Welcome to New York!! When most people think of New York, they think of New York City. But there is so much more to New York State than the Big Apple, New York City.
New York is a vastly diverse state with the Adirondack Mountains, Niagra Falls, Lake Placid, 1000 Islands, Numerous State Parks and National Park monuments and historic sites and boasts beautiful countrysides and of course New York City and so much more.
We have not traveled all the way through New York, and we do look forward to doing that someday, another bucket list item, however from the things we have seen we definitely will make a return trip where we can spend more time and take in as many sites as possible.
New York City is big, bustling, loud and never sleeps. It is full of so many sites; sounds and smells it is a sensory overload but in a good way. We spent a week in New York City and could have easily spent another week or two just to see all the things we wanted to see and do. We hit some of the main highlights, we visited Ground Zero 911 Memorial and Museum. This is an absolute must do if you plan on a visit to the city. This was a somber experience, but meaningful, insightful and educational. This Museum is some place I would like to visit again. Never Forget.
For visitation hours, times and prices click here: https://www.911memorial.org/
We also visited Rockefeller Center. We went to the Top of the Rock and really enjoyed the spectacular views and the outdoor deck, nothing better than feeling the wind from the top of that beautiful tower. Reservations are required. For more information on tickets and reservations click here: https://www.rockefellercenter.com/attractions/top-of-the-rock-observation-deck/
Rockefeller Center is also home to Radio City Music Hall, concert hall and music venue in Midtown Manhattan. Home to the famous “Rockettes” and nicknamed “The Showplace of the Nation”. Shows are changing constantly so be sure to plan ahead, for ticket information, dates and times of upcoming concerts or tour information click here:
https://www.msg.com/radio-city-music-hall/faqs
We also visited the famous “Rink” a winter tradition to ice skate under the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. We did not ice skate, however our grandson and daughter who were traveling with us made an attempt at it. This is a winter event only, they use the space for other events during the summer months so be sure and check schedules. For information and schedule times click the link here:
https://www.rockefellercenter.com/attractions/top-of-the-rock-observation-deck/
We spent about four hours touring through the American Museum of Natural History. This was another one of my must do items. There are so many different encounters and exhibitions to see so take your time and explore this fantastic museum, and one of my favorite exhibits was the prehistoric skeletons. Don’t we all love dinosaurs. https://www.amnh.org/plan-your-visit
Throughout the city we explored China town, we visited and had lunch in Little Italy, we walked through Central Park and found the “Balto” Statue dedicated to Sled Dogs, we attended a concert at Carnegie Hall as our oldest grandson was performing there, we attended a Broadway show and seen The Lion King and toured through the beautiful Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. We also had a fun time visiting the famous FAO Schwartz toy store. We tried to do as much as we possibly could in the time that we had, I really felt like one week was not enough time for us, however we did get to see the highlights and now we have things to look forward to in our future visit. Our next travel plans for New York is to visit the countryside, with its beautiful lakes, Islands and parks and of course Niagra Falls. To visit Niagra Falls State Park U.S.A. you can find more information here.
If you are planning a trip to the beautiful state of New York, make sure you give yourself enough time to fulfill all of your bucket list items as there is so much there to see and do. I barely scratched the surface in this article. Once you start exploring the endless possibilities you’ll understand why. I could write a book on all of the adventures you can find in this beautiful sttate. So Enjoy! What are you waiting for? Contact information for New York State Division of Tourism:
Contact Information | New York State Division of Tourism
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