Who Do You See in NYC?

You may have heard that New York City can be a little…hectic. But have you ever asked yourself…who do you see in NYC over Thanksgiving? As we found out, the answer is EVERYBODY. So it would be CRAZY to go then, right? Well, you may be right, I may be crazy but we loved every minute of it. Although this is the most people we’ve ever encountered in NYC, we would do it again in a heartbeat.

Why we did it

The girls were celebrating birthday number 23 and we wanted to do something special for them. Since we missed Billy Joel in Detroit during the pandemic, we picked seeing the Piano Man at MSG in November as their gift.

What we didn’t know until AFTER we bought the tickets, was that Thanksgiving was the very next day. So what started as a simple request to finally see Mr. William Martin Joel turned into a whirlwind four day tour of The Big Apple.

Day One:

The Arrival

Arriving in NYC from two different locations required some good planning. We flew in from Orlando and arrived at JFK to gate B23 a little after 9 am. The kids were coming from Detroit and pulled into gate A17 about 20 minutes early. Fortunately those two gates are pretty close together. NOT!! Sprinting through the airport is something I don’t love to do but I was determined to be at their gate when they got of the plane.

Surprise #1 – The Upgrade

We tried to plan many surprises for the kids to make the trip special. The first surprise was upgrading them to first class for the flight to JFK. The kids shared with us that in addition to the captain wishing them happy birthday, the flight attendant also gave them handwritten birthday notes and more snacks than one would ever need for such a short flight. I think they may have enjoyed a mimosa or two on the plane as well.

Following our joyful reunion at the gate, I was reminded how much I really miss having someone waiting for me at the gate when disembarking from the plane. If DTW is your home base, you can now get a guest pass to do just that when your loved ones arrive. Click on the link here for more info: DTW Destination Pass | Wayne County Airport Authority.

Surprise #2 – The First Class RIDE

Though we usually just take public transportation into the city, we decided to line up another surprise for the kids instead. When we arrived at the passenger pickup location, it was so great to see the kid’s eyes light up as they laid their eyes on the Lincoln Stretch Limo we scheduled to come get us. Once inside everyone had a great laugh watching Stephen struggle to open the champagne. Eventually we were able to have a celebratory birthday toast while Joey handled the DJ duties.

The LIC Apartment

After arriving at our home away from home for the next four days in LIC (Long Island City), we dropped our bags and made our way to the subway to Manhattan.

Brunch at Ellen’s Stardust Diner

First stop of the day was Ellen’s Stardust Diner. This is something our friends recommended we should do. Although we’ve been to NYC many times this was our first time stopping in and it was definitely worth the wait.

If you haven’t been to Ellen’s Stardust Diner it’s a treat for sure. In addition to delicious food (I recommend the chicken and waffles) and tasty old fashioned shakes, you are entertained by some very talented singing servers performing a nice mix of Broadway and Holiday tunes.

Mid-Day Break

Since everyone was a little fatigued from the early morning travel, we decided to head back to the apartment after a little bit of walking around. We thought a brief nap would be a good idea since we had a big evening ahead.

Something we learned whilst traveling thru Europe with the girls is if we take a mid afternoon nap, every day feels like two. Doing things this way doubles the amount of days on the trip. We know this isn’t true but it sure feels like it and it makes the days much more enjoyable.

The Bryant Park Experience

The Holiday Market

Before heading back into the city we got all dressed up because we had tickets to the theatre. I know we came for Billy Joel but you can’t bring theatre kids to NY and not see a Broadway Show. The weather was cold and wet but our spirits weren’t dampened as we exited the subway into the wonderful world of the Bryant Park Christmas Market. Strolling thru the market put us all in the holiday spirit as we walked by chestnuts roasting on an open fire and families enjoying a night of ice skating.

The Special Dinner

One only turns 23 once so we knew that dinner had to be special for Claire and Lydia. This is how we ended up at the Bryant Park Grill, located on the back of the New York Public Library. It was simple and tastefully decorated for the holiday season and the perfect spot to mark the passing of another year.

The next couple of hours were spent feasting on delicious food, toasting with our favorite wine, and reveling in fantastic conversation. Our waiter surprised the girls with a special birthday treat after we finished the meal.

Hamilton on Broadway

Our spirits were high after dinner so much so that the cold, wet, and dreary weather didn’t bother us at all as we strolled over to the Richard Rodger’s Theatre. Having seen Hamilton previously we knew what we were in store for. The kids had no idea how amazing it would be and watching their excitement made the evening even better. I did have to remind them that it isn’t appropriate to sing along during the performance.

The Wind Up at the Playwright Celtic Pub

If we thought the weather was bad after dinner, the post theatre weather said “Hold my Beer!” We ended up ducking into the Playwright Celtic Pub to have a beer or two of our own before heading back to LIC and calling it a night. Day one was a rousing success. Although we ended up cold and wet I’m pretty sure we all went to bed with happy hearts.

We hope you enjoyed hearing about the first day of our adventure to NYC. If you haven’t already, consider subscribing for free to follow along with our adventure as we take on day two in the Big Apple next week.