NEW YEARS
The main event for the trip was New Years Eve in Times Square; an experience that I would tell anyone that you HAVE to at least do once in your life. We weren't sure what to expect and everything we tried to search online just took us to websites to buy tickets for New Years Eve parties around the city which confused us because we weren't sure if they were talking about Times Square or not. Luckily a few of us knew people who had been to New York for New Years and they set the record straight for us.
If you just want to go to Time Square to watch the ball drop it is free, however you do have to get there early if you want a good spot. We got there at 2pm, and it probably took about 30 minutes to get through security, and I would say we got one of the last great spots. Though I would probably tell someone to get there even 2 more hours earlier so that they can have a better view of the stages. We were told bags, drinks and food were not allowed but at our security check they didn't confiscate my friend's draw string bag that she brought with snacks in it. Though they were strict on no alcohol which was nice because then we didn't have to worry about dealing with a drunk in such tight areas. Bathrooms were not provided but there was one girl by us who left after a few hours to use a restroom at a restaurant (they made her buy something first) and security let her back in.
We lucked out with weather, it was unusually warm and we were fine in our coats and beanies. (I was told it is usually freezing and it is good to prepare to be standing in freezing weather so I did wear my under-armor which was nice to have on) We stood in the same spot for 10 hours and we didn't drink anything that whole day in fear of having to use the bathroom. At first we started to question our sanity and wonder why on earth we wanted to stand in one spot for 10 hours. But then we started to talk to the people around us and we met a group from DC that had come up for New Years and we got to know two really fun girls from London (At the end of the night when they said goodbye to us they said, "Cheers Love." We got such a kick out of this!).
While we waited we also became super familiar with the ads being flashed in Times Square and we even would make bets which one would flash next. Tons of free stuff was tossed out to us in the crowds: hats, new years eve kits, snacks, chap stick, etc. Every hour closer to midnight the crowd would count down the last ten seconds to the new hour and then shout, "Three More Hours!" or however many hours were left to midnight. At one point members of each of our militaries (i.e. Army, Navy, etc.) came out and sang their songs and it ended with the national anthem. It was the coolest thing and one of my favorite parts of the night. A highlight of the night was when they played Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" over the PA system and the entire crowd was signing it at the top of their lungs... well I don't know about the top of everyone's lungs but we were and everyone was at least singing.
It was fun to be in the crowd and being a part of the entire experience. For the last few hours there were performances by Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and other big named artists but our favorite was Pitbull. He was so great and a lot of fun to watch; he was so excited to be there and had so much energy and he got us so pumped.
The night of course ended with the countdown to midnight and confetti falling from the sky and singing more songs. After that we made it back to the subway to go back to the place we were staying but not without being hit on by drunk people in other parties we passed on the way to the subway. Our favorite quote slurred out to us by a guy who could hardly stand up straight was, "Happy New Years beautiful girls."
THE SIGHTS
Our plan was to go Ice Skating in Central Park but it was so crowded on the rinks we kind of talked ourselves out of it. Something to go back and do, right?!
We walked around Central Park and saw all the fun statues and memorials and even pretended to play chess at the Chess and Checkers house.
I always love to stop by Macy's and see the original wood escalator and it was a perfect stop because Macy's was still decorated for Christmas.
We went to Rockefeller Center and saw the giant Christmas Tree which was amazing and so beautiful.
One of my friends, who had never been to New York, wanted to go see the Empire State Building but didn't want to go up in it. So we walked to the Empire State Building and we laughed because it was right by Macy's, which we had stopped by earlier in the day, and totally missed the Empire State Building right behind us.
We took the free Staten Island Ferry so that we could pass the Statue of Liberty. This is a great way to save money and see the statue. However, one day I do want to go to the base of the Statue and go to Ellis Island which is right next to it.
We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge which I loved and will from now on make sure to do that every visit to New York.
The 9/11 Memorial was absolutely beautiful and such a neat tribute. We went at night and I liked seeing everything lit up.
FOOD
Food was a funny part of this trip. Here we are, in a city where there is SO much to offer in the food department and that is where we spent the absolute least. BUT we still laugh and talk about our food choices today.
One of my friends is a very picky eater and she brought Roman Noodles to eat any time we were at our friend's apartment for a meal. At first my other friend and I thought she was nuts because 1) Roman Noodles are gross and 2) That would be the last thing I would consider eating on a trip. But then the Roman Noodles started to look good and my other friend and I started to crave them. By the end of the trip we were all eating Roman Noodles AT LEAST once a day. Once we got home we went back to thinking they sounded absolutely disgusting to eat but for some reason on that trip all we could think of to eat were those noodles. Weird I know.
The other thing we got hooked on was $5 Pizza. We were walking around Time Square (on a different day than New Years) and I decided to pull out my phone and google what things to do in Times Square and I found this random article about things to do and see and eat in and around Time Square. The article talk about that there were several pizza places, parallel to Time Square, on 9th Avenue that everyone should try so we headed over there and fell in love. Each of these places had a super cheap deal for $5 for 2 giant slices of pizza and a drink. We ate at one of these pizza places almost every day and I'm still craving these pizzas today.
One of my friends wanted to make sure to get some Falafel and so we stopped at a stand one day. I decided to try one and it wasn't what I imagined it to be but I really liked it and would eat it again.
We also made sure to get cheesecake from Magnolia Bakery, which is seen in movies and TV shows, and we took our little mini cheesecakes to eat on the Brooklyn Bridge.
If you just want to go to Time Square to watch the ball drop it is free, however you do have to get there early if you want a good spot. We got there at 2pm, and it probably took about 30 minutes to get through security, and I would say we got one of the last great spots. Though I would probably tell someone to get there even 2 more hours earlier so that they can have a better view of the stages. We were told bags, drinks and food were not allowed but at our security check they didn't confiscate my friend's draw string bag that she brought with snacks in it. Though they were strict on no alcohol which was nice because then we didn't have to worry about dealing with a drunk in such tight areas. Bathrooms were not provided but there was one girl by us who left after a few hours to use a restroom at a restaurant (they made her buy something first) and security let her back in.
We lucked out with weather, it was unusually warm and we were fine in our coats and beanies. (I was told it is usually freezing and it is good to prepare to be standing in freezing weather so I did wear my under-armor which was nice to have on) We stood in the same spot for 10 hours and we didn't drink anything that whole day in fear of having to use the bathroom. At first we started to question our sanity and wonder why on earth we wanted to stand in one spot for 10 hours. But then we started to talk to the people around us and we met a group from DC that had come up for New Years and we got to know two really fun girls from London (At the end of the night when they said goodbye to us they said, "Cheers Love." We got such a kick out of this!).
While we waited we also became super familiar with the ads being flashed in Times Square and we even would make bets which one would flash next. Tons of free stuff was tossed out to us in the crowds: hats, new years eve kits, snacks, chap stick, etc. Every hour closer to midnight the crowd would count down the last ten seconds to the new hour and then shout, "Three More Hours!" or however many hours were left to midnight. At one point members of each of our militaries (i.e. Army, Navy, etc.) came out and sang their songs and it ended with the national anthem. It was the coolest thing and one of my favorite parts of the night. A highlight of the night was when they played Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" over the PA system and the entire crowd was signing it at the top of their lungs... well I don't know about the top of everyone's lungs but we were and everyone was at least singing.
It was fun to be in the crowd and being a part of the entire experience. For the last few hours there were performances by Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and other big named artists but our favorite was Pitbull. He was so great and a lot of fun to watch; he was so excited to be there and had so much energy and he got us so pumped.
The night of course ended with the countdown to midnight and confetti falling from the sky and singing more songs. After that we made it back to the subway to go back to the place we were staying but not without being hit on by drunk people in other parties we passed on the way to the subway. Our favorite quote slurred out to us by a guy who could hardly stand up straight was, "Happy New Years beautiful girls."
BROADWAY
Our big splurge of the trip was Broadway. We went to two shows, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Bonnie and Clyde. It blew our budget a bit but we didn't care; we saved in other areas and it was 100% worth it.
HTSIBWRT was hilarious! We had decided to go see this one because our friends had gone to see it and had said how much fun it was. The show was sold out except for three seats and so we splurged and we're glad we did. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter in the HP movies, was the lead for the show so all day long we kept joking that we were going to see Harry! He actually ended up being fantastic and we all agreed that he should stick to broadway instead of movies. The show itself was witty, fast-pased and a lot of fun. I would recommend it to anyone.
Bonnie & Clyde was a wild card for us. We went to one of those discount booths for day-of sales and ended up with tickets for Bonnie & Clyde. The show was more adult and a drama but we loved it just as much. The music was moving and the storyline was intriguing.
THE SIGHTS
Our plan was to go Ice Skating in Central Park but it was so crowded on the rinks we kind of talked ourselves out of it. Something to go back and do, right?!
We walked around Central Park and saw all the fun statues and memorials and even pretended to play chess at the Chess and Checkers house.
I always love to stop by Macy's and see the original wood escalator and it was a perfect stop because Macy's was still decorated for Christmas.
We went to Rockefeller Center and saw the giant Christmas Tree which was amazing and so beautiful.
One of my friends, who had never been to New York, wanted to go see the Empire State Building but didn't want to go up in it. So we walked to the Empire State Building and we laughed because it was right by Macy's, which we had stopped by earlier in the day, and totally missed the Empire State Building right behind us.
We took the free Staten Island Ferry so that we could pass the Statue of Liberty. This is a great way to save money and see the statue. However, one day I do want to go to the base of the Statue and go to Ellis Island which is right next to it.
We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge which I loved and will from now on make sure to do that every visit to New York.
The 9/11 Memorial was absolutely beautiful and such a neat tribute. We went at night and I liked seeing everything lit up.
FOOD
Food was a funny part of this trip. Here we are, in a city where there is SO much to offer in the food department and that is where we spent the absolute least. BUT we still laugh and talk about our food choices today.
One of my friends is a very picky eater and she brought Roman Noodles to eat any time we were at our friend's apartment for a meal. At first my other friend and I thought she was nuts because 1) Roman Noodles are gross and 2) That would be the last thing I would consider eating on a trip. But then the Roman Noodles started to look good and my other friend and I started to crave them. By the end of the trip we were all eating Roman Noodles AT LEAST once a day. Once we got home we went back to thinking they sounded absolutely disgusting to eat but for some reason on that trip all we could think of to eat were those noodles. Weird I know.
The other thing we got hooked on was $5 Pizza. We were walking around Time Square (on a different day than New Years) and I decided to pull out my phone and google what things to do in Times Square and I found this random article about things to do and see and eat in and around Time Square. The article talk about that there were several pizza places, parallel to Time Square, on 9th Avenue that everyone should try so we headed over there and fell in love. Each of these places had a super cheap deal for $5 for 2 giant slices of pizza and a drink. We ate at one of these pizza places almost every day and I'm still craving these pizzas today.
One of my friends wanted to make sure to get some Falafel and so we stopped at a stand one day. I decided to try one and it wasn't what I imagined it to be but I really liked it and would eat it again.
We also made sure to get cheesecake from Magnolia Bakery, which is seen in movies and TV shows, and we took our little mini cheesecakes to eat on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Overall it was a great trip and a lot of fun. We repeated some things and did new things too and I couldn't have asked for anything better.
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