Julie Travels: A day in NYC!

I’m back from my blogging break and a week in New York and it was a great trip! I was there for a work conference and I was also able to spend a little time in the city. I came to this same conference last year and on that trip I was able to spend a long weekend in the city with Chelsea. When I came home last year, I shared some sample itineraries for great days in NYC, and today I’m adding to that post by sharing another way to spend a day! (Read last year’s post here).

I was staying at the Girl Scout conference center in Chappaqua, NY, which is north of the city, so my day started with an hour train ride to Grand Central station. I caught a 7:00 train, so I was in the city by 8:00 and ready to start my day. 

From Grand Central, my first stop was Tudor City, which is due east from Grand Central. I had read about the Tudor City bridge and that it’s a great viewpoint of my favorite building, the Chrysler Building, and it did not disappoint. It was a great spot with an elevated view of 42nd street, which makes for some great pics.

My next destination was Central Park, and I was in the park before 9:00, which was awesome because I beat most of the crowds and got to snap several pics sans people. I love exploring the park, and it is always on my must-do list when I visit the city. I spent about an hour walking through the park and seeing some of my favorite spots.

I exited the park near Columbus Circle, and made my way to Brooklyn via subway. My first stop in Brooklyn was the Dumbo neighborhood, which boasts great views of the Brooklyn Bridge from the waterfront, as well as an epic view of the Manhattan Bridge perfectly framing the Empire State Building. I was totally smitten over this entire neighborhood and all the views and photo ops. I don’t always visit Brooklyn when I’m in the city, but each time I do, I’m impressed, so it’s quickly becoming a can’t miss on my list!

From Dumbo, I caught an Uber to take me to Prospect Park for Smorgasburg. I have been to Smorgasburg, an awesome open-air food market, in the past so I knew it would be the perfect spot for lunch. Thursday I’ll be blogging about all the delicious things I ate while in the city, so check back then to see what I ate.

After I finished lunch, I hoped back on the subway and made my way to Greenwich Village for a visit to Washington Square Park and I got some great photos of the blooming flowers.

Then it was time to check out the building used for exterior shots of the Friends apartment. I am a diehard Friends fan, and I’ve been to New York many times, so I’m actually surprised that this was my first time to see it. It was a quick stop, but so fun!

An afternoon snack was next, and I’ll give all those yummy details Thursday. After my snack, I made my way to 5th Avenue for some window shopping.

My next stop was Bryant Park for a cocktail and people watching. Bryant Park is my favorite place to relax with a drink al fresco.

At this point in my day, I headed back to Chappaqua for the opening session of the conference.

For a great full day itinerary, I would combine what I had done so far with the progressive dinner I was able to do a couple nights later. I’ll share those delicious details Thursday with my other city food finds.

After my dinner,  I went back to Tudor City to take in the view of the Chrysler Building at dusk. I’m so glad I returned – THIS was the time to go. Perfection.

From there, I made my way to Times Square because I wanted to take in the classic bright lights, big city views and snap some pics.

Once I was done with this stop, it was time to make my way back to Grand Central, so I walked down 42nd Street and enjoyed one last, quick stop at Bryant Park for some twilight views.

After a pit stop at Shake Shack for a shake, I was ready to board the train home.

My time in New York City this trip was brief, but I loved everything I did and I think it made for a pretty great day-in-the-city itinerary.

See you back here Thursday for a delicious post!

Party on!
JW