End of Summer Tour – 8-Days in NYC, Niagara Falls and Washington D C.

End of Summer Tour - Summer

I am happily looking for to saying GOODBYE to summer as I do not like the heat or humidity. I am gladly looking forward to the fall season and the crisp fall weather. However, I know I am not like everyone, and many or sad that summer is ending and want to extend it as long as they can. Why not do an end of summer tour right here in the US? I found this fun-looking 8-day tour through Trafalgar where you will spend time in NYC, Niagara Falls, and Washington DC. FYI, this trip does take you to Canada so you can see both sides of the falls, so you will need a passport. Here are the details. (from Trafalgars website) Continue reading “End of Summer Tour – 8-Days in NYC, Niagara Falls and Washington D C.”

Citi Field in Queens New York – Home to the NY Mets

We had a great time running around NYC in May of 2022. One thing we haven’t done was visit Yankee Stadium or Citi Field. During this trip, we made sure they were on the top of our to-do list.  The best part, was Citi Field was the 21st stadium I visited, thus I am officially on the last 3rd of my quest to visit all the MLB stadiums. We actually decided to attend a game here since we did a tour of Yankee Stadium earlier in the week. We had a wonderful time and everyone was nice even if I was wearing my Angels shirt, lol. I did get a hat while there, so that might have helped too, lol. Continue reading “Citi Field in Queens New York – Home to the NY Mets”

Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York – Home to the NY Yankees

Yankee Stadium - Outside

While in NYC in May of this year, we were finally able to see and take a tour of Yankee Stadium. It was my 20th MLB Park and I was so excited to be 2/3 of the way into my quest to see all 30 stadiums! There is so much history behind the Yankees and Yankee Stadium. I just wish I would have been able to see the stadium often referred to as the House That Ruth Built. Sadly it was demolished after the new stadium was opened on opening day on April 16, 2009.

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Coney Island, New York – Playground of the World

Gene and I were just in NYC last month and had an amazing time. We were able to see and do some of the things that we hadn’t been able to on previous trips, including a tour of Yankee Stadium as well as a game at Citi Field. However, another thing that was high on our list to do was to check out Coney Island. It has always been fall or winter when we had been there, and it was just a little too cold to spend the day running around Coney Island. However, May was a perfect time to visit for a couple of reasons. First, it was scorching, which is extremely important for me as I am NOT a heat person. Secondly there usually aren’t a lot of people and tourists there yet. We also quickly learned that the rides and such weren’t open for the season yet (the park opened the following weekend 🙁 ) which also cut down on the would-be traffic.

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Serendipity 3 – Upper East Side New York Restaurant

Serendipity - OutsideWhile in New York City we ate a quite a few nice restaurants, but there was one that I really had wanted to visit while in the city, Serendipity 3. I had heard a lot about this renowned Upper Eastside restaurant and thought it would be fun to visit and try one of their famous Frozen Hot Chocolate drinks.  I have to say I love their definition of Serendipity: the art of making happy discoveries or finding the unexpectedly pleasant by chance or sagacity.  They also state that they are more than a mere coffee shop, more of an ice cream parlor on steroids, Serendipity has been synonymous with fun. Since September 14, 1954, its menu of outrageous desserts and fun food, served in a Manhattan townhouse amid exuberant Victorian decorations, has charmed children and their parents, not to mention celebrities from  Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, and Beyonce. Sadly we didn’t see any famous people while we were there, but we did have a great time with a New Yorker friend that I use to work with. Continue reading “Serendipity 3 – Upper East Side New York Restaurant”

Letchworth State Park – The Grand Canyon of the East

Letchworth State Park - BenchGene and I were in Buffalo exploring the area and Niagara Falls in October 2021. While in the area, we were happy to be able to do a short beautiful drive about 35 miles southeast of Buffalo and visit Letchworth State Park.  Neither of us had heard about this place, but our Airbnb host Joanne told us about it and I can’t thank her enough. It is something we are so glad we were able to visit. The road followed the Genesee River and went through several little towns like Leicester, Mount Morris, Portage, Castile, and Genesee Falls. We did stop in one of these little towns to grab a soda to go along with the lunch we had packed for the day.

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American Girl Place in Manhattan, New York – Adorable Tiny Dolls

American Girl Place - BldgI was talking with a friend the other day who was trying to find a specific doll for her granddaughter’s upcoming birthday. It immediately reminded me of the miniature dolls I saw at the American Girl Place store while in Manhattan in October of 2015. Gene, a local friend, and I checked out their amazing store when we were in Manhattan last year. We had been to the Empire State Building, and Rockefeller Plaza earlier that day and saw this place while we were walking around. Not sure why I actually walked into the store, except maybe that my niece just had a baby and she looks like a tiny little doll.  Then again, I am probably biased, lol. Some of it may have been pure curiosity as I had never seen one in person. Whatever the reason, probably multiple reasons,  I loved seeing these little 18 inch dolls and decided to share our experience looking around the store. Continue reading “American Girl Place in Manhattan, New York – Adorable Tiny Dolls”

Niagara Falls New York – Experience the Rush of the Falls

Niagara Falls New York - 1Niagara Falls New York was the highlight of my birthday trip to Buffalo in October of 2021.  To say they were breathtaking would be an understatement. They were phenomenal and we were lucky enough to see them from both the US side and the Canadian side. I absolutely love waterfalls and with all our traveling, I still can’t believe we hadn’t been to see these iconic falls before. So glad we finally made it to Niagara Falls New York for the first time!!

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East River Bridges – Eight Manhattan Bridges That Span The East River

 

East River Bridges - 1I love all the crime scene dramas set in New York City such as Castle, Law and Order, Blue Bloods, Elementary, and Person of Interest. When I started this post several years ago (and sadly forgot about it) I was going through summer hiatus withdrawals and was watching re-runs of Blue Bloods. I am always fascinated with the various New York Bridges during these opening credits and started wondering which bridges they were. Thus, I decided to do some research and find out which bridges we want to see while on our first trip to New York City.  I was amazed at how many bridges there actually were in the Manhattan area. There are quite many but I decided to stick with the main eight that cross the East River. With that said, here are the East River Bridges that I found the most captivating and that I wanted to see when we visited the city. They are in no particular order. Continue reading “East River Bridges – Eight Manhattan Bridges That Span The East River”

The Lucille Ball Hometown Experience – Jamestown, New York

Lucille Ball 1Growing up I always watched I love Lucy with my mom as she grew up watching it. The series aired from 1951-1957. Today, more than 70 years since the last episode aired on May 6, 1957, this amazing comedic icon named Lucille Ball is still entertaining people everyday. Thus when Gene and I were in Buffalo NY for my birthday in 2021 we had to make sure and visit the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum in her hometown, Jamestown. I didn’t know what to expect really, but I was excited to visit, and it didn’t disappoint. We had an amazing I love Lucy experience.

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