Girls' Day Trip to New York City

I promised you all a recap of my annual "I {Heart} NY" trip, and so you shall have one! If you've been reading for awhile, you know that every year I head up to New York City for one day in December. It's a fantastic day trip put on by our local Parks and Rec department. My friend Christy is my perpetual partner in crime, and our friend Adriana joined us for the fun this time. It was a day filled with a few chatty bus-mates, yummy food, beautiful store windows, and chilly New York City air!

The only real downside to our trip is that we had to be at the local Parks and Rec by 4 am on Saturday morning to catch our bus up to the city. Being seasoned P&R travelers, we arrived early enough to snag our own seats on the bus and guard our territory fiercely. The ride up was largely uneventful, save for trying to apply eye make-up in the Lincoln Tunnel without stabbing myself in the eye.

The bus always lets us off across the street from Macy's, where we also have a fine view of the Empire State Building. It's always a nice surprise to look up and see it towering over us.

From Macy's, we wandered uptown to Lord and Taylor, who had the most beautiful store windows. I loved the sweet little scenes:

Next up was a stop at the New York Public Library, where we joined a discussion on Philosophy and read a few classics. I'm sorry...I had to stop typing because that is actually not true at all. Honestly, we just wanted to see the inside because we walk past it every year and I love Patience and Fortitude, the two lions who guard the entrance. The library had a beautiful tree inside!

Onward we pressed...not really caring where we were headed. Mostly we wander around the city aimlessly, just taking in all the sites and buying the occasional "bargain fashion item" from a street vendor. We passed many of our favorites: Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, and Central Park.

Lunch was an affair to remember. Usually, we choose whatever random off-beat deli or restaurant we come across, but this time we decided on Carnegie Deli. While it is a huge tourist spot, we came to the conclusion that it is a tourist spot for a reason. Prices are high, yes, but the portions were enormous and the food was delicious. It was cool to sit next to all the famous people on the wall.

No trip to New York City is complete without a stop at Tiffany and Co. While I never seem to remember to save enough to buy my own charm, I live vicariously through Christy. She picked up a pair of earrings while I pretended that the Santa sleigh was all for me.

The day was beginning to wind down, and we didn't have enough time for a major stop, so we headed over to Times Square, where we ran across a new Naked Cowboy. I hope he doesn't catch cold in his underpants like that.

As we waited for the bus to pick us back up on 34th Street, we all snapped a few shots of Macy's all lit up. We didn't have time to go inside this year, but it's always hustling and bustling.

And before we knew it, it was time to get on the bus, prop up our aching feet, and sleep all the way home to Virginia.

Until next year, New York!

Have you ever been to the Big Apple? 


Editor's Note: I am aware that I look like death warmed over, but if you rode on a bus in the wee hours of the morning and tried to apply make-up in a dark tunnel while riding said bus, you'd look awful too. Also, I {Heart} New York, but I don't heart the dirty part and I don't believe in wearing my nice coat and nice shoes that may or may not get slathered in grime. That is all.