by Mariah Sturdivant
Published on May 1st, 2022
New York, New York, me, my mother, my cousins, and a couple of my aunties took a “three-day girl‘s trip” to New York. It was my first time in the city so I just had to explore every part of it. Here are the places that I went to and what I did each day:
Day 1
As soon as I landed, I got ready for my first activity in the Big Apple…The Statue of Liberty!
After a quick ferry ride, the Statue of Liberty became truly a sight to see. The statue was as big as it looks in pictures and it was great seeing it up close and personal. Also, right across the water, there was a good view of Manhattan! To be in a presence of this infamous monument was unreal.
Next up on the stop was Ellis Island. Taking a quick ferry ride once again, Ellis Island and all its history was a good attraction. Ellis Island is a place where immigrants would come to get their papers checked and inspected before entering New York. This is a very interesting fact and something that I would not have known before.
The sightseeing soon came to a close and we returned back to the mainland to rest up and get ready for dinner. But, before that, like true New Yorkers, we took an M20 bus back to our hotels and got to see the many different parts of New York on our bus ride back to the hotel. The bus ride felt like an authentic way to see the city.
For dinner, we ate at Carmine’s which is a family-style Italian restaurant.
The food at Carmine‘s was a ten out of ten. The family-style steak, lasagna, and salad were very filling and I enjoyed every single bite. With full and satisfied stomachs it was time for bed to end day one and prepare for day two.
Day 2
On day two I decided that I want to explore the city more and I wanted to go to an authentic New York bookstore. So, my mom and I found a cute little bookstore called Bookoff.
I bought four really good books that I cannot wait to read, and soon enough, review. Bookoff had such a great variety of books that were also really cheap. This bookstore lets you buy and sell books for a cheap price and so my purchase wasn’t that expensive. The variety of books was a book lover's dream. There was classical literature, literary essays, horror mystery, thriller mystery, etc. I never wanted to leave.
My mother and then walked a little bit more into the city and came across Bryant Park. We slowly made our way to Rockefeller Center! I can almost imagine the famous Christmas tree display. The center was filled with people skating and eating, and the music filled the air.
Once we saw what we wanted to see we headed back to our hotel to get ready for the night. But, before that, we went through Times Square, which was only a block away from the hotel, and took a couple more pictures.
Once we were all rested, we got ready for the night activity… Tina Turner on Broadway!
The show was absolutely spectacular! The production was amazing, the costumes were gorgeous and the songs/singing was undeniable breathtaking. I would recommend this musical for my one visiting New York and since this was my first Broadway play, it was like a breath of fresh air. I even got some autographs and pictures from the cast and crew.
To end the day, I walked through Times Square at night when the lights were the brightest. The sight of the bright lights was like what you see in the movies. The city was pretty and the lights made it even more beautiful.
Day 3
Since this was my last day in New York, we didn’t really do much. We decided to take a tour on the double-decker bus. The bus took us to all parts of New York including Harlem, Central Park, and so much more! The Apollo Theater was so nice had to get a picture of it.
We got off in the heart of Central Park and walked around for a little bit. The park was huge and gorgeous. it was also a nice day outside, so being in the park was really relaxing.
After that, I didn’t really do much but pack and got ready to head back to Chicago. Overall, this was a very nice trip and I got to spend some time with some of the women in my family. I would come back to New York and would recommend others to visit New York if they have a chance. The trip allowed me to experience and see new things that I can check off my bucket list.
Looks like you ladies had fun! Can’t wait to hear about the new books. 🤗
So glad you enjoy your self,