Cincinnati, Ohio

Last Friday, I took a friend to the Cincinnati airport. What was supposed to be a three-hour-round-trip-then-go-to-work day, turned into a one hour in the wrong direction, turn around, drive two hours, become in awe with the city and call off work and spend the day in Cincinnati day. Impulsive, but worth it.

Cincinnati, Ohio is like the small version of NYC, with a touch of a vintage, old-town feel. We roamed the city, got breakfast at a local bagel shop, and got lost numerous times. The waterfront was beautiful, and we headed just across the river to the Newport Aquarium (which is technically in Kentucky, but we still had a great view of Ohio from just outside). We watched the shark rays, which are a combination of a shark and a sting ray, get fed. This is the only aquarium in the world that has a thriving group of shark rays, which I thought was pretty cool! I also got to pet a shark!

After the aquarium, we headed across the boardwalk to a quaint seafood restaurant called Mitchell's Fish Market. The bacon wrapped barbeque shrimp was to die for, and my fish and chips were delectable. It all pooled together to be a fun impromptu trip that I will never forget!

New York, New York (Part III)

I descended down the stairs, leaving behind the bustling noises from pedestrians hurrying up and down Fifth Avenue. I pulled out my prepaid metro card, swiped it, and pushed through the turnstile. Now the real question was, how do I get where I need to go? I downloaded a subway map off the app store and began deducing which train I should board.

It was dirty, crowded, and uncomfortable. The train lurched forward and I held on to a pole for dear life as we sped south. I exited the train and got on a transfer. Don't ask me how I knew when to transfer or which train to get on, it just all seemed to work out. Luckily, the second train was clean and occupied by families.When we reached what I assumed to be the correct stop, I got off and walked up the stairs into the streets of the financial district in Lower Manhattan. As I wondered the streets, I accidentally stumbled upon Wall Street, and many interesting buildings. But as my phone was quickly dying, I attempted to resist these distractions and figure out where I was going.

After walking in many circles, asking for directions, and finally phoning a friend, I found my final destination: the 9/11 Memorial.

It was absolutely breathtaking! It was incredible to see where these two monumental buildings had once stood, as well as the efforts that were being made to reconstruct them. And in their exact places were two beautiful memorials. As the sun was setting, the fountains lit up and all was calm as passersby reminisced this awful destruction over 12 years ago.

The Survivor Tree

 

Soon after I left the memorial, my phone died as I searched for the correct subway to board. About four trains and an hour later, I finally made it back to midtown. It was a long day, so I stopped by a cafe to charge my phone and get a genuine New York coffee. It was the best vanilla late I have ever tasted! I will be sure to go back here when I visit again.

I finally met back up with my friends to go to the top of the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, it was too foggy and they weren't letting anyone up because you wouldn't be able to see the city below you. Disappointed, we instead went into all the shops along Fifth Avenue, took pictures outside the city library, and walked around Times Square.

But all too soon, our last night in New York came to an end as we sadly retreated to our hotel to pick up our bags and load them into the car. We drove away, stopping once to take one last look at the skyline. Right then, I promised myself I'd be back.

Stay tuned for the last installment of my New York blog series... Philadelphia!

New York, New York (Part II)

The next morning, I woke up at 9 to shower and get ready. Once I was fully prepared for what the day had in store for me, I realized that everyone else was still sleeping. And being the introvert that I am, I surely did not turn down an opportunity for a bit of alone time. I decided that nothing could be better at this moment than a morning stroll through Central Park! I packed my wallet, camera, and winter gear, then happily headed downstairs to enjoy my first ever morning in New York City.

It was about a ten minute walk from my hotel to the south entrance of Central Park. Everywhere I looked, there were joggers, dog walkers, bikers, and groups of children running around. My goal was to explore every inch of the park! But little did I know, it is a lot bigger than what the movies make it out to be. I walked around the south half of the park for almost two hours, hoping to finally make it to the tourist locations in the north end. However, when I was looking at the ice skating rink for the third time, I realized that I was simply walking in circles. I wanted to blend in with the NY natives, but I finally caved and bought one of those $2 maps of Central Park from a street vendor. I told the man the main places I wanted to go, and he was very helpful in directing me!

As I started on my way, I heard someone call out to me, “Excuse me, ma’am?” I turned, not knowing what to expect. “You dropped your wallet.”

Sure enough, there it was lying on the ground. He bent over, picked it up, and handed it to me. I was baffled – weren't New Yorkers supposed to be selfish, rude, and pompous? I smiled at the man, mumbled a “thank you”, and then headed on my way.

These are the bathrooms in Central Park!

I walked around for hours, my camera in one hand and the map in the other. I saw the Belvedere Castle, Loeb Boathouse, Children’s Zoo, Bethesda Fountain, Bow Bridge, Strawberry Fields with the Imagine mosaic, the mall (which isn’t actually a mall…), and much, much more!

Finally, I hit the most northern point of the park. From there, I exited to the east and walked the straight length of the park down Fifth Avenue. It was the best workout I could ever ask for! By the time I reached the golden Sherman statue and the glass Apple Store, my phone was completely dead. Lovely… Now, my main goal was to find an outlet. I headed into many stores and was repeatedly unsuccessful. I then trekked down a narrow street and into a bagel shop.

Now, I hear New York bagels are good, but they were all under exaggerating! As I sat down at a table, eating my bagels and charging my phone, I was experiencing pure food bliss. I have no idea what this bagel shop was called, but it was just south of the Museum of Modern Art, and west of Fifth Avenue. So delicious!

Next, I walked south down Fifth, looking at all the shops and clothes that I could probably never afford in my lifetime. I passed Trump Tower, Tiffany’s, Bergdorf, Dolce & Gabbana, NBC Studios, Radio City Music Hall, St Regis, and finally stumbled across Rockefeller Center. 

I saw the statue of that man holding the world, the ice rink, the flags, and even the Christmas tree! Although they were still in the process of decorating, so the tree was still covered…  But all I could think of was that scene from Elf when Buddy and Jovie have their first kiss on the ice. Perfect! Right there, I promised myself that I would have an ice skating date on that rink one day. Haha!

After taking enough pictures to satisfy any tourist, I decided to do the unthinkable. I headed down the stairs (after getting lost trying to find the right ones) and into the rumbling, rat-infested abyss. 

To be continued...

New York, New York (Part 1)

All my life, I have dreamed of visiting New York, though I had accepted that it likely would never happen. But in the blink of an eye, I had made it to Walt Disney World, another place I thought I would never see in my life time. So what was stopping me?! In just a few hours, I made the decision and bought my plane ticket. Talk about impulsive.

We first visited Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, NJ, which is featured in TLC’s Cake Boss. My Reese’s cupcake was absolutely delicious, but the chocolate covered strawberries were my favorite! With a very sweet lunch in our stomachs, it was finally time to go through the Lincoln Tunnel and into NYC!

That is, until our car began steaming right as we were about to enter the tunnel. After sitting stationary in the far right lane for ten minutes and enduring irritated New York commuters, we pulled off and drove to the ferry dock to let the car cool off. Yes, I was frustrated, but I will always be grateful for this experience because of the beautiful view at the ferry dock! It was simply breathtaking. We hung out and took pictures for about 20 minutes before cautiously heading through the tunnel.

We quickly found a parking garage, locked our car up, and went down the elevator to the main floor. I was awestruck – my first view within the big apple was the New York Times building. One day, I thought, I will be working there! We roamed around, soon finding ourselves in the heart of Times Square. We had finally made it! I felt like a child in a candy store, thriving off of the bustling and overwhelming atmosphere – this had to be a dream, right?

As the skies began to grow darker, the lights grew brighter, and we still didn’t have a place to sleep that night. We hurried to The Paramount, just off of Broadway. I am not even exaggerating when I tell you it was a twenty second walk from the heart of Times Square! After dropping our stuff off, it was time to explore!

I was on the phone when I exited our hotel and stood in front of the building, waiting for the rest of the group. That’s when the screaming began, and all I wanted to do was tell these girls to be quiet. That is, until I noticed why they were going into an absolute frenzy. Right across the narrow two lane street was none other than Orlando Bloom. Less than 30 yards away from me. What?!? I noticed some New York natives walking by like no one was there. Were they blind? Orlando Bloom! Haha, I attempted to suppress the touristy fan girl within me and joined my friends.

Earlier that day, a scalper approached us selling tickets to a comedy show. Naturally, I declined, but the rest of the group was up for adventure! So that night, we got ready and headed to the show. Though I almost fell asleep at one point from exhaustion, I was definitely entertained by the hilarious, and often vulgar, comedians. Unfortunately, we soon found out that there was a drink limit and you had to buy at least two drinks during the show – that’s where they get you! But my virgin daiquiri was delicious so I won’t complain! After the show, we made our way towards our hotel and into the square.

And I thought Times Square was beautiful in the daylight. It was ten times better after midnight with the advertisements illuminating the entire area, and even more people shuffling from store to store.  Soon, we found ourselves a couple blocks away on Fifth Avenue. The shopping temptation was overwhelming, so naturally I indulged in a little Forever 21 and H&M! But as the time approached one or two in the morning, we decided to call it a night.

How could anything top the thrill that I had just experienced?  I could only hope that the next day would impress.

To be continued...