1 Day in New York City (Drive Boston - NYC)

Cherry Blossoms in Central Park, New York City

24 Hours In New York City

We travel to NYC a few times a year. I was feeling the need for a quick getaway so we chose 24 hours in New York City for a chance of scenery as well as to see the Cherry Blossoms in Central Park

Day 1

Drive North Shore, MA - NYC (3.5 - 4 hour drive)

We left around 10am. If possible we always try to combine a stop at B.T.’s Smokehouse which is right off 1-84 in Sturbridge MA. This restaurant often makes the list of the best barbecue in Massachusetts and we agree! I highly recommend anything with brisket and the corn fritters are excellent.

Full of barbecue we continued to NYC. We drove right to the new Virgin Hotels New York and used their valet service to park the car.

Virgin Hotels New York is a new hotel located in NoMad (North of Madison) which is a short walk to Herald Square. The lobby is small but has a fun atmosphere. Make sure to look for Richard Branson in the cartoon-like Where’s Waldo painting.

Since I booked through my agency I received these perks at check-in (contact me to book!):

• Breakfast for Two Daily

• $100 Hotel Credit per Stay (to be used on services such as spa, dining, or selected amenity valued at $100 or more)

• Hotel Welcome Amenity

• Complimentary In-Room Internet

• Room Upgrade*

• Priority Check-in and Check-out (*Subject to availability)

We chose an Empire View King chamber. The room was spacious for NYC standards with the bedroom area having a farmhouse door that separated it from the closets, dressing area, toilet, and shower. This room has so much space to store your luggage and it’s so nice to have a separate changing area. There was also a robe and yoga mat in the room. The view of the Empire State Building was just amazing! See my Instagram for more images.

My boyfriend also likes to record his bike rides. He had been eyeing a ride from Times Square to the Brooklyn Bridge for a few years. He brought his bike (the hotel graciously stored it for him) and set off to do the ride. I am by no means encouraging this ride. NYC has some great bike lanes but if you see the video those lanes end abruptly. I will stick to riding through Central Park.

When he got back we walked around the area and ended up at Herald Square. The oldest Macy’s is there and you may recognize it from the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. The windows were dressed with real flowers for a Spring theme.

Fueled and ready to tackle the park we took a ride share to the Upper West Side entrance and worked our way through the park. Central Park is just such an amazing resource to really escape the hectic city. It was crowded in some parts but still so nice to wander, look at the trees, and just people watch.

The next day we set off early to see the Cherry Blossoms in Central Park. Even though breakfast was included with our hotel perks we really just wanted a bagel from Ess-a-Bagel which is a 5-minute walk from the hotel.

Since we go to NY fairly often we just wanted to go to something we haven’t seen. We took another car to Hudson Yards to see The Vessel. This is an amazing sculpture building just outside a high-end shopping mall. Unfortunately, you cannot go up into the structure for now but you can go into the center for free.

After wandering through the mall we tried a banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery and it lives up to the hype! Through the mall is also the entrance to The Edge which is the highest sky deck in the Northern Hemisphere. We decided to save that for another trip where we could be there at sunset.

We made our way back towards our hotel to pick up our car and head home. Since we skipped lunch (Ess-a-Bagel and Banana Pudding were enough for breakfast and lunch) we decided to stop at Rein’s Deli in Vernon, CT. This is a great stop on the way to or from Boston if you want to get your NY Deli fix outside of NY.

While I really enjoy my big trips it’s also nice to just do a quick getaway for a chance of scenery. These are just a few of the things to do in New York City. Let me know if you would like me to plan your trip!

Next up is a weekend in Nantucket before a 3-city European trek.