New York City: Central Park and More
Boston is so close to New York City, how could I be on the east coast and not go? After all, it was the city of my dream as a child.
When I first started planning this trip, Brandon was not too keen on going back to NYC, having just gone in 2019, so I asked my mom to go, knowing it was on her bucket list.
I took an Amtrack train in from Boston and she flew in. Despite the fact that she landed forty minutes before I exited my train, I got to the hotel before her because Penn Station drops people off smack dab in midtown and our hotel was two blocks away.
Being “old fogies” we enjoyed our tiny hotel room for a few hours before we started our go, go, go over the next few days.
Night One
Stardust Diner
First stop on our list was Stardust Diner.
We all have that person in our lives that’s just too cool. For me, this was my drama teacher from high school. She comes to NYC regularly and this is a place she always stops at. I HAD to go.
After going to Casa Bonita in 2016 and having a great time despite the mediocre food (I’ve heard it has since improved), this is what I was expecting here. I was happily mistaken though- the food was delicious and the entertainment equally as much.
I can see why she stopped in on many of her trips.
Pro Tip: Go between 5-6 PM because the line is shorter and the smaller the party, the better off you might be. We got in within five minutes because it was just the two of us!
Rockefeller Center & Times Square
There wasn’t much for me to say here. If you know what they are, then that is that. We walked around and looked at the sites.
At current moment the rink level of Rockefeller Center is closed down but that means we got some beautiful views of the area without people crowding it. A few other places we stopped were:
FAO Schwarz: This one is near and dear to my heart. If you’ve ever seen the movie BIG or Home Alone 2: Lost in New York then you know the toy store we’re talking about.
Back in 2015, I went to New York City when the original FAO Schwarz was closing down. All I wanted was to get a small item for Brandon from there. I thought I would get there an hour before closing based on what I had been told but I ended up missing it by two minutes!
I went in now and got us a Christmas ornament for our tree.
The Disney Store: No longer in Rockefeller Center, we’ve now entered Times Square. This is one of around two dozen stores left in the United States and it puts any of the other ones I went to in the past to shame. To shame, I tell you!
It has an escalator area that looks like a scene from Tangled but has nods to Peter Pan and a few other Disney movies. They also have a sales section- I bought a thirty-five dollar pin for ten. Score!
The M&M Store: This one has history too, baby. Back in February 2009, we took a late-night trip to NYC where we missed going into the M&M store by a mere ten minutes, so instead we got a hot dog from across the street.
This time, mom & I went up all three stores and checked it all out.
Full Day One
Breakfast
The original plan was to go to Ground Central Coffee and have our full breakfast but when we got there, we were told they didn’t have sandwiches. I asked if she wanted a pastry or if she wanted to go to another restaurant for substance. She opted for the later (and I am thankful).
We sipped our coffee and sat outside while I mapped our route and found another breakfast restaurant to go to. I know what you’re thinking… “Coffee, you say? Do tell more!” Well, here’s more:
I had the seasonal special which had hazelnut and peanut butter syrup in it, asking for less sweet. It was creamy, rich, and very well balanced. Mom had a chai latte and said it was good but it was not anything special.
For the real food, we opted for Carnegie Diner & Cafe because I saw they had eggs benedict. I continued to sip my latte and mom got a drip coffee- they serve Lavazza beans at their restaurant. She did mention to me while we were waiting that the drip coffee was very good- strong but not too strong.
The eggs benedict came out quick, a side of hash browns and a salad with honey mustard dressing to complete the meal. I don’t know why but I dug into the salad first. I think honey mustard dressing is my new favorite.
Likewise, the eggs benedict was good, the eggs were not too runny, perfectly poached. We opted to get applewood smoked bacon instead of canadian bacon- no regrets there.
I must say, doing my little bit of research on food in New York City this go round was helpful.
Central Park
I went for a lot of the iconic places I’ve heard about, skipping the playground on accident. The horse and carriage gentlemen were lined up, waiting for eager takers. The horses were happily eating and when they weren’t the birds were. Yes, the pigeons. Like in Home Alone 2.
First stop was the carousel. We pretended to be kids and got on the first ride of the day!
What I didn’t realize was that the carousel is in an enclosure. Given the weather in New York City though, this makes sense. The carousel was donated to the park by the Michael Friedsam Foundation in 1951.
Next up was Bethesda Terrace, which is the scene where Kevin gets away from the sticky bandits. It was beautiful, hard to believe you are in the city when looking people rowing their boats in the lake.
The hike from Bethesda Terrace to Belvedere castle was a bit of a hike- you’ve been warned. Mom and I took a moment along the walk to rest. The further and further into the park you get, the more away from the hustle and bustle you become- surrounded by trees and the forest, if you will, it is very peaceful.
We did not go into Belvedere Castle but got some great views of the lake and city combined together. The castle was created in 1919 for looks but it also holds the weather station and gift shop.
Our last stop was the great lawn which, in all honesty, I didn’t find super impressive. I can see it’s importance though because there were ball fields, which the people of New York City need.
Kitchen Arts and Letters
Kitchen Arts and Letters was a personal stop but if you are a foodie like me, it’s worth the train ride to check out an all food related bookstore. This bookstore is for the serious foodie in us all.
Have something you’re specific about in the food or drink industry? They’ve got you. You can go to their website and check out their selection or head over to 1435 Lexington Avenue and ask them in person!
After spending probably an hour in the store and finally purchasing a book on Maine food, we went to Shake Shack for lunch.
If you’ve never heard of Shake Shack, it’s essentially the In & Out burger of NYC. We got the seasonal avocado burger, which was perfectly messy and delicious and the veggie burger which didn’t taste like a burger (it was not beyond meat) but it didn’t taste bad either.
When at Shake Shack it’s pretty much a requirement that you get a shake too, right? We really wanted the maple snickerdoodle but they were out so the coffee and donuts shake it was! Not bad, very rich. Glad we were doing a lot of walking!
Wrapping It Up
Okay. I don’t want to bore you all to death so I am going to leave it here for this post. After all, it was rest time for us ladies after walking all around New York City anyways.
As always, more to come!
