New York City is one of those places that has been on my list for as long as I can remember. When David Bowie passed away last year, I knew that I had to make the journey up there somehow –– after all, the closest I could possibly get to seeing him would be to see the city that he called home. When I mentioned my idea to some friends earlier this year, they helped to make it happen for my birthday in August.

We didn't have a lot of money. We didn't know much about the city. We didn't really have a plan.

But it ended up being an amazing trip that didn't totally break the bank.

The first thing we did was find a hotel room. We wanted to find a room to rent – Airbnb style – but most of those were already booked. We ended up renting a room at The Belvedere Hotel, just a couple blocks away from Times Square and a block away from a couple of metro stations. Since we planned to walk or take the subway everywhere we went, location was super important. The Belvedere was a lovely place to stay: affordable, a nice view, very clean, and the staff was very helpful and friendly.


To save money, we drove from West Virginia and paid for weekend parking. Do your research when it comes to parking because it can be pretty pricey. Now that we've gotten the logistics out of the way, we can talk about the fun stuff: what to do when you get there.

We arrived on a Friday evening, and after an eight-hour drive, we were tired and hungry. A quick Google search lead us to a Japanese restaurant right around the corner from where we were staying and it was delicious. When you visit, make sure to avoid chain restaurants and eat locally. After dinner, we walked the two blocks over to Times Square. It was a pretty nice introduction to the city: tall buildings, bright lights, and big crowds. If you're into sweets, the Hershey and M&M stores are both in Times Square – and if you're not, make the journey at least once if only to see the ball that drops every year. I mean, you're a tourist –– go ahead and be a tourist!



The next day, we took the subway down to Soho. Our first stop: David Bowie's apartment building. Of course, this won't be on everyone's list of places to see, but I totally recommend heading down to Soho anyway. About a block away from his building is McNally Jackson, a bookstore and cafe that is frequented by tourists, locals, and celebrities alike. (We saw Elle Fanning while we were there!) Grab a book from the small publishers' section and support a burgeoning writer. The cafe was packed, so we headed over to The Gray Dog for some iced tea and then started toward Washington Square Park.





On the way, we stopped at Uncommon Goods for a bagel and watched a couple play Jenga... which was actually pretty fun. Washington Square Park was gorgeous and full of people enjoying the sunshine. On our way back through Soho, we stopped at Generation Records, which now houses some of the memorabilia from Bleecker Street Records (a favorite of Bowie). Our lunch stop was Prince Street Pizza and oh my gosh it was delicious. There is a reason the line was out the door.




Then we walked over to Morganstern's Ice Cream for the famous coconut black ash ice cream – another delicious treat. Make sure to take a walk around the block so that you can see all of the gorgeous murals designed by local artists.




After a short rest at the hotel, we headed over to Rockefeller Center and spent the rest of the evening just exploring the city. We even took in part of a show over at Bryant Park.

On Sunday, we took the subway to lower Manhattan so that we could visit One World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial Fountain. If you go to New York, make sure you stop here. It was surreal to stand in that spot, knowing what had happened there. Stop and look at the names engraved into the fountain and take a moment to remember those who lost their lives that day.



After stopping in the Oculus and a nearby church, we walked down to the Staten Island Ferry so that we could catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. The ferry isn't super crowded and it's free, so it's a great way to see the statue and take some gorgeous pictures of the NYC skyline.


We ended our trip with a stop at the Chelsea Market, which has some of the best shopping you'll find (in my humble opinion). You'll find an Artists & Fleas shop, which houses local artists and crafters, as well as the delicious Creamline. Creamline uses locally sourced ingredients –– and you can definitely tell. From the Chelsea Market, we walked the High Line –– an old train track above the city that is now a "linear park" full of lush greenery –– and took a Lyft up to 5th Avenue so that I could have an Audrey Hepburn moment... and flip off Trump Tower. Which Audrey probably wouldn't have done.



And that was that. We wound down by watching the finale of Game of Thrones in the hotel room and left the next morning. It was a whirlwind trip but an experience I will never forget. I don't travel much (yet) and I thought a city that big would set off my anxiety like woah. But it didn't. I think you get so lost –– not physically, but mentally –– that you just become a part of the city itself. I never once felt worried or anxious while I was there and I left already planning my next trip.

On to the next adventure.