As crazy as it may sound, that was what we did during our honeymoon, transitioning from Europe (Germany and Iceland) to the Caribbean. It was the 31st of December and Dennis’ birthday. During our planning we were thinking it would be a memorable thing to do!, as we would have an extended day by 6 hours. Dennis would have a long birthday!
New York has been my dream city since forever, and watching all Broadway shows has been one of my life goals. However, since we would only spend less than 24 hours in NYC, I would need to compromise to not even think about it (kidding! I googled already and it was holiday – no show kinda day :p)
To be efficient and maximize our stay, we made a list already of what to do in NYC, and I want to refer to Lauren Bullen’s NYC wishlist here, my googlemaps already being marked “want to go” here and there.
However, things don’t always go as planned. Here’s why:
It was New Year’s Eve
Which means the most crowded period at Times Square. Our Airbnb was located right in the neighborhood, and we had a hard time to reach the airbnb; by NYC yellow cab, or even on foot. There were closures on almost 15 blocks, in addition there was a sea of people that was trying to get through. We spent almost 2 hours walking to our apartment with suitcases in -16 degrees Celsius before reaching the airbnb. Not a good start in NY!
What we got to do in New York in 24 hours
- Eating New York style pizza, here! It was perfect, and I suggest you to do it when you’re in NYC.
- Strolling through Central Park. I got mixed feelings, since it was familiar yet it was my first time here. Big fan of chick flicks, it was where all those romantic scenes were filmed.
- Went to see the skating rink at Rockefeller Center, my long time bucket list!
- Checking out Saks Fifth Avenue window display, and at that time they were collaborating with Disney. So dreamy!
- Taking a cruise to see the Statue of Liberty.
- Watching fireworks during New Year’s Eve with Manhattan as the background.
Will we do 24 hours in NY again? Would we recommend it?
Absolutely NO. No further question needed.
Moving continents will also require jet-lag rest, and we didn’t factor that in. We were super dead during the New Year’s Eve cruise (sorry our table mate!) and we even fell asleep at some point, oops!
