When you are lucky enough to be married to a woman as wonderful as Roama, you get the opportunity to experience so many new and exciting things. Our trip to New York City was my first real visit to the big apple. Click HERE for some pictures! I had been there once before…overnight…flew in one day…had an interview…slept…flew out the next morning…so I didn’t get to see anything at all! I think Roama almost fell out of her chair when I told her that story so, very quickly, this was put onto our to do list!
We planned our travel to include some of the big things like head over to Rockefeller Center (regrettably it was not Christmas yet, so the tree was not lit), Carnegie Hall, Empire State building and Times Square but there were three things that really grabbed me.
First, who doesn’t love Central Park. Central Park is a park of over 800 acres on Manhattan Island. Per their website, in 1853 the state legislature passed the bill
that set aside over 750 acres to establish this park. The park has lovely walking paths, trees and everything from statues to lakes. There is a carousel and a castle, a lake and a loch, a zoo and an ice rink in the winter. We spent a few hours wandering and admiring. You could literally spend days here as a visitor. If you lived or worked in Manhattan, this wonderful resource would be yours to utilize any time you want. Wish we had more time to spend here and is definitely a must see!
Second is the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Yes, I know that is two things, but they come on the same ticket. Both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were amazing. The statue is so majestic and famous standing in the New York Harbor and Ellis Island was interesting and educational. The statue was a gift of friendship from France and per the National Park Service website is “recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.”
To plan your visit, you first must decide what level you want to go to. Your three options are to visit the grounds, to visit the grounds and pedestal, and to visit the grounds, pedestal and crown. However, to get to the crown or pedestal, you must plan well in advance as reservations are required, are limited and are a hot commodity. The grounds only pass is generally available. All tickets come with an audio tour (bring headphones, it is easier).
Once finished on Liberty Island, you board the boat and are taken to Ellis Island next. You don’t have to get off if you don’t want to, but I would recommend it. Taking the tour is very educational, especially to Roama, who was not born in the US. I already knew some of the history but very little.
When you finish at Ellis Island, you board the boat one last time and are taken back to battery park.
And finally, the food! When in New York, EAT!
Pizza – Going to NYC, you MUST eat pizza…its State Law…Look it up…We had Joe’s Pizza near Times Square. I was a little worried because the original Joe’s was
rated well but some people said don’t fall for the hype. We tried it and it was awesome!
Kati Roll – The Kati Roll Company was a place that Roama discovered in her searches. This was so yummy that we got it a second time to eat on the return flight. If you’ve never had one, here are the two things you need to know:
1) It is an Indian “sandwich” that has a spiced filling of meat, vegetables, and/or paneer (cheese) rolled in an Indian flatbread
2) It’s Yummy!
Regrettably we do not have pictures because we were so excited that we just ate…and forgot to take pictures… 
Shawarma – We travel to the Middle East, usually yearly and have been to Kuwait and Dubai so we love us some Arabic food…especially Shawarma/Gyro. However, our most favorite-est we have found to date has been at the corner of 49th Street and 6th Avenue and is called Adel’s Famous. No, we are not talking about the singer of such hits as “Hello” and “Rolling in the Deep” …and she spells it with another “e” at the end anyway…If you don’t know what Shawarma/Gyro is then you are missing out. Shawarma/Gyro is meat roasted on a spit (similarly to Gyro), shaved off and served. We tried it both ways, the first wrapped in a flatbread and the second with rice. Each came with a very healthy portion of meat along with the proper accouterments as well as the obligatory white sauce (creamy) with red sauce (spicy) as optional.
NYC was awesome overall. Walking by Carnegie Hall, 30 Rock, and the Empire State Building just was not very interesting. If you go and are willing to spend the time and money, go ahead and arrange the tour. We also regret not going into the 9/11 memorial. The things above we loved, and any regrets allow perfect hindsight, which gives us an excuse to come back and do what we love…Travel some more!!!
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