The Third Time is The Charm : The Trip That Made Me Officially Love New York

I've been to New York twice before but it was only in my most recent and third trip where I officially LOVED it.

Winter Trees at Bryant Park

Bryant Park

Bryant Park

The Plaza

Everyone who has been to the city immediately say they love it  and that it's their favorite city in the world and so on and so forth. So there was a time I thought going to New York was SO cliche and that's why it took me another eleven years to come back. After this trip I feel like I ate all my words.

Inside Central Park

Central Park

My last two trips to New York were a blur - the first one was during my teen years. It was one of those guided group tours where I really didn't get to see and feel New York  as I feel like we rushed through everything. The second trip was even shorter, only three days and still barely getting to touch up on the city.

Reflection of St. Patrick's Cathedral on a modern glass building

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Rockefeller Center

This third trip was a bit longer (6 full days - still too short but I'll take whatever I can get!) but it was the best NY experience for me! Here are seven reasons why :

Rockefeller Center

Another view of St. Patrick's Cathedral

For one, I was with my cousins so it was so much fun getting to experience the city with some of my favorite people. 

Approaching the Flat Iron Building

Flat Iron

Two, we did everything on our own, no guided tours and no pressure to go with the flow of a  huge group so we were able to plan out exactly what we wanted to do. The result was that we actually got to see a LOT and were still able to squeeze in a few moments of rest every time we got tired (perks of getting a hotel at the most central location).

Central Park

Three, as mentioned we chose a hotel at the center of the city. Midtown to be exact. We were located just off fifth avenue so we were near so many attractions - Times Square was two blocks away and Central Park was about a 10-15 minute walk. Rockefeller, Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station and the New York Public Library were also nearby. Plus we were surrounded by so many shops and restaurants. Though we were in a rather touristy area, it was still very easy to get an Uber or take the subway to other neighborhoods and we were still able to visit Chelsea, Greenwich Village, Flat Iron District, the site of the World Trade Center and so much more. We even made it to Brooklyn!

Central Park

The Oculus

Four, in this day and age with wifi and all the navigation apps, it was very manageable to get around and find your way. There wasn't really a lot of time wasted plus New York is really a very easy city to get around in. Its made up of grids and is very organized so once you figure out the general direction of where things are, it's pretty hard to get lost.

The Oculus

Memorial at the site where the World Trade Centers used to be

Inside the Oculus

Five, we got to try out so much food this trip! To be honest, we planned the whole trip around food and restaurants we wanted to try. I'll be talking about that in a separate post!

Six, everything was just so damn picturesque! I used to have this image of New York as a grimy and gloomy city with too many buildings. This trip made me take a closer look and appreciate the views around me. Even when the city was gloomy, everything still looked pretty! There were so many interesting buildings around! It's even more gorgeous when the sun is shining. We took a walk in Central Park early morning and it was too gorgeous! More on that on a separate post.

Chrysler Building

Seven, we got to walk around everywhere and it was incredibly pleasant and so rewarding. Pleasant because, as I mentioned, New York is pretty easy to get around in as it's so straightforward and also very safe (there's NYPD everywhere!). It's also very rewarding because you get to see the great views up close and discover many other things that you would not have seen if you were riding a bus or car. Plus, you can get some exercise in! There were some days we walked twenty thousand plus steps!

I really enjoyed this trip and I am already getting excited to plan another trip to the City soon. I have waayyyy too many photos to share so I'll be continuing this post with a part two that will have just pictures and some captions.

Have you guys been to New York? What are your favorite New York moments?

All photos in post taken in a Sony A6000 camera only and are all unedited with no filters. All photos in this post are personal photos of nofiltertravel.blogspot.com. If you want to use them or borrow them in any way, please contact me first! My email add: nofiltertravel@gmail.com. If you can't be bothered to send me an email and still want to use my photos, then please do credit them and link back to this blog. Thanks!