I woke up this morning in New York City for the fourth day in a row. I tagged along on a work trip with my Dad and explored the city while he worked. It was a great opportunity to go explore the city.

I helped my Dad set up his booth for the convention on the first day, then we went to visit the 9-11 Memorial. It was my first time to the city and my first experience on the subway. We walked around Battery Park and gazed at the Statue of Liberty across the bay/harbor. We continued our exploration through the financial district, saw the BULL and hopped back on the subway uptown to attend Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

It was a full day of visiting landmarks but it was the only free time my Dad had while he was in town, so we made the most of it.

The second day I was on my own. Dad had to be at the convention early so after he got up and out the door, I headed out too. I walked towards the river on the west-side and connected to DeWitt Park, then Riverside Park. It was a great day to walk along the shore. The weather was perfect.

There were still leaves on the trees, but there were plenty bunched up along the sidewalk too. It was a lot to take in, the river on one side and the park on the other. I was able to stroll, no care in the world, no place to be.

When I reached the end of the park, I ventured back into the city towards Central Park through the upper west side of Manhattan. It was an extremely nice area and I saw many families out enjoying the great weather on that Sunday afternoon. It was so relaxing.

I stopped in at Bloomingdales outlet and tried on some clothes. I also walked through Trader Joe’s. It was busy, filled with people doing their shopping for the week. I walked by Grays Pappya’s, the hot dog place. I never even looked at a map before I left the hotel room because I wanted to just see whatever was there for me to see.

Before heading into Central Park, I got a pretzel from a street vendor, then proceeded to drop it…UGH! I walked through the park, stopping, sitting, watching. There were people everywhere, walking, taking pictures, rowing on the lake, painting, ice skating. It was a wonderful experience.

After Central Park, I walked thorough the city some more. I ended up back at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and took a picture; it had been dark the day before when I’d gone inside for Mass. I snapped a picture of the tree at Rockefeller Center and walked into Macy’s. I didn’t see Santa but couldn’t believe there was an entire floor just for shoes!

I continued my city walk down by the Empire State building and into Grand Central Station. It was such a free feeling, not having a plan and just walking, not knowing what I was going to run into next. Every street had a new thing to see, shops, restaurants, and homes. I loved taking it all in.

When I met up with my Dad later for dinner, he was exhausted. He’d had a super busy day. He was happy to have me there to share some of my adventures with him so he could forget about work for a while. I also picked up some snacks, primarily chocolate for him while I’d been on my city walk. He gobbled them up!

The next day, I took a bath which is something I rarely do. I didn’t have a plan so had a slow morning to decide what I wanted to do. Plus all my walking the day before had made my legs tired! I went back to Grand Central Station, then over to the United Nations building and spent some time watching the activity on the river on the other side of the NY City peninsula.

I felt comfortable in the city. It was easy to navigate.

I went to Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes. I was pretty sure I’d regret not going to a show while in New York and since it was Christmas time, that was the show to see! I’m really glad I went. I felt myself smiling the whole time and even shed a few tears because I was so full of happiness. It was SPECTACULAR!

I was going to go to the Top of the Rock to take in the city views but thought it was like the place in Chicago where it was a bar/restaurant and the admission fee was the purchase of a dessert or a drink. Instead it was $34 so I skipped it and walked around the city watching it transform into Christmas. There were workers putting up wreaths and nutcrackers on the outside of buildings and window displays getting their Christmas makeovers.

My final day in the city was rainy. I packed and watched the Today Show being filled just a few blocks from my hotel. I wasn’t prepared for rain otherwise I’d have gone over to Rockefeller Center because the Gilmore Girls were there.

I’d been having trouble with my hotel key not working and didn’t want to get locked out, so when I left, I took my luggage with me. I decided a good hearty breakfast would be perfect. I walked several blocks in the rain with my suitcase bouncing in every puddle along the way. I settled in at the Westway Diner which was said to be where the idea for the show Seinfeld was born.

As I ate, I contemplated how to spend the rest of the rainy day, with luggage in tow. There wasn’t any end in sight for the rain so after brunch I walked through the Christmas Village and hailed a cab for the airport. I was soaked. My luggage was soaked. But I’d do it all again!