As I mentioned in my last blog post, I recently went to New York for the first time. It was absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to go back. The reason for my visit was to attend the BlogHer18 Health conference. I ended up extended my trip by a few days to explore the city. Below is a recap of my fourth day in New York, where I toured inside the Empire State Building.
Wall Street
As soon as I woke up, I headed for Wall Street. It was busy and crowded just how I had imagined. There was a large statue of George Washington standing on a pedestal. Beneath him it read “On this site in federal hall April 30th, 1789 George Washington took the oath as the first president of the United States of America.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
While I was on Wall Street, I bought a blueberry muffin at Starbucks. Then I made my way down the street. One thing you might not know about me, is that I am a huge Audrey Hepburn fan. So of course I had to have Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Subway
After exploring Wall Street, I made my way to the nearest subway. We don’t have subways in Florida. This was my first time taking the subway. I was scared and excited all at the same time. I was scared of getting lost, yet I was excited to try something new. The subway attendant helped me purchase a subway ticket, and instructed me on where to go. I took the Wall Street Station uptown.
Madison Square Garden
After successfully maneuvering the subway, I went to Madison Square Garden. I was disappointed to find a list of items posted outside that couldn’t be brought into the building. Among the items on the list were outside food and beverages, a selfie stick, and a tripod. All of which I had in my backpack. I ended up just taking a photo by the entrance. Then I made my way to the Empire State building.
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building looked small from a distance. As I made my was closer my head kept inching further back until I was looking straight up above me. I had purchased my ticket online so I was able to go directly to security. The inside of the Empire State Building looked vast. Literally from the moment that you walk into the lobby, from the elevator, to the observation desk. Everything was curated with such detail. When I walked thru security they confiscated the tripod from my backpack. They put it in a plastic bag and gave me a slip with a number on it to retrieve it before I left.
The 80th floor was the first viewing level of the Empire State Building. The view of the city reminded me of when I visited the Willis Tower and the CN Tower.
Next, I went to the 86th floor where there was an open air observation deck. It is the most famous observatory in the world. It has been the setting of dozens of movie and television scenes. The observation deck wraps around the building and gives you a 360-degree view of New York. You can see Central Park, the Hudson River, the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and so much more. There were high powered binoculars that you could use to see out of and get a closer look of far out landmarks.
Time Square
After exploring the Empire State Building, I made my way to Time Square. Time Square was sensational. There was so much going on I didn’t know where to start. The costume characters were a sight to see. I saw multiple statue of liberties, a batman, and every Disney character you could imagine.
While I was in Time Square, I saw a group of people gather around this one street corner. I approached and asked what was going on and they said a taping for TRL was about to happen. That a group by the name of “Brockhampton” was performing. I stuck around just long enough to catch a glimpse of them. I had no idea who they were. I’ve never even heard of them but they reminded me of the blue man group. There were wearing orange jump suits, with white hoodies, and had blue faces.
In the middle of Time Square there was a large art piece. It had a heart in the center of it. A sign nearby read that it was the winning piece at the 10th Annual Valentine Heart Design Competition. The sculpture is supposed to focus our attention on love with its window to the heart.
Central Park
I knew I had made it to Central Park when I noticed the horse drawn carriages lined up on the street. Central Park was vast. It was much bigger than I thought. Even though it was winter and the vegetation was dead it was peaceful walking through the park. I encountered a group of men performing underneath a bridge. I don’t know the name of the song they were singing but it was lovely. The only downside to the park I would say is that it smelled of manure.
Le Pain Quotidien
I stopped by the cutest restaurant after I walked thru Central Park. It was called, Le Pain Quotidien Bakery & Restaurant. The cashier talked me into ordering the Baker’s Lunch, which I’m so glad that I did. The bakers lunch consisted of a half avocado toast and quinoa taboulé salad. It came with soup but I substituted the soup for vegan chili. Then for dessert I had a mixed berry tart. It was the most scrumptious meal after all the walking I had done.
Rockefeller Center
After lunch, I made my way to The Rockefeller Center. It was lit up so beautifully. This is where they have the Christmas tree during the holidays. The tree was no longer present but there was a skating rink. I was able to see the famous statue of Prometheus above the rink. I only stayed briefly to take in the sights, soon after I arrived it started to rain. Then I made my way to the theatre district.
Wicked
I’ve never seen a broadway show before. What better place to experience this for the first time other than New York City. There were a bunch of shows to choose from and I settled on “Wicked”. I’ve never seen the play, movie, or read the book. So I went into the show not really knowing what it was about.
A map of Oz was displayed on the stage prior to the show. In the middle was the emerald city and it glowed green. I was really impressed by all the details that went into the backgrounds. Everything shifted so easily from scene to scene. The costumes were colorful, vibrant and had unique designs. The music kept me mesmerized throughout the show. The actresses sang beautifully. I ended up buying a magnet and an overpriced shirt as a token of memorabilia. I really enjoyed the show. If you get the change I highly recommend you check it out. This concludes the day. I conquered the subway once more as I made my way back to the Frederick Hotel.
Check out the vlog up on my Youtube channel down below. If you want to see more from my trip to New York then see these other posts, BlogHer18, 9/11 Memorial, and The Statue of Liberty.
Don’t forget to “Like” this video and to “Subscribe” to my YouTube channel so you can keep up with my latest videos. I upload new videos every Sunday and Thursday. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post, inside the Empire State Building. If you have any questions feel free to comment below.
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