New York Travel Diary

Last June 26, my mom and I officially left for the United States of America! The main reason why we had to go to the States was for my grandma. It’s her first time to experience an international flight and we wanted her to enjoy. So, to officially start this USA journey, we started off with New York City (making this trip my 2nd time)

New York City – a place where there’s something new you can do every day. From Staten Island til the Bronx, you surely will not run out of interesting things to do and experience in New York.

Here are a few things you should remember when visiting New York:

New York is a walkable city but if you need to go from one place to another, you can always take the subway or taxi.
Study the subway and the map of New York. These will be your lifesavers when you navigate around New York.
Wear comfortable shoes since you’ll be walking a lot.

A T T R A C T I O N S

Times Square

You haven’t been to New York if you haven’t experienced Times Square. New York Times Square is a major tourist hub. Giant billboards and bright lights. Costumed characters and people playing instruments. Broadway shows, a lot of tourists and crazy traffic.

Museum of Modern Art

Known as MoMA, it’s a museum that showcases different kinds of artworks done by famous artists. Famous artists like Andy Warhol and Van Gogh can be found here. Be wary though, it’s a big museum so expect to have your stay in the museum around 2-3 hours. There is also an entrance fee which will cost around $25. It’s expensive but it will be worth it – that is if you are really interested of museums and artworks.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

This is a famous Catholic Church found at the heart of New York City. What makes this cathedral interesting is its architectural design. The Cathedral is made out of brick but overlaid in marble. Once you enter the Cathedral, you can feel at peace and being one with Christ.

Broadway Shows

If you love watching Broadway shows, then it’s a MUST for you to experience watching one in New York. Fortunately, I was able to watch Anastasia. If you get lucky, you get the chance to meet the casts of the certain play you would want to watch. Since I watched Anastasia, I was able to meet Derek Klena (who plays as Dmitri), John Bolton (as Vlad) and Christy Altomare (as Anastasia).

F O O D

Shake Shack

Finally, there is this fast food chain that I believe beats McDonalds. It is no other than Shake Shack. Everywhere we went to in New York, you can actually see Shake Shack. When I get the chance to go back to New York, will definitely try their shakes this time!

Umami Burger

Umami is a Japanese term that stands for “deliciousness”. They stand true to their word. With every bite I took, I felt like I was in heaven. You can actually taste how juicy their beef was cooked. The size of the burger was just right and worth your money.

Cafe Lalo

Cafe Lalo is a small cafe located at the Upper West Side of Manhattan. They serve mouthwatering pastries that makes me want to go back. We got Strawberry Tart & Carrot Cake. When eating desserts, I tend to share with someone since I can’t really finish it. Lo and behold, I was able to finish the Strawberry Tart by myself. That’s how yummy it was!

Fun Fact: Cafe Lalo appeared in the 1988 movie, You’ve Got Mail.

Bibble & Sip

Bibble & Sip is a 3rd wave & hole in a wall coffee shop. I am glad I was able to try this coffee shop. I went to this place twice within a week! They have cute interiors that made me want to stay longer. Sadly, limited seats were available.

O T H E R A T T R A C T I O N S

Since it’s my 2nd time to go to New York, we didn’t bother going back to the other attractions in New York (Grand Central Terminal & Central Park specifically). At the same time, I still have to go back for the 3rd time because we were not able to go to other attractions when we were there.