The City That Never Sleeps: My NYC Travel Diary 

By Kate O’Brien. 

On Christmas Day my Mam surprised me when she told me that we were going to New York. 

My family had been to New York when I was a toddler, so it is safe to say that I don’t remember that trip. It’s always been a dream of mine to go to see the city that never sleeps and it has been on my travel bucket list for a long time. You can imagine my shock and delight when I found out that I was actually going to get to see NYC! 

I love seeing new places, and adding some literary gems to my trips is always the goal. I couldn’t wait to get to the creative hub that is New York City, the place is always buzzing with noise and energy. 

If you want some travel inspiration then look no further! I hope you’ll enjoy my travel diary. 

We stayed in NYC for five nights and I’ve decided to break this travel diary down into three parts … 

Travel and Accommodation 

Sights and Shows 

Food and Drink 

Let’s Dive In … 

Travel and Accommodation 

We flew with United Airlines from Dublin to Newark, New Jersey. The flight was roughly six hours long, and I was happy to have slept for most of it. We landed at 11.15am local time which meant we had the whole day ahead of us, and travelling from Newark airport to Grand Central Station in NYC couldn’t have been easier. We hopped on the Coach USA airport shuttle which brought us directly from Terminal C to Grand Central. The route had just three stops so getting lost was close to impossible. Despite the journey being listed as one hour and thirty minutes, we found ourselves among the skyscrapers after only forty-five. The journey was smooth and quick, the only time we hit any traffic was when we came out of the tunnel in NYC as the streets were bustling and busy. 

This trip was a surprise for me, so I was not involved in any of the bookings, but my Mam said she’d happily fly into Newark airport again if the flights were the better deal as getting to NYC from there is easy. I’d also have no complaints about doing this travel route again. 

We stayed in The Fitzpatricks Grand Central Hotel directly across from Grand Central Terminal. 

This couldn’t have been a better location. We were right in the heart of the city. We were able to walk to Grand Central Station, Fifth Avenue, Times Square, and we were exactly three minutes away from the Chrysler building so every evening when we were walking back to our hotel, we saw the skyscraper lit up. It was a gorgeous sight. 

*Please note this is not a paid review, nor is this piece an ad or sponsored in any way, but we believe in giving credit where credit is due.* 

I want to take a moment to publicly praise the staff at The Fitzpatrick Hotel. They couldn’t have been nicer, and they made our stay so fantastic. Every morning we would see familiar faces at check in, and they were also so helpful to my Mam when she was explaining how she wanted to surprise me. We loved every minute of our stay, and not only would we highly recommend it, but we will be staying there again if we return to NYC in the future (and we hope to do just that!). We want to shout out Sarah, Jeff, Alexis, Brendan, and Evan in particular as they were so kind.

 The hotel itself is beautiful, our rooms were spotless and comfy. There is a restaurant and bar onsite, the location is ideal. It truly is a perfect spot. 

Sights and Shows 

We spent our five days walking the city and seeing the sights. In my London travel diary, I talked about the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus tours. I can’t recommend these tours enough. I think they’re such a great way to see a new city. We purchased the twenty-four hour ticket in NYC. We sat on the top of the bus, wrapped up in hats, scarves, and gloves because NYC in January is cold! We didn’t care though because we were having a ball. We did the Uptown tour, the Downtown tour, and the river cruise so we could see the Statute of Liberty. It was a picturesque, scenic day, and driving around and seeing all of the iconic landmarks was surreal. 

If you want my biggest travel tip, look no further … Do the river cruise at night! 

The river cruise was two hours long and we opted to take the four o’clock cruise, this meant that when we got on the boat, the sky was slowly changing colour and that famous NYC skyline was starting to sparkle as it lit up. We went along the river, listening as our wonderful tour guide told us all about the city and the iconic landmarks that it is home to and then we saw Lady Liberty herself. Lit up, striking and tall. As we were returning to our dock, it was six o’clock and it was dark, so we got to see how beautiful Brooklyn Bridge is when it is all lit up and dazzling. The view was breathtaking, and while I did take lots of photos, none of them do that view justice. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was truly amazing. A moment I won’t forget for a long time. 

Being in Times Square was another surreal moment. I am aware that I sound like a walking cliché, but it did feel like being in a movie. Everything is so big and you feel so small among those tall, concrete buildings. The place is so loud too. Music is playing, horns are honking, taxis are everywhere, there are food trucks on every block and corner. The saying that NYC is the city that never sleeps rings true. The place is just always moving, always loud, and there is a fantastic buzz in the air. The atmosphere is amazing, and I understand completely why the city is often highlighted as a place where dreams can come true. 

We went to see the Plaza hotel, the Met, Tiffany & Co., Saks and the other Fifth Avenue gems. We went to Hudson Yards and the World Trade Center memorial, we got to see the Flatiron building, Radio City Music Hall, the Empire State Building, and of course, we got to see the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. 

My Mam, the ultimate travel planner, knows that Christmas is my favourite time of year. She knows that I have always wanted to see the big tree so she planned the trip around dates when it would still be up even though we were going in January. We got to see the tree before it came down and it was worth going to New York for. It is big, tall, bright and beautiful. We saw the skaters underneath and the lights all around. The atmosphere was fun and festive, and I’m so glad that I got to see the city decorated so beautifully. 

I couldn’t go to NYC and not go to see a Broadway show. My Mam and I went to see Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway and it was a spectacular night! The show runs in the New Amsterdam theatre, which is an absolutely beautiful theatre. The show was magical, pardon the pun. The cast were phenomenal. The Broadway show is the iconic movie brought to life with new shows and characters added for the stage, so the story is one we all already love, and the score is one that has long made an impact on us. It was the first time that my Mam and I got to see a show on Broadway, and we both loved it. It was bright, vibrant, beautiful, full of life and spectacle. The magic carpet scene in particular made me feel like a little girl again. I am so happy that I got to see a show on Broadway. I didn’t know that my Mam had bought us tickets, I had no idea about the entire trip which should be obvious by now, so I actually have tickets to see Aladdin when the touring production comes to Dublin later this year. I’m really excited to see it again, I always love seeing how touring productions may differ from their original venues, so I look forward to writing a more detailed theatre trip discussion after I see the show again in Dublin. 

Food and Drink 

Let’s start with the obvious, NYC is an expensive city. Restaurants can be expensive, fast food can be expensive, but we did find a few places that we enjoyed. 

We ate in the Wheeltapper bar and restaurant in our hotel twice. We did this out of ease, as it was onsite. The food was nice, the place was lively, and it was handy. 

When it came to breakfasts, we went to The Comfort Diner for breakfast on our first morning. It gave me Twin Peaks vibes, but in the best way. We had a big, American breakfast. Pancakes, French toast, eggs, bacon, the works, and coffee in gigantic mugs. It was pricey, but we really enjoyed it and it set us up for the day. 

We didn’t plan this in advance, but the way our days tended to play out was that we’d eat a fairly decent breakfast, set out for the day, and while we did grab coffee and cold drinks during the sightseeing, we usually didn’t eat again until dinner. 

On the other mornings we kept things simple and grabbed coffee and doughnuts at Dunkin’. We also discovered that Wendy’s make a very nice breakfast bap.  

In the hotel they recommended that we visit Junior’s because the cheesecake is fantastic. They warned us that it is a tourist spot so expect it to be busy, but I had to try New York cheesecake in NYC so off we went. The place was very nice and we got there at one o’clock which seemed like a great time as it wasn’t empty but it wasn’t full either so we got a table without any wait. The cheesecake was really lovely, and I’d go there again. The menu looked very nice too although we didn’t eat a big meal, we just got cheesecake, coffee, and pastry. It was getting very busy when we were leaving at around two, so I think we were lucky to get a table when we did. 

My favourite restaurant of the trip was the Carnegie Diner on 57th Street. The food was delicious. We had dinner there before Aladdin. We were in the middle of the city. The staff were so kind. I had a delicious cocktail and places get bonus points if they offer great cocktails. This spot was ideal and I’d love to go there again someday. 

We normally stay away from Irish bars while we are away however we were told that the Killarney Rose is a brilliant spot so we also had dinner there one night. We enjoyed it, we’d go back. I had a cosmopolitan there and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Here’s another tip … if you want to find reasonable drinks, visit The Olive Garden in Times Square. On the bottom floor they have a full bar and the cocktails were only seven dollars, which in NYC is a steal. It is also in the middle of Times Square so you’re taking in the lively atmosphere while you’re enjoying a sit down and a good drink. 

Obviously NYC is a huge, diverse, vibrant city and I’m not even scratching the surface of all of the amazing dining experiences that are on offer – another reason to plan a trip back! 

I keep my private life private and I won’t gush about my Mam online because she’d kill me if I did, but being in NYC with her (and some other family who ended up surprising us as well!), was a dream. 

She planned the most fantastic trip. We had an amazing time. We loved every single second, and all I’ll say is that I am one lucky woman. 

For more travel diaries, stay tuned. 

Up next … Frankfurt, Germany. 

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