42 Perfect Hours in Midtown Manhattan

New York Selfies

My sister Peg and I took a whirlwind trip to New York City in August.  Neither one of us had ever been to The Big Apple, so this was huge.  I was fortunate enough to snag tickets to Springsteen on Broadway (you can read all about that amazing experience here), and that was our main reason for making the trip.  We added an extra day, though, so we could see at least a bit of the city.  We ended up doing more than we thought possible, and we both came home loving NYC.

We purposely took a 6:30 a.m. flight out of Denver to Newark which landed around noon Eastern time.  That gave us a good half day to get our bearings and do some exploring.  We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Midtown Manhattan, and it turned out to be a perfect location for a short stay.  We were within walking distance of major New York attractions, and, most importantly, it was less than a block from The Walter Kerr Theatre where Bruce was performing.

Taking away 16 hours for two nights' sleep time and 5 hours for Bruce, that gave us about 21 hours for sightseeing and eating.  With that in mind, we planned out three doable blocks of time, and off we went.

BLOCK ONE--Streets of Manhattan

We decided to explore the area around our hotel and find the Walter Kerr Theatre so we would know exactly where to go for Bruce the next night.  First stop--a little bar right across the street.  The West End Bar and Grill was the perfect spot to grab a beer and a snack (delicious basket of fries!) before we officially hit the streets of Manhattan.  We studied our map, planned our route, and vowed to come back again.

Our next quest was to find the theatre.  That ended up being super easy--it was just around the corner from our hotel.  That gave us time to walk around Times Square and Broadway where we oohed and aahed over the flashy Broadway marquees and the billboards everywhere and where we craned our necks to see the tops of all the sky-high buildings surrounding us.  We did a little shopping and scoped out restaurants for dinner.

My heart did flip flops each time I saw this

BLOCK TWO--Dinner and Top of the Rock

We definitely wanted to go to the top of either the Empire Sate Building or Rockefeller Center.  My nephew strongly recommended The Rock as he thought it would be less crowded, and the view would be better.  We took his advice and purchased our tickets online for Top of the Rock for later that evening.  Before that, though, we needed to eat!

Right next to the Walter Kerr Theatre, our venue for the next night, we found an Italian restaurant, La Masseria.  What a gem it turned out to be.  Since it was a glorious evening, we asked for patio seating.  Of course we started with drinks, and from there on, everything was absolutely perfect--the atmosphere, the wait staff, the wine and champagne.  And the food.  Good Lord, the food--the absolute best Italiano I have ever had.  Peg ordered Ravioli di Angelina, homemade ravioli tossed in a light tomato sauce.  She raved about the flavors in the sauce.  I chose Tagliatelle alla Bolognese, homemade fettucini with meat sauce  Delizioso.  I would order this every single time.  Additionally, the salads were fresh and crisp and the homemade house dressing light and flavorful.  Neither one of us could finish our dinner, but we definitely enjoyed our leftovers the next morning for breakfast!  I'm a dessert person, but there was just no way we had room after this meal.  We did, however, make plans to return the next night before Springsteen on Broadway for dessert and more champagne.

Italiano at its finest

Rockefeller Center was a quick five-block walk from our restaurant.  The time stamp on our tickets was 7:00 p.m. which gave us the opportunity to see the city in daylight and evening light as well.  Of course there was a line when we got there, but much to our delight (and shock) the attendants let us go to the front!  We waited just a bit for the elevator to take us to the Top of the Rock.  The elevator ride itself was thrilling.  With a light show and super fast speed, we made it to the top (70 floors) in 42 seconds!  The views that awaited us were absolutely breathtaking.  We looked out on the New York City skyline and couldn't believe our eyes.  We could see Central Park, The Empire State Building, and even the Statue of Liberty.  We were both so happy that we made the Top of the Rock part of our short itiinerary.

Those views

BLOCK THREE--Central Park

The one spot that everyone advised us to see was Central Park.  We weren't sure we could make it work, but we studied our maps and realized it was within waking distance.  The morning of day 2, we set off (after devouring our leftover Italian!) from our hotel.  We pretty much walked straight up 8th avenue.  Along the way we saw more Broadway marquees, Times Square again, Rockefeller Plaza, which looked so different with outdoor tables and umbrellas instead of ice skaters, and Trump Tower, looking a bit on the over-the-top side. 

The west entrance to Central Park was gorgeous in itself.  Large statues lined the gateway.  We knew we wouldn't have time (or energy!) to see the entire 840 acres.  We made Strawberry Fields our first stop.  There was a sense of peace as we walked up the hill, and we both got a little teary when we saw the Imagine Circle.  I think everyone there felt John's spirit, even as we all took turns taking selfies.

Our next stop was supposed to be Shakespeare Garden, and indeed we did make it there eventually. But first we needed refreshments!  I saw some red umbrellas on one side of the walking path.  I thought it might be a beer garden, and I knew Peg would love that.  We asked to be seated on the patio.  It wasn't until a waitress brought the menus that we realized we were at Tavern on the Green!  That quickly became the joke of the trip--"Hey, let's just stop at this beer garden over here."  :)

Shakespeare Garden was delightful  It's an area in the park with a little theatre and lots of beautiful flowers in full bloom--complete with butterflies.  It really does look like an English garden.  Small plaques with Shakespeare quotes have been placed throughout the area, and to this English teacher, Shakespeare Garden is paradise.

Central Park Magic

We really could have stayed in Central Park all day, but it was time for us to head back to the hotel to get ready for Springsteen on Broadway.  On our way out, we walked by the whimsical carousel, a perfect ending to our whirlwind NYC sightseeing adventure.

Peg and I both fell in love with New York and vow to return.  One of my biggest concerns leading up to our trip was that people would be rude.  I had it in my mind that all New Yorkers are jerks.  That wasn't the case at all.  In fact, every single person we encountered was friendly, pleasant, and helpful.  From the taxi drivers who helped us with luggage and returned a forgotten item, to the hotel staff who greeted us each time we entered the building, to the waiters at our restaurants who accommodated our requests, to the staff at the Top of the Rock who made a special line for us, to the security and ushers at Springsteen on Broadway who rolled out the red carpet for us--everyone helped make our trip to the Big Apple unforgettable.  

We 💗 NY