Arriving at JFK AirportAfter 8 years we finally visit The Big Apple! Our dream came true, it was on our bucket list for a long time.
These are our first impressions.. We just love it! After a 9 hour flight with Delta, we take a yellow cab to our hotel. The best way to see the skyline for the first time...
This is my number 1 favorite city in the world and I need to go back some day!
Room Mate Grace Boutique Hotel
Room Mate Grace Hotel in Times Square[spacer height="20px"]
Our hotel "Room Mate Grace" is a perfect place to stay in New York. A boutique hotel in the center of New York, close to Times Square (200 meters). But everything's nearby: Broadway theaters, 5th avenue, and dozen of iconic sights. After a long day you can relax at this place; chill out at the pool and poolbar. The rooms are not big, but very clean and modern. You will have a nice bathroom and the service is great! I really recommend this place!
Top of the Rock / Rockefeller Center
Top of the Rock Observatory[spacer height="20px"]
Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center; an amazing place with a breathtaking view of New York City and beyond. From this point you can see the Empire State Building, awesome! The excitement begins on the ground floor with the rich history and architecture of Rockefeller Center. You can take one of the glass ceiling sky shuttles for a ride to the top. When you have the New York Pass you have a free entry and you can skip the lines, perfect! You can order the New York Pass here: www.newyork.nl.
The best time to visit this place is in the morning at 9.00 AM. At the top it's very small and in the evening there many tourists, but the sunset is great to see! Good luck ;)
Bryant Park
Bryant Park[spacer height="20px"]
Bryant Park is a public park and a New York landmark. It's located between fifth and sixth avenue and between 40th and 42nd streets in Midtown Manhattan. The New York Public Library is located within the park, so when you visit the Library, make sure you walk through this park. The buildings around, the flowers and the carousel, make this place incredible! Did you know that the movie Sex and the City staged multiple scenes at the park's carousel?
Times Square
Times Square[spacer height="20px"]
Love this concrete jungle! The most famous square in the whole wide world and one of world's most visited tourist attraction. 450.000 people daily on a busy day, that's more than then Disney theme parks! You will feel so small at this place. It's magical because of the Neon billboards and advertisements, shops, many tourists and costumed characters. At nighttime the billboards light up even more brightly than during the day, so it don't feel like night when you walk there. Do you want to make some awesome pictures without all those people? I had a jet lag so wake up at 5.00 AM, it's very quiet at this time ;)
Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge Park & Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn Bridge[spacer height="20px"]
I can give you 100 tips and recommendations, but the best one; rent a beach cruiser at Blazing Saddles. When you have the New York pass, you can rent a free beach cruiser for 24 hours. You can pick up your beach cruiser at Pier 17 (in the neighborhood of the circle line cruise) and you can drop your beach cruiser at Pier 17 or Pier 84 at Hudson River Park, it's up to you. The best way to explore New York is on a bike ride. We bike the Brooklyn Bridge, what an experience! There two sections; walk and bike. Very difficult to bike with so many people walking at the bridge, but we did it and it was great! We also visit Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Heights Park, DUMBO and back over the Manhattan Bridge. You will see breathtaking views! This is the best ever, especially when you have great weather just like us :)
Grand Central Station
Grand Central Terminal[spacer height="20px"]
Grand Central Station; official name Grand Central Terminal, with 44 platforms, more than any other railroad station in the world. This terminal is also one of the world's most visited tourist attractions, with 21.9 million visitors a few years ago. The station is not owned by Authority, but by a private company. We visit this place at the day there was a congress with Donald Trump, that's the reason why some people demonstrate. A nice thing you need to know is that you can hire an audio tour to learn more about the history.
It's not only a station, you can find here shops, restaurants and a market. Really nice to visit this place, it's open daily from 5.30 AM until 2.00 AM.Empire State Building
View from the Empire State Building[spacer height="20px"]
One of the best places to visit in New York is the Empire State Building. I can't describe the feeling you get when you're on the top and see the view of New York and beyond. WOW WOW WOW! Also for this attraction the best time to visit is early in the morning (like 08.30 AM or 09.00 AM), it's not to crowded and you can make stunning shots!
The Empire State Building was completed in a year and 45 days and finished in 1931. It stood as the world's tallest building for nearly 40 years, now One World Trade center is the tallest. Inside this building you will find art deco design. At the 86th-floor observation deck you have a 360-degree view of the city. There is a second observation deck on the 102nd floor, but you need to pay 20 USD extra when you use the New York Pass.
9/11 Memorial & Museum
9/11 Memorial[spacer height="20px"]
Impressive that's the best word to describe this place.. The place where 2983 people killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001. This is a place to honor the people who have been killed.
You will find two reflecting pools set in the footprints of the Twin Towers and a plaza of trees, including the Survivor tree. The underground museum tells the story of the events of 9/11, while presenting stories with 23.000 images, 10.300 artifacts and over 500 hours of video. The stories you will hear inside the museum will give you goose bumps, so sad what happens. A must see when you visit New York!
Open-door Helicopter flight Manhattan
View from a helicopter[spacer height="20px"]
Ever made a shoe selfie with the One World Trade Center? This is the best experience ever!! An open door helicopter flight with FlyNyon. AMAZING! I wanted to give my husband a special gift on his birthday trip to New York, so I booked a flight at FlyNyon. We took the NJ Path from Manhattan to New Jersey (location of FlyNyon) and take a uber taxi to the hanger. It's possible to take you're iPhone, camera and go pro, they have straps for all your camera's. The view is spectacular!
Dumbo - Brooklynn
Manhattan Bridge from DUMBO, Brooklyn[spacer height="20px"]
Dumbo, Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass is a neighborhood in Brooklyn and it's located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. That's what makes this area so nice, you can make pictures of the bridges from the other side. If you take a good look you will see the Empire State Building framed by the Manhattan Bridge, this pictures are made from Washington Street. Did you know Dumbo has become Brooklyn's most expensive neighborhood? It's worth a visit by bike!
Statue of Liberty at Liberty Island & Ellis Island
Statue of Liberty[spacer height="20px"]
Some people told us, don't visit Liberty Island, because it's very busy with tourists and it's better to see Lady Liberty from the ferry. But I can tell you, I'm happy we take the free ferry from Battery Park to Liberty Island, because we had a great time! Every 20 minutes there is a ferry who can bring you back to Manhattan or Ellis Island. That skyline is so beautiful to see, I couldn't stop making pictures of it. The Statue of Liberty was smaller then we expected, but very nice to see! After Liberty Island we visit Ellis Island. The place where 12 million immigrants first entered America.
We had some high expectations, but it was a disappointing. In the tv movie Hitch, you see some old books where you can find some relatives, but there are no books at Ellis Island, only 100 computers to search for relatives. That's the reason why it was a disappointing for us.
Other must sees and photo gallery [URIS id=630] [spacer height="20px"] For more from Denise, visit her blog and follow her on Instagram.