Our 5-day NYC Trip – Day 2: Upper Manhattan

One World Observatory

On day 2 the idea was to cover the other part of Manhattan. First we needed to return to the One World Observatory bright and early, in order to avoid the long wait. We spent about 45 minutes inside. Amazing views, obviously…

Central Park

When we got back, we put on our running gear and when from Innside by Melia New York Nomad Hotel to the south part of Central Park. We started on the High Line (West), along the water (almost no traffic lights) and returned via Madison Avenue, which was surprisingly calm. We only got to the first part of Central Park (up about 65th street transverse), as it would otherwise take us too long. This was a run of about 11,5km.

As we wanted to see Central Park in a more relaxed way as well (and take some pictures), we went back after lunch, passing Times Square (where preparations were in full progress for New Year’s Eve) and Rockefeller Center with the ice skating rank and Christmas tree. A lot of people at the South side of the park. As it was a beautiful day, it remained pretty busy, but the further you go into the park, the calmer it gets. We walked up until the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and walked all along the pathway along the lake.

Central Park

As the tree at Rockefeller was a bummer during the day, we went back after sunset. We strolled around the very packed area of Rockefeller as well as Times Square and were lucky to have dinner at the Red Lobster at Times Square (although it was only 5pm when we entered and had to wait for about 30min).

We ended the day with a standup Comedy Night at the LOL Times Square Comedy Club. It turned out to be better than we expected, to be honest. About 5 performers, all pretty funny. Different showtimes as possible – reserve online.

Tips we want to share

• If you want to cover the above, this will take you about 40km to walk. So also here it’s important to make sure to wear comfortable (walking) shoes
• For the One World Observatory and the wait, see Day 1. And pretty obvious, but – if you have the luxury to choose – also try to go when it’s clear weather and ideally with some sunshine. The difference is huge. Finally, there are different options in tickets. We just took the standard one. We also bought our tickets upfront with SightseeingPass.com, as this would be more beneficial in view of pricing.
• Eating healthy in New York is certainly possible, if you can resist all the fast food smells. We had lunch at Eco Fresh, which offers fine sandwiches. The day before we had lunch at 65 Market Place, Broadway – close to the One World Trade Centre, where you can buy some delicious salads
• At the Comedy Club you have to order 2 drinks. We didn’t know, but you can actually take a bottle of water, which can be a good option if you’re typically not that thirsty (as I am) and you want to keep it cheep ;). The shows before 7.45pm are kid-friendly.
• Taking the subway is pretty easy. Buy a Metrocard and estimate the required funding (about 2.75 USD for every entry in the subway). Refilling the card afterwards is easy too. You have to pay a one dollar fee for the card itself. A subway map can be found online or you can download the app (New York City Subway Map), so you can consult it at any time and define the various alternatives.