Travel


Empire State Building with Premium Experience tickets

The Empire State Building is one of the most iconic buildings in the world. It has a beautiful art deco design and is an engineering marvel. Due to this fact, I splurged on our tour tickets and went for the “Premium Experience” so that my daughter, who is studying Civil Engineering, would have an informative tour of a famous engineering marvel.

The tour was well worth it! We had a fabulous tour guide named Renita, and she guided us throughout the building pointing out engineering tidbits for my daughter. I love how she tailored the tour for my daughters’ interests, it was amazing!

We were able to see the views from both the 102nd and 86th floors as well as a guided tour through the museum. In fact, the entire experience was a private, guided tour! It was incredible to learn about the art deco architecture, engineering facts, and history of this iconic building.

Renita also took photos of us, which I am not sharing on the blog because my daughter would prefer to not be on my blog, but they are beautiful family photos we will definitely cherish.

Isn’t the art deco light fixture below amazing? I loved learning about the interior fixtures, the limestone and granite from Indiana, and the history behind designing the interior.

Taking a tour of the Empire State Building is definitely an activity I recommend. Also, the Premium Experience tickets are also worth the price, so I highly recommend going with those tickets when you visit! You won’t regret the private tour.

What I wore, for the tour:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy


Hudson Yards on a rainy day

wearing: statement earrings / blue sweater / black parka / yellow pouch / spring nail polish / black belt / flare jeans / sneakers /

While the weather was mild during the majority of our trip, we had one really stormy day where the skies just opened up. In one brief moment, there was a break in the storm, so we took that opportunity to snap a couple photos outside Hudson Yards. Unfortunately, the Vessel was closed due to the weather, so outside photos were our only option on the day we visited.

Since my daughter is a Civil Engineering major, Hudson Yards was fun to walk around and explore. The new buildings have some interesting engineering features which are great to see up close when you are an engineering student. She enjoyed seeing the architecture and how it was executed, and so did I!

We spent most of our time at Hudson Yards inside due to the weather. There is a shopping mall which features all the stores you know from your local mall. We enjoyed a boba break at Xing Fu Tang.

It was nice to have a place to wander around inside since the storm was pretty strong when we were outside. We had weathered it earlier in the day for tea time at Laduree and seeing a few other sites.

If you are heading to New York, see if you can schedule Hudson Yards on a calm weather day, that way the Vessel will be open and you will have the opportunity to go inside. I have this on my list for my next trip to New York. It looks like it would be amazing to go to the top!

Hudson Yards is also a great stop if you want a little retail therapy. While you won’t find independent boutiques there, you will find national chains you are familiar with, and perhaps needed to pick something up from that you forgot at home.

Oh, and if you decide to grab some boba, the cookies and cream is delicious!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy


Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

wearing: black parka / statement earrings / black cross body bag / striped tee (sold out, similar here) / black belt / black jeans / spring nail polish / rose sneakers /

Everyone needs to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island at least once in their lifetime. Seeing the Statue of Liberty up close was a fun activity because we were able to go inside and check out the engineering behind the statue. In addition, the views of New York from the island and the statue are amazing! There is also a history museum which details how the statue was made and the history surrounding this beautiful gift from France.

I wore comfortable, casual clothing because this activity requires a lot of walking, stairs, and wind from the water. I highly recommend dressing comfortably, wearing sneakers and bringing something warm to shield you from the wind.

After visiting the Statue of Liberty, we hopped back onto the ferry and went to Ellis Island. Many of my ancestors came through Ellis Island so it was surreal standing in the same place where their new life in the United States began. In addition, the museum about the island and immigration to the United States is special, informative, and a must-see. How cute are these baby shoes from an Italian Immigrant pictured below!

We really enjoyed spending time on Ellis Island and touring the facility, visiting the museum, and discovering the manifest library which is online. I highly recommend taking your time on Ellis Island in order to ensure you see everything; especially if you had relatives go through the island!

Seeing both islands takes time. I recommend taking one of the first ferries in the morning and planning to spend the day touring both islands. It is a great way to see our history up close and enjoy these important sites!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy