Top of the Rock Archives - Weary Wanderer

Welcome back, friends! After our first day of welcoming summer by galavanting around New York City, we really kicked it up a notch for Memorial Day. Adventures included:

Tickets to the American Museum of Natural History (including the awesome Invisible Worlds exhibit and the Worlds Beyond Earth show at the planetarium). Keep in mind that tickets are still required in advance for timed entry, so check out the website before you head over.
Tea at Alice’s Tea Cup! (Our party was so large, we scored a private spot in their Raspberry room!)
A walk/play through Central Park
A walk through Rockefeller Center to the Top of the Rock NYC Observation Deck (timed ticket entry also required)

It was the sweetest of days with some of our besties <3

American Museum of Natural History

With so many amazing museums in NYC it can be hard to pick just one for kiddos, but I’m sure glad we went with this one. We only had time for our two extra experiences, the dinosaur exhibit and the Room With the Whale, but gosh was it worth it.

This Invisible Worlds exhibit was giving Meow Wolf vibes, but with a much better story and on a much more tame scale.

How small do your problems seem in an exhibit like this, though. I mean, really.

Dinosaurs were a huge hit too, obviously.

I wasn’t sure how the 30-minute planetarium show would go over, but the girls loved it! And Carla, Fiona & Jake were able to join us, too.

Alice’s Tea Cup

After the museum we walked over to Alice’s which, while thoroughly expensive (it was a full tea service that, let’s be honest, mostly got thrown out) was a true NY experience, as well. I’m really glad we did it!

The whole gang. And how gorgeous is this room?!

Central Park

We left Alice’s around 2:30 and had reservations at 4 for Top of the Rock, so we took our time wandering through Central Park to get there.

Enjoying live music at Strawberry Fields in Central Park.

Top of the Rock

This is one of Chris’ favorite spots in the city, so it was fun to take the girls there to experience the city the way that birds do <3

Walking through the Rockefeller Center area is always a joy, too.

Chris had some extra help pulling the baggage.

Gotta love a girl who only loves her snacks, no matter where she may be!

Plus this one. Carla. My freshman year roommate at JMU, whom I’ve known for 22 years (yikes!). We’ve been to Germany & Salzburg & Nashville together, survived college and our first years as babies living in NYC. She’s a doll and I love her immensely <3

After a very long day, it was back on the subway to head to our home away from home.

Seeing the sites is one thing, but catching up with your loves … that’s everything.

Until next time, friends … bis bald!

Hi friends,

So I haven’t updated this series in a while, have I? With our days in this amazing city numbered, I wanted to make sure that I got through the last three categories I had mapped out, so welcome to today’s tour — the best places (in my humble opinion) to take photographs in NYC.

So without further ado …

Where to Take Great Photos in NYC

1. Top of the Rock: It’s touristy for a reason, my friends. While the Empire State Building is a nostalgic must for many visitors, if you hit up the Top of the Rock you’ll be able to actually take photos of the Empire State Building — along with the rest of the city.

^^ Psst … look familiar? This is the photo I used for the header for this entire series, so, yeah, you know it’s gotta be good 😉

2. The Boat Basin/Hudson River Promenade: If the river’s more your thing, walk yourself on over to The Boat Basin for some beers, and while you’re over there take a stroll down the Hudson River Promenade (which is especially gorgeous in the spring when the trees are blooming).

3. The Staten Island Ferry: A quick ride on the Staten Island Ferry is an easy way to get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty … without all the horrible lines.

4. Madison Square Park [for Flatiron and Empire State Views]: The park in and of itself is quite lovely (and often full of art and sculptures from local artists), but it’s also the perfect spot to take stunning photos with either the Flatiron or Empire State Building in the background.

^^ Flatiron views

^^ Empire State Building views

5. Pier 25: Two summers ago now, a friend of mine rented a sail boat for her now-husband’s 30th birthday, and Chris and I were just lucky participants on that trip around the NYC harbor. We set sail from Pier 25, though, and let me tell you — the view was some kind of special.

6. Dying to try: Manhattanhenge: Friends, I’ve had the best of intentions for many years now to catch this yearly Manhattan phenomenon. Alas — it was never meant to be. Manhattanhenge — so coined by Neil deGrasse Tyson, “occurs when the setting sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating a radiant glow of light across Manhattan’s brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough’s grid.” If you’re lucky enough to be here during one of the two times a year that this happens, get thyself to a good vantage point (clear cross streets include 14th, 23rd, 34th. 42nd, 57th, and several streets adjacent to them), and bring your camera!

^^ Our sad attempt to capture Manhattenhenge last year. You foiled me that time, clouds, but trust me, one of these years I will get my amazing photo!