#WhatILove- I Love The "New York City"

It was around 3 years ago when we moved from India to the USA and we had a nostalgic and thrilling experience during this time. And our life has turned into a powerful mix of emotions. New habits, new challenges, distinct culture….and of course visiting the new places is one of the most incredible experiences that we had here.

This week, when Zainab has given a prompt “what you loved today, this week or this month” as a part of #WhatIlovewithZ series, I got so excited because I love the New York City a lot and this month we had  our "First New York visit tour". It was like the dream come true. We had created some great memories that will stay with us forever. And I would love to share our first visit experience to New York with 10 must visit places of the greatest, grandest city of USA.

Whether

Over the course of the year, New York has a temperature range between 26 F to 83 F. the summer season lasts from 4th June to Sep. 18 and the cold season lasts from Dec. 5 to March 12.

Best time to visit

You can enjoy New York at any time of year. Just because…It is "The New York". Summer is definitely the best season to enjoy your visit with kids and family, but with a heavy crowd. If you want to get a lower airfare and hotel rate with less crowd winter is the right option for you. Macy's Thanksgiving parade, Christmas decoration are the obvious attractions during winter. Fall and spring have their own beauty.

Even though there is the various option for transportation from Connecticut to New York (bus, trains…), but we had preferred the own car option for convenience of kids. And we had started our dream journey with some close family friends. During the entire 1-2 hour journey, skyscraper buildings are the first and most amazing thing that fascinates us. The fantastic view of these tallest buildings (that we had never seen before) assured the beginning of "The New York City". 

Firstly, we had reached the heart of city "Manhattan". Manhattan has most of the iconic landmarks of the city. Empire State Building, Statue of liberty, central parks some of the major city attractions.

Times Square

Times Square is one of the most popular commercial intersections in the world, located in central Manhattan. Approximately 50 million visitors passing through it every year. And really, it is worth to watch it. Flashing neon lights (that keeps on 24 hours) and gigantic electronic boards mesmerised us instantly. It is a big, fantastic and unforgettable place. Naked cowboy, ABC's studio and Planet Hollywood are some must cover points. You can get 50% off on theatre tickets at the discounted booth.

Apart from these Hollywood shows, the most prominent thing that attracts Indians is "plenty of Indian restaurants" and Indian shopping malls for everything from grocery to clothing and jewellery, you can buy anything which you want. While moving around the Times Square I had suddenly remembered the Kal ho Na ho's beginning dialogue "In New York, every 4th person is an Indian", it is absolutely true. For a moment, we may forget that we are in the USA, by seeing an amazing Indian crowd. We had enjoyed a great roadside chat in Manhattan streets.

Empire state building

It was our next destination in the mid-town Manhattan. The empire state building is another world famous landmark and must visit the place. Seeing the breath-taking view of New York City from its open-air observatory is the most rewarding experience. The tour takes almost 1 hour, but you may make a faster visit by buying an express visit ticket. Peak hours may vary, but it is usually recommended to visit early morning about 8 A.M., in mid-afternoon (after 3 P.M.) or at 11 P.M.

One world trade centre

We all had remembered the tragic incidence of "terrorist attack of 9/11". And "One world centre" is the building that recalls us about this incidence. This is situated in lower Manhattan and 6th tallest building in the world. The building has the same name as the North tower of the original world trade centre, that was completely destroyed in the 9/11 attack. The building is still under construction but had a wide emotional appeal. One world trade centre involved 3 areas. The 9/11 Memorial is an outside free area and has no charges. The timings are 7.30 A.M. to 9 P.M. Museum has ticket charges and it is recommended to purchase the ticket in advance. One world observatory located on floors 100-102 of one world trade centre with exhibits and restaurants. It is officially opened to the public Friday. There are various guided and self-guided tour options (both free and paid) are available to enjoy the breath-taking view, you can select any one according to your convenience.

Chrysler Building

The next skyscrapers of New York are "Chrysler Building" is next destination in Midtown Manhattan adjacent to Grand central terminal that attracts most of the visitors.  It was the tallest building in the world for a brief time before the Empire state building completed. It is a perfect combination of Art Deco era and automobile age. Unfortunately, it does not offer any official tours to visit the inside of the building, but the lobby tour should not be missed. It has the Art Deco light fixtures illuminating the red marble walls, spectacular mural on ceilings, the clock and the beautiful elevators. The lobby is open Monday through Friday from 8 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Grand Central Terminal station

When you are in New York, it is a great opportunity to seeing the largest train station in the world. About 20 million visitors come every year to visit this station this year. The building is full of amazing historical details. There are plenty of things to see here, that includes The ceiling, clock, ceiling smudge, black circle, the Biltmore room, the whispering gallery and of course, the grand central market. It opens from 5 A.M. to 2 A.M. but the Terminal closes itself for a few hours each morning.

Charging Bull

After completing our visit to these two historic buildings, we moved in the wall street of lower Manhattan. And there was a special attraction for kids. Charging bull or Wall Street bull is a bronze sculpture that represents the aggressive financial optimism and prosperity. It is considered as one of the most photographed artworks with a wide international appeal. You have to wait for a long time for clicking the picture on charging bull. Kiddos had a great time while climbing and clicking the pictures here. And to make them happier, we moved to another kid's favourite spot "Central Park".

Central Park

Located in the heart of Manhattan, Central Park is another iconic spot of New York. There are numerous attractions within the border of the park that provides hour of entertainment to kids, families and couples. It is also one of the "best free attraction" of the city. It is one of the most filmed locations in the world. Central Park zoo, Allice in wonderland, strawberry field, Shakespeare garden, green lawn is some great points of interest. And boating, carriage riding and carousel are additional enjoying options for kids at lower rates. After Central Park, we had moved towards the most awaiting destination of our tour.

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

No New York tour would be complete without a visit to world famous "Statue of Liberty". The statue of Liberty was a gift from France to America to celebrate the France- American relationship. There are two departure points. Statue cruises offer one departure from the Battery Park of New York and second is from the Liberty state park of New Jersey through the day for the convenience of visitors. And when we visited the "Statue of liberty", I realised that what an incredible experience it is. The statue is not just a huge statue of a lady, but it is a symbol of hope and freedom for the millions of people who immigrate to the USA. It was one of the emotional moments of the tour.

Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed bridge in New York. It is one of the oldest bridges in the USA. It connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the east river. The pretty spectacular skyline view while crossing the bridge had mesmerised us for a long time. The bridge is app. 1 mile and there are various guided and self-guided tour options are available here. The tour takes 1-2 hour. You can access Brooklyn Bridge is 24 hours a day, but sunset beauty is most appealing. One important thing do not forget to bring your jackets because it can get chilly up while you cross the bridge.

Bronx Zoo

If you are with kids and family, how can you miss the chance to visit the largest metropolitan zoo in the world? Even though it is situated in a Bronx borough of New York City (that is a little far from Manhattan) but it is a must visit place in the City especially for kids. It is one of the largest zoos in the world. The zoo spans 265 acres that recreate the diverse natural habitat of numerous residents. Gorillas of can go, wild Asia monorail, butterfly garden, the world of birds are some of the most attractive points here. We had a great time here.

 So, these were our favourite visiting spots while visiting "the great New York City". We had loads of fun and excitement while this unforforgetabble tour. Of course, New York has much more to offer and you can spend weeks here to explore the city. Do you have any exciting experience while visiting a new place? Please share with us.

the post is a link with Zainab for #WhatILove

 this post is also a part of #supemomcontest and #Momdaymommymoments  hosted by http://healthwealthbridge.com/ and http://kreativemommy.com/5-things-motherhood-no-one-told/