Honeymoon in New York City

When you think honeymoon, you most likely think of white, sandy beaches and warm ocean breezes. Not us. When planning our honeymoon in New York City we were looking to fill our days with museums, history, architecture, great food and nightlife. New York City was the perfect fit. The day after we said ‘I do” we boarded a plane for the Big Apple touching down for what was one of our most memorable adventures.

The Details

We spent 5 nights in the bustling city, resting our heads at the Washington Jefferson Hotel in the Theater District. It was a great location and reasonably priced. Here’s how we tackled the sights of this sprawling city.

Brooklyn Bridge and Little Italy

  • Day 1
    • We’d taken an early morning flight and arrived at our hotel around Noon. Our itinerary had just two items on it; walk the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoy dinner in Little Italy.
    • Brooklyn Bridge
      • The bridge spans the East River and connects Manhattan with the borough of Brooklyn. The spiderweb of suspension cables is spell binding and beautiful.
    • Little Italy
      • We ate dinner at Il Palazzo. A great, old school Italian restaurant with a cozy atmosphere and a long wine list. Sadly, Il Palazzo is now permanently closed.

Empire State Building, Grand Central Station and Comedy Show

  • Day 2
    • Empire State Building
      • The Empire State building is the 4th tallest in NYC, at 1,050. We bought our tickets for the 86th floor observatory to take in great panoramic views of the city.
    • Fifth Avenue and St. Patrick’s Cathedral
      • We strolled along the famous avenue to window shop at Saks, FAO Schwartz and Bergdorf Goodman before poking our heads into St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
    • Lunch Break: street vendor hot dog and pretzel
    • Grand Central Station
      • It’s estimated 50,000 people stream through Grand Central Station everyday. We came not to board a train but to be awed by the main concourse, flooded with natural light and beauty.
    • Chrysler Building
      • This art deco style building pays tribute to the automobile with it’s hub cap like steel upper third.
    • Flatiron Building
      • This triangular building has been intriguing visitors since 1902 and it caught our fascination as well. It quickly became my favorite building in the city.
    • NYC Pizza and the Comedy Cellar
      • We ate and laughed until our stomachs hurt at Lombardi Pizza and the Comedy Cellar Club. Lombardi’s is credited with dishing up the very first New York style pizza. The Comedy Cellar Club boosts great stand up comedians like Colin Quinn and Jerry Seinfeld.

Statue of Liberty and Broadway Show

  • Day 3
    • Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
      • At the time of our trip the crown to the statue was not open. I did visit the crown with friends a few years later and I highly recommend it. Advanced reservations are a must.
      • We took the ferry to Liberty Island and toured the pedestal and grounds then ferried onto Ellis Island to tour the National Museum of Immigration.
      • These two stops took 3-4 hours.
    • New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street
      • We walked by these sites and the famous charging bull at 11 Wall Street on our way to grab a New York slice of pizza for lunch.
  • World Trade Center Site
    • Just 5 years post 9/11, the site was filled with heavy machinery and equipment. Having never seen the site prior to the attacks, I was taken back by the enormity of it all. We will need to return now that the 9/11 Memorial is complete.
  • Wicked at the Gershwin Theater
    • We “never knew so much happened before Dorothy dropped in.” Wicked was our first Broadway Theater performance and it was thrilling. A definite must see.
  • Hourglass Tavern
    • After the show we went to the Hourglass Tavern in the Theater District. The tavern is located in an old brownstone building, making the ambience equally as good as the food.

Central Park and MET

  • Day 4
    • Central Park
      • We rode the carousel, saw Strawberry Fields, took a horse drawn carriage ride, people watched at the Bethesda Fountain and rowed a boat in Central Park Lake.
      • All of it was very honeymoonish and my favorite memories of our time in NYC.
    • Metropolitan Museum of Art
      • Housing some of the finest art pieces in the world, means the Met is huge. We chose to spend our time exploring just two of the collections that peeked our interest.
    • Osteria del Circo
      • With restaurants in New York City, Dallas and Dubai, diners at Circo are transported to a European style carnival tent atmosphere and upscale Italian eats. If you go, order the salt encrusted sea bass. We loved it and so do Regis Philbin, who was dining just two tables away.

Rockefeller Center and Times Square

  • Day 5
    • Rockefeller Center and NBC Studios
      • We spent our last day in the city strolling through Rockefeller Center and taking the NBC Studios Tour. The tour take us on the set of Saturday Night Live and Dateline. We also got a chance to use a green screen and deliver the nightly weather report.
    • Times Square
      • We spent out last evening on Times Square where we ate dinner and soaked in the neon lights.

Our honeymoon in the heart of NYC was one of our first trips together and to date, still one of the best. We’ve also enjoyed trips to Boston, Washington DC and the Denver area as a couple

A couple of important and interesting sights have opened since we visited in 2006. The next time we wake up in the city that never sleeps, we’ll be sure to include stops at the 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center, a stroll along the High Line and a sunset at the Top of the Rock.

Happy Adventuring, Rochelle

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