New York New York | The 10 Year Trip in the Making


I thought that after we moved to Pittsburgh in 2015, it wouldn't take us long to visit New York City. But in the ten years since, we have gone everywhere except New York. I wanted to go, but it always got pushed back on our priority list. Another significant factor in our decision to wait as long as we did was that many of the things we wanted to do and experience would have been challenging or less enjoyable with our younger kids. We decided that we were finally at a point as a family where our kids were now old enough and wouldn't hinder the things we wanted to do. 


Traveling with the whole family is not exactly a photographer's dream. I am often rushed and at the mercy of not one but three people's patience levels simultaneously. I would have wondered all day for several hours in various neighborhoods, but it's just not the reality. 


Driving into Brooklyn was just as much of a nightmare as I imagined it would be. My husband assured me it would be fine, but I somehow ended up as the one driving. It was also storming. We arrived at our hotel in the evening and walked up to Luigi's Pizza for a slice. They were no frills, not warm, but not rude. Exactly how we hoped and imagined a NYC pizza place would be—great first experience. 

Day 1 | Manhattan, Broadway,& Central Park


Day 1, we hit the pavement hard. We woke up and had to nervously make our way to the subway station. This was our kid's first subway experience. After spending two weeks in Japan not long ago, I felt a lot more confident than I had in years past. Still, I knew it wouldn't be as smooth and efficient as the Japanese system, so I remained nervous having the kids in tow this time. For the most part, scanning in and tracking trains was easy. Remembering the train letters was significantly easier than the colors and difficult train line names in Japan. I think using European and Japanese public transportation before using American public transportation helped us navigate the "big daunting city" more effectively than if we had chosen to go the first few years we lived in the East and had never really been anywhere before yet. 

Larrin booked us Top of the Rock at Rockefeller as our first big experience. I have to compare it to the wild Shibuya Sky experience in Tokyo. I enjoyed Top of the Rock significantly more. The 360 views of New York was really awesome. We shared the space with a moderate amount of people, but it wasn't crowded and was very manageable. They didn't make us use lockers for personal items or cram 50 of us in a tiny elevator (things we had to do at Shibuya)

Of course, I didn't get to take nearly as many photos as I had wanted, but that is part of traveling with the family. We also stopped at several shops in the neighborhood, including FAO Schwarz, where Hannah saved up her money to buy a Jelly Cat stuffy and walked across the piano, The American Girl Doll store (wow), Nintendo Store (meh, not nearly as cool as the one in Kyoto), and Hershey (again, nothing can beat the real Hershey store in PA). For lunch, we wanted to let the kids experience a tiny bit of what we did in Japan, so we all ate at Ichiran. Ichiran is a very popular chain ramen place in Japan. They sell just one ramen. There are haters, but we loved it when we were in Japan, and we loved it here in NYC as well. The kids love ramen, so it was a big hit. 

Then, it was time to go to Broadway. One of my all-time favorite movies (unapologetically) is The Lion King. It's basically perfection in an animated film. There is no better first 5 minutes of a movie than the beginning of The Lion King, and this was also true with the Broadway production. It was everything I had hoped for, seeing a play on Broadway.

As we headed into the late afternoon, we took a stroll in Central Park. There were lots of nooks to explore, and we barely scratched the surface. Hannah only had an emotional breakdown three times through the park because of her older brother's relentless bothering. The family was pretty exhausted at that point, but after walking over 20,000 steps for the day, I convinced everyone that we needed to eat more, so we went to Joe's Pizza on Carmine Street. The line moved quickly, and the pizza slices were huge. I liked Lugi's better, but Joe's was good too. 

Day 2 | Statue of Liberty. Ellis Island, & Chinatown


Day 2 was another big day. We woke up early to get some NYC bagels. I think we found the best in town, honestly. We went to Russ and Daughters. Their lox bagel was a 10/10. Their fresh juice was an 11/10. I would love to come back here on any future trip to NYC we take. Then, we headed to the ferry to go to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I grew up next door to my Italian Grandpa throughout my childhood. He boarded a boat in Naples in 1933 at the age of 23 and traveled to the United States alone. He saw the Statue of Liberty and had to go through the Ellis Island immigration process. Because this was a firsthand story, he would occasionally share it with us; I have always felt compelled to see it. Being able to visit Italy and meet my family six years ago and now seeing a glimpse of what he saw and experienced coming to America is something I'm very grateful for. When we visited Ellis Island, we decided to search for my Grandfather's records on the computers downstairs. We could not find them at first! Luckily, I have a very savvy husband who eventually cracked the code. The reason we had a difficult time was that they spelled his name wrong in the records, replacing an N with an M. It felt really special to find his record at the original place. We ordered it, and it arrived in the mail a week later. 

After that excursion, we were starving! We didn't think the kids would make it through, but we followed through with the plan to go into Chinatown and have lunch at Noodle Village. Our family is crazy for soup dumplings. Everything we ordered was perfect at this restaurant. I would also come back here again when visiting NYC. 

We stopped at Grand Central Station that evening and visited a cool bookstore called Kinokuniya, which specializes in Japanese books. I picked up a few paper theater crafts that I am obsessed with, and Russell got some Manga he likes. 

Lastly, we returned to the neighborhood where we had started in the morning and braved Katz's Delicatessen. Was it hard; yes. Was it claustrophobic? Moderately. Was it worth it? I do think so. Their pastrami sandwiches were amazing. Is it the best sandwich though? No, I don't. In my opinion, the Philly cheesesteaks at Angelo's Pizzeria in Philadelphia are the best sandwich that exists. 

Day 3 | DUMBO, Coney Island, & Williamsburg


Day 3 started wetter than we anticipated. We explored DUMBO in the rain. We came across the Brooklyn Flea Market by chance, and I bought a Stevie Ray Vaughan vinyl.

Then, as the rain cleared, we took a long trip to Coney Island. By the time we were at the end of the line, there was barely anyone on the train. Why is no one going to Coney Island? Our family loved it. We may love old-school theme park vibes and rides more than the average person. We ate at Nathan's Hot Dog and rode some cool, old-school rides, including the Ferris wheel that California Adventure at Disney was modeled after, a campy old horror dark ride, and Cyclone (an old wooden rollercoaster). 

Later in the evening, I begged Larrin to go to the Heatonist store. It was also the day of the big heatwave. It was miserable in the afternoon/evening, but I was determined to go. We've been buying their hot sauces online for years. We drank a ton of water and made our way up to Williamsburg. Everyone forgave me at the end of the day because we also stopped at Levaine Bakery and had our last New York dinner at L'Industrie Pizzeria. It was the best pizza of the entire trip, hands down. 

Final Thoughts


So, what did I really think of New York after waiting for years to go? It was a great trip, but I was disappointed with a few glaring things. New York boasts a robust infrastructure and a wide range of attractions that draw people from around the world. There is so much to see and do! However, this city needs serious help with cleanliness and assistance for displaced people who are in dire need. We can do so much better.

I've been to most of the popular and largest US cities, and New York City was particularly horrific, with trash everywhere in almost every single neighborhood we visited. Not just a little trash here and there and a bad smell sometimes. It was on a level I had personally never experienced before. A lot of the homeless people in New York also looked in terrible shape. It was heartbreaking. I don't have the education or background to know what is best in these sensitive issues. However, some individuals were lying face down on the pavement at times when I wasn't sure if I needed to call the police because someone was dead on the street. I'm unsure of how to handle these challenging situations, especially when I need to keep my family safe. We can do so much better, though. So, NYC gets a 9 out of 10 for things to do and a 2 out of 10 for its response to finding solutions for people in dire need of assistance and overall cleanliness.