New York City (Day 1)

by Vicky - 4:52 AM

We are just now unpacking from our weekend in New York City. I have fallen in love with the city. I never understood what people meant when they said that they are absolutely in love with NYC, but now I get it! I totally get it!

We landed around noon on Friday and got to our hotel around 12:45. Check-in was speedy so we were soon settled in and freshening up for our first day of sightseeing to begin!

First stop, lunch at the famous Shake Shack! Directly across the street from our hotel, so we hopped right in the line that stretched out of the door and across the building. They have menus posted on their tall glass windows, so perusing through the menu while we waited was fun.

I got the Shake Burger, fries, vanilla shake! I didn't think it was going to live up to the hype, but it was very good food. The fries were crispy and hot, the burger was cooked to a perfect medium, toppings were fresh, and the vanilla shake was also surprisingly good. $30 for both Chhally and I! Yikes! But, hey, when in Rome (or in our case, New York).

After a fabulous lunch, we talked 2 blocks over to the center of the iconic Times Square.
Where we took tons of pictures, explored the different angles, and maneuvered through the crowd.

Then we directed our maps to Central park, and started our first long walk through the city.
We scored Chocolate Covered Strawberries on a stick outside of Edible Arrangements for $1!

**Tip: Bring allergy medicine! My eyes, nose, lymph nodes were very puffy from allergies**

Then we finally found the park.

We enjoyed a cold beer and a glass of wine at the Loeb Central Park Boathouse.

I wanted to ride a boat so bad, but due to rain in the forecast they closed. :(

The breathtaking Bethesda Fountain.

After about 1.5 hours in the park, we exited onto the shops at 5th Avenue.

We window shopped and made our way to our next stop!

Once we saw Radio City Music Hall, we made a left and found...

Rockefeller Plaza!!

Amazing view of Central Park.

360 degree views of New York City and the sunset.

Empire State Building!

After maybe 2 hours hanging out on the roof of the Rockefeller building, we walked to 53rd and 6th Ave for some Halal food. According to Tripadvisor.com, as well as local recommendation, this is some of the BEST street food in the entire city. We gave it a shot. For $6 you get this whole pan of food, Chicken with Rice, Pita, and Lettuce. THE ABSOLUTE BEST STREET FOOD I HAVE EVER EATEN.

We ate our food then continued our walk back to Times Square. Completely different views at night.

After a few more photos and souvenir shopping in Times Square, we returned to our hotel to relax and rest for our next day! By the first couple of hours until the end of our trip, we were all in complete awe.