A Trip to New York City

Ok so this post is LONG overdue and it's also a freaking LONG post. I was going to divide it into two parts but then I just gave up and put all the photos in anyway. It's taken me so long to post about this because I took a lot of photos from this trip on my iPhone (sadly) and so I wanted to try to edit them in my phone before posting but it took way too long so half of them are edited and half of them are not, and then the other quarter were taken by me professionally ha ha!! It's a hot mess! But I still wanted to document this incredible trip! It was a dream! No joke, I could live in this beautiful city! And I just finished watching the series "Gossip Girl" for the second time so that motivated me to finally get this posted! ha ha ha!!

Ok every single day we were in New York we JAM PACKED it with every single thing we could think of. We went with our friends Alex and Nate and we had the time of our lives! Our first day we explored times square both in the day and night and later we went to the top of the rock to see some incredible views of the city. It was breathtaking! Like nothing I've ever seen! Our hotel was right on Broadway in the middle of Times Square and I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was incredible. 

Plane Selfie

Magnolia's bakery did NOT disappoint!

Our second day was more jam packed than the first! We went to the MET museum and saw some amazing art! It's so cool to study about the art in college and then finally get a chance to see some of it in person! I can only imagine how life-changing it would be to see the art/architecture in Italy or France. After the MET we had some Shake Shack (amazing) and then hit up Central Park. Oh... my.... GOSH! I loved central park! There's something to do around every corner and I got to row around in the cutest little row boat with Tyler around the pond. It honestly felt like a movie! Pretty romantic not going to lie! After that we kept exploring... STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT A GOSSIP GIRL SPOILER (visited where Chuck and Blair got married obviously because hello?? Best part of the whole series!) Love that whole area and the fountain. I could spend ALL day right there! We also rode the merry-go-round after just exploring so many areas of this gorgeous park!

Pretending to be Queen B on the steps of the MET. Mandatory Gossip Girl photo opp ha ha ha!!

The next day we were everywhere! We visited the Brooklyn Bridge which I LOVED! What a cool place! This bridge is so iconic so we made sure to try to take some cute photos. I actually really love all the people in the background! It shows how busy and bustling New York is! Such a fun vibe. After that we spent some time on Market Street and then visited the Freedom Tower and the 9/11 monuments. I didn't take any photos because I totally forgot. I wasn't really prepared for the feeling I would have around those monuments. Seeing all those names is truly eye-opening and heart-wrenching. There is a tender spirit there and you can't help but shed some tears. After the monuments we went on a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. This was probably our least favorite thing we did on the trip ha ha ha! It just took wayyyy too long. But it was still way cool to see it! 

Ok, I can't remember which days we saw our Broadway shows, but I think the second night we were in the City we went and saw Phantom of the Opera. We sat in the 5th row right where the chandelier swings down and it was amaaaaazing. Seriously SO good! After the show we decided to hit up Serendipity. We took a taxi in the rain to the restaurant and amazingly they had an open spot and we walked right in! We got the iconic Frozen Hot Chocolate and let me tell you, it totally lives up to the hype! So yummy!! That night really felt like a movie. We walked the streets a little bit in the rain and finally hailed a taxi to take us back to the hotel. We actually only planned on seeing the one broadway show. But after seeing it, I don't think I could have forgiven myself if we didn't see another one! So we tried to decide what other show we would see. We thought about Wicked, Lion King and a couple others and finally decided on Lion King. But when we got to the box office it had already sold out. So we went across the Street and bought tickets for MATILDA the Musical and that was THE BEST DECISION EVER!!! Seriously, I am obsessed with that musical now! It was AMAZING! No joke! I laughed, I cried, the music was perfect, the dancing was perfect, the acting was perfect. I highly recommend seeing that show! I think it's coming to Utah this next year so hit it up!!

Our last full day in the city we hit up the Skyline which is a gorgeous pathway filled with gardens, amazing architecture, and places to sit and take in the views of the city. Took some photos on the cutest stoops, went shopping and ate lunch in Little Italy. Oh my gosh, the food we had in Little Italy was incredible! We had homemade gnocchi and Tyler and I died and went to heaven. I also wasn't prepared to walk down the street and see every single store I've ever loved in my life all on the same street when we went shopping. I actually didn't buy anything but MAN I was tempted! 

Our last night/morning we just hung out around times square and Broadway. We got your typical I love New York shirts, had some incredible pizza, and took in the city for the last time. This trip was above and beyond anything I could have ever wanted for a New York trip! I was genuinely sad to leave! And even on the plane ride home I felt like I wanted to go back! This city is totally somewhere I could see myself living in the future or at least visiting a lot! It really is magical! Thanks so our friends Alex and Nate for having the best time with us! It was honestly the perfect trip!! Let's go back!