I have a list for every city I go to. In some cases, it may just be a handful of bullet points that I can picture in my head. In others, it's a full-on list on my phone. In April, Dan's company asked him to come to New York City for 2 weeks in mid-June. A free hotel room for two weeks?! Let me consider that my invitation. Here's the New York bucket list I put together in preparation for the trip. 1. Go to a Yankee game Have you been to New York if you haven't been to a Yankees game? We bought nose bleed tickets and enjoyed an evening of baseball after work, checking off the Bronx from the list of boroughs! 2. Visit St. Patrick's Cathedral St. Patrick's Cathedral is the most famous church in the city. My grandparents got married in St. Patricks Cathedral in 1957. I walked down to the church one afternoon while taking a break from work. It's just around the corner from Rockefeller Center, so I made a quick detour to see that as well. 3. Picnic in Bryant Park This was the very first item Dan and I checked off upon arriving in New York. We headed to a Whole Foods near Bryant Park and grabbed some chips and guac for a little picnic. No pictures though. :) 4. Visit The Met We visited The Met with one of Dan's high school friends, Emma, after grabbing dinner. I was expecting an expensive entry ticket, but I was pleasantly surprised that they allowed us to pay a donation for entry instead since we were so close to closing time. Emma also showed up the Met's rooftop, which I didn't know about. 5. Go to Chelsea Market Another pictureless adventure that we paired with Little Island Park (further down on this list). I love this area of New York and want to explore it more! 6. Visit 9/11 Memorial Plaza I only have this photo I snapped at the memorial plaza. Dan asked if I wanted a photo there because I had been taking photos at other locations on my list, but it felt weird to be taking pictures in general. So many people died at that spot. It felt odd to be posing for pictures (which many people were doing). 7. Go on a date to Coney Island If I'm being honest, the primary reason I wanted to visit Coney Island was because of the Taylor Swift song of the same name with the following lyrics: And I'm sitting on a bench in Coney Island Wondering, "Where did my baby go?" The fast times, the bright lights, the merry-go Sorry for not making you my centerfold Unfortunately, we inadvertently picked the worst day to go. We went on Saturday, June 21 which was the same day as the Mermaid Parade. Coney Island was PACKED. It was not the calm experience of walking along the boardwalk that I had envisioned. 8. Visit Little Island Park Little Island Park exists because billionaire Barry Diller donated the money for it to be built. It's a unique public park with a stilt design. If you want to visit on a weekend or during peak hours, you'll need a reservation, which can be made here. 9. Ride on the Staten Island Ferry I put the Staten Island Ferry on my list as a way to see all the boroughs of New York and because I wanted to get a view of the Statue of Liberty. While I won't pretend we found a ton to do on Staten Island, I still really enjoyed this activity. 10. Visit the New York Public Library I spent time at the New York Public Library quite a few days over the time we were there. I used their Wi-Fi to work as well as their desktop computers while my laptop was at the Apple Store for repair. I'm now the proud owner of a temporary New York Library card, which you don't need to be a New York State resident to get. 11. Grab a Polaroid at DUMBO I love grabbing Polaroids in iconic spots. Of course, that means heading over to DUMBO ("Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass") to get the shot. 12. Walk Cornelia Street As a Swiftie, I had to see the famous Cornelia Street house from Taylor Swift's Lover. I also fell in love with the West Village. If I'm ever a millionaire, catch me trying to buy 23 Cornelia Street. 13. Get a view of the city When I originally put this on the list, I was thinking of paying to go up in the Empire State Building or the Chrysler Tower. However, we ended up getting a cool view of New York from the Honorable William Wall at Dan's work function. Left to Do We didn't get everything accomplished, but we do have some trips to New York coming up. Here's what is left on the list. As these items get checked off, I'll be updating this New York bucket list. Do date night at a cool rooftop bar Visit all the boroughs of NYC Visit Queens International Night Market See a show on Broadway Attempt to visit all the neighborhoods of Manhattan Enjoy Central Park Recreate the V-J Day in Times Square photo on Polaroid
