Let’s just say that what I thought about NYC in terms of safety wasn’t an issue at all. We stayed in the Nomad area and it’s actually pretty nice and safe. So safe that I wouldn’t have minded walking by myself at night! We were somehow lucky enough to find Hotel Henri after our Airbnb canceled on us. I remember being really bummed about it but it worked out for the best. (Uber or taxi ride from LGA to Hotel Henri will run you about $40-60; wide range of prices depending if you choose taxi or Uber. Another factor is getting stuck in traffic and being charged for it.)
The hotel was situated about a block from the Flatiron building and roughly 10-15 minutes walk to Koreatown. Not bad at all! Also, Manhattan Mall is about the same walking distance. It couldn’t have turned out better. We had food and shopping on our radar and being asians we definitely needed our fill of rice every now and then. So blessed to be in the proximity of delicious food and so much variety, too!
I’ll also add that the Empire State building was also within walking distance. At most, 20-25 minutes walk or less if you speed walk. We got there around 11pm on a Wednesday night. No waiting in line at all! However, we did have trouble finding the entrance door to the ESB! This bypasser knew we were lost so he pointed us in the general direction. Thanks to the kind sir! Once you’re at the entrance to the ESB, they actually did have a sign haha… it would’ve been nice if there were signs saying not this door yet! We actually went to two wrong doors before we got to the correct entryway. Yes, that guy pointed us to the entryway twice… like not yet. You guys still have to keep going. Pretty embarrassing! Lol However, it was a sight to see! We went at night because I heard that’s when it’s most beautiful. It definitely was worth it to me. A few people actually recommend going to Top of the Rock. They say the views are better and the lines aren’t as long. Perhaps, that will be on my list for next time.
Another must see for me was the Museum of Natural History! I’ve always been fascinated with seeing the way people lived, what they ate, what they wore, etc… so I really enjoyed my time there. My only regret was that we got there later than I wanted so time was limited. Be aware the museum closes at 5:45 and they do recommend at least two hours. We didn’t even have that amount of time. Being in a state of rush, I felt I didn’t get a sense of understanding and missed out on being mesmerized by it all. It will be part of my stop again. (Uber ride cost from Manhattan Mall to Museum was about $40-50; when we came back, it was more expensive because we got caught in rush hour.)
The last two things that I’m going to talk about is probably top of the list for all tourists who has never been to NYC. However, knowing what I know and have seen; I wouldn’t hit up these places again. These two spots are Times Square and the Statue of Liberty. Personally, Times Square is jammed pack. It’s just not my thing because being a country bumpkin, I like my personal space. Sure, it’s nice to see and be like oh this is what all the people talk about or what you’ve seen on TV… but I’d rather be in less crowded parts of NY. A lot of people dont even recommend staying in Times Square because of all the noise and how packed it gets. If you’re not there for shows, stay elsewhere unless you just love crowds.
As for the Statue of Liberty, I wouldn’t go again because the wait is forever. I felt like we spent our afternoon waiting in line to get on a boat when I could’ve been exploring other parts of the city or eating delicious foods. If you don’t already know, you must go to Battery Park to buy or pick up your pre-purchased tickets. We bought the NY “city pass” (and had the option to choose three of six or maybe seven tourist spots.) Once we got dropped off by our Uber driver at Battery Park, if you keep walking towards the inner of the park there are some people that will direct you to where you need to go. In this case, they told us we needed to go to the brown building in the center of the park to pick up our tickets since we bought the city pass. Once tickets are picked up, I recommend taking a bathroom break. You will be standing in line for the next 1.5 to 2 hours. (I even asked the ticket counter lady and she said it was only 30 minutes!) I kept thinking to myself that we were tricked! Lol… I asked her because on our way to pick up tickets, you already see the line and it’s extremely long! Be aware that at midway point before getting on the boat, you have to go through security like at the airport. The only differences is that you don’t have to take off your shoes but all other items and jackets does go into the bucket in front of you. You’ll also go through a metal detector. They ask that you don’t bring in outside drinks but I had a Bai drink with me. It had those twist top lids and was inside my bag and it went through fine. Once on the boat (holds 600 people), it was a fairly quick ride to the island. However, everyone is trying to get off the boat so that takes a good 10 minutes to unload. I am happy to announce that your waiting for a boat to Ellis Island or back to Battery Park isn’t as bad! Hooray! A sense of relief. (Uber ride from Hotel Henri to Battery Park was around $35-45.)
Overall, I am excited about the next time I’ll go to NYC! There is still much more I’d like to see and eat. Hopefully, I can catch a great deal and have opportunity to go again. We just got back on the 15th and my mind keeps wandering back. I don’t remember feeling this way when I visited San Francisco. I think NYC has my heart or something.
PICTURES
At Kung Fu Tea on our first night in NYC
In Times Square
On the Statue of Liberty island with NYC in the distance
We ate at Thai Villa on Wednesday night for Sunny’s birthday. This place was so glam and gorgeous! I loved the atmosphere of this place and it is definitely a place for dates or any kind of special event. However, their red curry isn’t my favorite. It’s good but I’ve just had better.
Grace Street Cafe: I have seen this shop on IG and marked it as a place that I wanted to visit. It didn’t disappoint. This place stays pretty packed but you should wait for a table. The Korean shaved snow and their hot milk teas are worth the wait. I will miss eating the shaved snow! It’s lightly sweetened, creamy, and milky. We got the strawberry shaved snow that came with a strawberry drizzle, strawberry slices, lychee jelly pieces, and topped off with some dried rose petals. So pretty and my kind of dessert!
Taiyaki: Another shop that I saw on IG. Yeah, I look at food a lot on IG! 😅 This is Japanese style ice cream in a fish pancake. While we were waiting in line outside… you could already smell the sweetness of the batter. It’s kind of like walking into a bakery where fresh bread is currently baking. Always smells good and I won’t forget the smell. The ice cream flavors I got was actually matcha and roasted matcha. To me, this ice cream was like a cross between soft serve and ice cream. It wasn’t as thick as ice cream but thicker than soft serve. It was creamy and delicious! The amount of sugar in this is way less than traditional ice cream. You can taste the sweetness but it’s not overpowering. I wish we had this close by.
Milkcow: While in Chinatown, we came across this soft serve shop. I actually flagged it on Yelp but glad we accidentally stumbled upon it as well. I went with something simple but it was delish! I got the milky honey and it’s basically milky goodness drizzled with some honey. Again, I wish we had these goodies where I live.
Here’s a picture of me looking at Lady Liberty. It was super windy that day but I’m glad for it. Without the winds, I think it would’ve been really humid.
The Kunjip: We randomly ate at this shop for a late lunch. No one knew what to eat, so I just chose it since we were standing in front of it. Not only that, the guy was telling us to come in. It was meant to be! I got their lunch special of pork bibimbop (mixed rice with veggies in a hot stone bowl) with soondubu (soft and silky tofu soup). Both were so tasty and I don’t even mind if the food is scorching hot! It was too good to think about my food burning my mouth. Plus, with Korean food they always bring out the small side dishes. It’s always such a treat and I find myself really enjoying the banchan.
FYI, we did ride the subway once. It wasn’t so bad but we weren’t sure of where we would end up so we got off on the next stop. If I ride the subway again, I’ll study the map really good. For the majority of our time in NYC, we walked mostly and a few uber rides to the places that were furthest such as Chinatown and to the Museum/Central Park.
Living Life 