NYC 22 – Day 1(the Museum and the Piano Bar)
Since my Momma is a big Harry Potter fan, we decided to take her to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway for Mother’s Day. While we were there, we figured we should take her to see the best of everything else in NYC too. Join us for our first day’s journey to the Museum of Natural History and to the Piano Bar.
Morning Shenanigans
First Parking – We were not able to use our regular parking vendor because for the first time in our adventures, they were sold out! This forced us to opt for the pricier and more convenient parking in the McNamara parking deck. Instead of our usual $10 per day at the offsite place, we paid $26 a day but we got to park in a covered space by an elevator. So hassle vs convenience? I wasn’t too sad we were “stuck” parking there.
Flight and Airport – We flew out of DTW on Delta at 6:33AM as in “Ah Man, are you KIDDING me?” The flight was on-time and it was easy to get through security even without using my Clear membership. I believe this is because most normal people were still sleeping.
Although the older Delta lounge opened at 5am, we quickly learned that their kitchen was under construction and their only breakfast offerings were cold food and coffee. At 6am the new Sky Club opened so we dashed over there to get a nice hot meal before boarding. The flight was smooth and we arrived a little ahead of our expected time at New York’s JFK airport.
Low Stress Tip – JFK airport is BIG. It’s much bigger than the airport here in Detroit and that one’s not small either! ALWAYS travel in shoes you can walk a long way in.
Transportation – We took public transportation from the airport to our hotel in the Financial district. This transport required three trains and it took us about an hour to make the trip. Since it wasn’t rush hour when we landed, this mode was actually decently convenient with the exception of needing to carry our luggage up and down stairs. If you have any mobility issues or if you have large suit cases, I would suggest calling an Uber.
Cheapskate Tip – We bought 7 day unlimited public transportation passes as soon as we arrived at our first station. They cost $33 each and are very helpful to see everything NYC has to offer. Their public transit is very well run and in some instances can be faster than hiring a car.
Where we stayed – The DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown was our home away from home for our 4 day jaunt. The price was reasonable for a double occupancy and the room was decently spacious for a property in the city. The one downside to this hotel is the ratio of elevators to rooms. When trying to get to the lobby, we had to leave 15 minutes earlier than usual to account for the elevator trip.
We dropped off our bags around 10:30 and decided we were ready to wet our whistles.
Where we ate and drank – Just a block from the hotel, we came across the White Horse Tavern. Known to be the second oldest tavern in NYC, the bar was warm and the vibe was cozy. We enjoyed two Bengali IPAs from Six Point Brewing and shared a hummus appetizer and a chicken wrap.
Afternoon Shenanigans
Where we went next – Since it was only lightly raining, we decided to grab our umbrellas and head down to Battery Park. This park has great views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It also has a lovely Sea Glass carousel and is right next to the Stanton Island Ferry.
Cheapskate Tip – You can take the Stanton Island Ferry for free any day and get great views of Lady Liberty. The Ferry runs every 30 minutes during regular hours and every 15 minutes during rush hour. Keep in mind the boat will be full of commuters during the rush hours so leisure travelers should stick to less crowded times.
We then hopped on the subway and headed to Central Park.
Cheapskate Tip – Not only is the park free, it has a lot of things to do and see like the Imagine tile commemorating the life of former Beatle, John Lennon, two bodies of water, and many beautiful walking and biking trails. As an added bonus, food trucks station themselves around the park and are an affordable option for a quick and tasty meal.
And now…the Museum!
Next stop…The American Museum of Natural History. Our timed entry was at 1pm which meant we didn’t get to find out if the dinosaurs really come to life after the sun goes down. However, we still did see the BIGGEST animals that have ever roamed our planet.
Cheapskate Tip – The museum admission is fairly reasonable and they offer discounts for children and seniors.
Where we ate and drank – After a couple hours tooling around the museum, we worked up a bit of an appetite so we headed over to the Amsterdam Ale House for an afternoon repose. It was nice to take a comfy seat at their cozy bar and relax. Momma enjoyed a turkey burger. I swiped her salad and Stephen ate wings so hot, his lips were burning 3 days later.
Runner tip – The Amsterdam Ale House is relatively close to the exit from Central Park after finishing the NYC Marathon. Since it will be crowded on race day, you can have your non-runner friends grab a seat for you and you’ll have a nice place to celebrate and recover afterwards.
Evening Sheninigans
By the time we got back to the room, it was nearly 6pm. We had covered 8 miles walking that day and were awake since at least 3am. Momma stayed back and relaxed while Stephen and I rallied. I mean, how often do you get to have an evening in NYC, after all?
Where we drank – We walked over to one of our favorite watering holes, The Dead Rabbit and found a couple seats in the Bar. The Rabbit also has a Tap Room and a Cocktail lounge. I was “beered” out by this point so I opted for a lovely amaretto sour that was made with plum juice and nutmeg. It was AH-MAZING and also a little dangerous. Stephen started with a Dead Rabbit Red ale and finished with a great pour of Guinness. We shared a plate of lobster deviled eggs before deciding to have just one more drink at Fraunces Tavern.
End of the night…the Piano Bar!
*Something important to know about us…the only time we have just one more drink is if we aren’t having a fun time. And that doesn’t happen very often – especially if we’re hanging with locals and listening to music.
During this trip to Fraunces, which is probably our 6th, we discovered that there are bars in that tavern we haven’t yet visited. (Did somebody say “Future Plans”?) This time we landed at the very hip, upstairs piano bar. We ate clam chowder, drank wine and sang along to Billy Joel songs until we called it a night just after 10pm.
Though it was hard to leave the fun, we knew we had a big day in store – a pub crawl, a visit to the MOMA, and a Broadway play! Check out the shenanigans from our second day in the Big Apple!
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