I went to New York for the first time this summer. Even though we planned it at the last minute, we had a lot of fun. In addition to NYC, we wanted to see the mansions and lighthouses of the Hudson River Valley, so we added this area to the trip. We also traveled for a few extra days to see some sights in Long Island and Connecticut.
Day 1: Traveling
We began our journey by waking up at around 4:00 am to pack our bags, get an Uber, and head to San Francisco International Airport for a 6:40 am flight on Jet Blue. The international terminal is an inviting place to eat and relax; unfortunately, most of the shops and restaurants were closed as it was so early in the morning. We then boarded our Jet Blue flight and settled in. After a little under 6 hours of flying, we touched down at JFK at around 3:00 pm. Because of New York city traffic, it ended up taking about 1.5 hours to reach our hotel in Lower Manhattan. We then ate dinner at the hotel and slept.
Day 2: 9/11 Memorial & South Street Seaport
Despite our exhaustion, we woke up at 6:00 am to prepare for our tour of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, located just a few minutes away from our hotel. Before our tour, we decided to experience the memorial. Simple yet powerful, the two seemingly never-ending fountains marked where the Twin Towers once stood.

Afterwards, we headed to our tour of the museum, where we learned about the events of 9/11, the design flaws in the towers that lead to their collapse, and the first responders who ultimately died in heroic sacrifice.

One of the most moving museums in the world, this is an incredible experience. Afterwards, we headed over to the South Street Seaport Historic District, also located in downtown Manhattan. As we walked in, we were greeted by the sight of the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse, built in 1913.

We then took some pictures and then wandered through the area, as well as the waterfront. On the river, we encountered two historic ships, the 1907 Ambrose Lightship and the 1885 ship Wavertree (we visited them later).

Finally, the museum we wanted to visit opened and we enjoyed their exhibits on the waterfront’s history. We then ate lunch at a fabulous restaurant located right in the heart of the historic street (the breakfast tacos were amazing). Afterwards, we wandered back to the ships and walked the deck and cabins of the Wavertree.

Next, we took a tour of the lightship, which we found to be very informative (if a bit claustrophobic). We still had a lot of time left in the day, so we headed back to our hotel and then walked up the waterfront to the Lighthouse Tender Lilac.

The ship was used to supply lighthouses with food, mail, and other commodities for many decades. After taking some pictures, we took a cab up the Hudson to the Frying Pan Lightship, now part of a restaurant.

We caught another cab, this time to the most iconic lighthouse of the day, Jeffery’s Hook, otherwise known as the Little Red Lighthouse. We heard that the lighthouse was hard to access, but nothing prepared us for what we encountered. After heading down the Hudson River Parkway, we got off in Washington Heights, attempting to find an entrance into the park where the lighthouse is located. Unfortunately, we did not know where to go, so we drove around until we finally found an entrance, a small footbridge crossing the parkway. We then walked across, heading down to the lighthouse. As we walked down the river bluffs on the trail, we crossed over another section of the parkway and active rail lines. Eventually, we made our way down to the lighthouse and took some pictures.

We then headed all the way back up the trail, catching an Uber in Washington Heights and finally heading back to our hotel in New York. We were exhausted, but we had seen a lot of amazing things.
Day 3: Midtown & The MET
After sleeping in a little, we had breakfast before taking a cab to Midtown for an architectural walking tour of the area. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we were the only people on the tour! We began by walking to an area called Tudor City, at one point an area containing slaughterhouses and tenement housing.

The buildings were built with an ornate Tudor style and included a steakhouse to attract tenants. Interestingly, because of the slaughterhouses down by the river, none of the buildings had windows facing the water. Nowadays, the UN building, which our guide also described, resides on that land. We then walked down 42nd street to the Daily News building. Built in an art-deco style, the building’s lobby contained a beautiful globe appearing to hover in the center of the room.

Afterwards, we headed over to the lobby of the Chrysler Building, where we gawked at the elegant marble walls, the beautiful wall lights, and the expansive ceiling murals. After taking a few pictures, we walked over to Grand Central Station to take in the incredible building.

Our guide described how Grand Central Station was nearly demolished, but with the help of Jackie Kennedy, the building was saved. After seeing much of the building, we walked down to the New York Public Library, where we took in the elegant Rose Room and its ceiling murals.

We finished the tour there. We chose to walk back to Grand Central Station for lunch before taking a cab to the MET. There we took in incredible pieces of art from Monet, Van Gough, Seurat, and other famous European painters. We also walked through the Temple of Dendur, an ancient Egyptian temple relocated from its original location on the banks of the Nile to the heart of NYC.

After getting some ice cream, we headed back to our hotel before getting a fantastic meal at EATALY.
Day 4: The Statue of Liberty & Staten Island
We took a cab over to Battery Park to board our ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. After a few minutes, we got on the boat and headed out onto the island. From the boat we got a fantastic view of the statue itself.

We got off the boat and walked over to the newly-constructed visitor center, where we were presented with an informative video explaining the history of the statue. We also viewed the original torch that once stood at the top of the statue but was eventually removed due to years of damage.

Next, we walked around the island, taking in the magnificent views of the statue and of downtown New York City.

We then took a boat to Ellis Island, once a center of immigration for people from all over the world seeking to live in the United States. We explored the museum via audio guide, learning of the trials and tribulations millions of people entering New York had to face. After this, we took the boat back to Battery Park. We then walked over to the Staten Island Ferry to go see the National Lighthouse Museum. After a short 25-minute ride, we arrived in Staten Island. During that time we were able to view the Robbins Reef Lighthouse, located out in the bay.

After getting off the boat, we quickly walked to the lighthouse museum, located inconspicuously in the middle of a sea of abandoned buildings (some of which once held a lighthouse depot).

After we walked in, we were greeted by the museum volunteers, who talked to us for many hours about the ins and outs of lighthouses. We also looked at the museum’s exhibits on lighthouse history and lighthouse keepers. After heading out and buying some items from the gift shop, we left and headed back to the ferry terminal. We were excited to learn that in a few years the museum is going to move into one of the larger, currently abandoned depot buildings. Clearly the little museum has a bright future ahead. After this, we walked back to our hotel and had a great meal at NYC favorite Shake Shack. What a great day!
Day 5: Revolutionary Walking Tour & The Highline
After breakfast, we walked over to City Hall, located just a few minutes away from the hotel.

There we met our enthusiastic tour guide, who began by discussing the area around City Hall, once called “the commons”. There, the Sons of Liberty installed liberty poles, sparking conflict and violence throughout the city. Next, we headed down Broadway to take a peak in historic St. Paul’s Chapel, the oldest building on Manhattan.

As we took in the graveyard lined with the names of Revolutionary War soldiers and their families, our guide explained that the church was designed to resemble St. Martin’s in The Fields, a church my family and I have visited in London’s Trafalgar Square.

We walked down Wall Street to the former shore of the East River (today located a couple of blocks inland). Around there our guide shared stories from the war about the Battle of Brooklyn (which took place right across the water), and about the heroic and not so heroic acts of the Sons of Liberty. Our guide also discussed the Culper Spy Ring, a group so important for delivering information to Washington that it was arguably a key reason the Colonies won the war. Finally, we ended our tour across the street from Fraunces Tavern, the location where George Washington left New York and said goodbye to his officers after the end of the Revolutionary War.

We decided to get lunch there (quite good), before exploring the museum located upstairs. We wandered around the exhibits focusing on the history of the tavern and the war; we were surprised to discover that a lock of George Washington’s hair was displayed in the museum. After this, we took a cab over to the Highline, a park built on an abandoned railway line traveling through SOHO, an upscale district of the city that remained undesirable for many years.

As we walked down the park, we looked out onto the city and surrounding neighborhoods. We also discovered a variety of small food stands (mainly ice cream and drinks) dotted throughout the 1.7-mile walk. If the weather is pleasant, this is a lot of fun. After the Highline, we headed back to our hotel and had dinner in a nearby shopping center. What an incredible time in New York!
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