva, there's no denying she is so talented! The rest of the cast was so great too. Anthony Rapp, who costarred in the Rent Broadway show and movie with Idina, was in the show and really good. And the other stars LaChanze and James Snyder were really impressive too. If you are in New York City and have the opportunity to see If/Then before it ends, you definitely need to go see it!

Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp in the show

To this date, I have seen ten Broadway shows and even though I have liked all of them, If/Then was one of my favourites! I would love to see Idina Menzel in another show someday, and seeing this has gotten me excited to see even more Broadway shows soon. The next ones I'm planning to see...Cabaret starring Emma Stone and The Heidi Chronicles which just started!

My mom and I both loved the show and had an amazing night!

Second Broadway Show of 2015: "Kinky Boots"

Thursday night, I went with my friend and her mom to see a Broadway show that I've been wanting to see for ages... Kinky Boots! After work, I braved the frigid cold New York City weather to walk over to the Al Hirschfield Theatre near Times Square to meet up with Kirsten and her mom. We originally had tickets for three seats that weren't together. (We wanted to sit in the orchestra section rather than the mezzanine, and the only seats available at the time were separate from each other.) But when we checked in, the man at the ticket booth ended up finding us three seats together that were even better than our original seats! We had an amazing view of the stage.

If you aren't familiar with the show Kinky Boots, I'll give you a quick recap of the plot. The show starts with two young boys in England. The father of the first boy owns a shoe factory, but the boy isn't really interested in following in his father's footsteps and taking over the family business when he gets older. The second boy opens the show by performing an impressive dance routine in a pair of red high heels before his father yells at him to take the shoes off. The show then fast forwards to when the boys are adults. The first boy, Charlie, moves to London with his girlfriend, but is forced to go back home to take over the family shoe factory after his father dies. The factory is struggling, and that's when he meets the other boy who is a drag queen and goes by the name of Lola. The two become friends, and Charlie realizes there's an under-served market in the shoe industry that could save his father's business—shoes for men who like to wear women's shoes. Charlie and Lola then go into business together developing a line of boots to showcase at Fashion Week in Milan. Some drama and lots of funny moments follow! The music for Kinky Boots was written by Cyndi Lauper, and the show won several Tony awards, including the award for "Best Musical" in 2013!

Every aspect of the show was just so impressive: the music, the choreography, the set design, the lighting, the costumes, the performers... As soon as we sat down, we saw that the set looked amazing. And that was just one of the many incredible sets in the show! When the lights went down and the show began, the entire theatre seemed to transform and everyone was in awe! The opening song was so catchy and fun, and as the show went on, I was amazed by how many awesome songs there were in the show. Everyone in the show was also a fantastic performer. They all had great voices and were really able to captivate the audience. I think my favourite songs in the show were "The History of Wrong Guys," "Sex is in the Heel," and "Land of Lola," but I really loved them all! If you are in New York City, I would highly recommend going to see Kinky Boots!

As I always do at Broadway shows, I had an amazing night and didn't want the show to end! I am so glad I got the chance to see Kinky Boots since I had been wanting to see it for so long. I'm also really happy that I've already been able to see two Broadway shows so far in 2015! (I set a goal for myself to see six this year, so I'm already 1/3 of the way to reaching my goal!) The next Broadway show I want to see... If/Then starring Idina Menzel which ends its run on March 22nd.