Weekend in Times Square, New York City, NY
New York…where dreams are made of…These streets will make you feel brand new….big lights will inspire you….Let’s hear it for New York, New York, New York!
-Jay-Z
AH, that song says it all when you walk into the streets of Times Square with the humongous digital screens on almost every building, and lights, lights, lights… and….well, traffic.
Pepe surprised me with a weekend trip to New York once I returned from my work trip in Richmond. We drove from Maryland, with one coffee stop (much needed!), and one stop to recharge the car, and arrived within 4.5 hours. Getting through the tunnel was the worst part of the ride. Half an hour to go a mile is actually pretty decent for NY traffic. We could not wait to arrive at the hotel, change, and get some delicious food!
We stayed at the AC Hotel New York Times Square (Marriott property - give me those points!) on W 40th Street, conveniently located near Times Square, Port Authority Subway, and well, just about anywhere you’re willing to walk or cab. Uber is less convenient in a city like NY, so stick to waving down a cab. Anyway, back to the hotel. It’s a modern, chic, almost-boutique hotel. Parking is by Valet, unless you book a spot at a garage nearby using one of those cool parking apps. We used Valet for $70 for a 24 hour period. Yup. You read that right. But, hey, that’s NY for you, right?
Check-in at the AC Hotel was extremely quick and seamless. Reception offers complimentary water and coffee while you check-in (uh, maybe couple of minutes?). Nice touch, though. The lobby has plenty of lounging area if you want to hang out with a book or a cocktail. Located through the lobby is Boqueria, a Tapas bar and restaurant open from breakfast to dinner. Down the steps are meeting rooms and restrooms.
Our room was on the 17th floor with a view of the magnificently tall building adjacent to ours. We don’t spend much time in our room, so a view or no view makes no difference to us. Perhaps at an island, with a view of the open ocean and warm sand. Not in November at Times Square. The room was an average NY sized hotel room, with the basics. It was comfortable for us with the exception of the hallway lights not working. After a quick shower and changing into something dressier than yoga pants, we hit the road to venture into Times Square. Since it was Friday night, Pepe wore slacks, dress shirt, sweater, and a nice coat. Yes, NY is cold in November, so bundle up! I wore a black strapless dress, black boots with heels, scarf and a coat. Fashionable, yet enough to stay warm.
Our first stop of the night was Havana Central Times Square on W 46th Street. It’s a cute little Cuban restaurant with live Cuban music. We arrived around 8:30pm and the dining and bar were both packed. We made our way to the bar and waited for about 15 minutes for a seat to become available. They do have ledge seating in the bar area as “overflow.” At Havana, you must try one of their specialty mojitos. Flavors are posted on the board at the bar. I had strawberry; Pepe had passion fruit. Both were delicious! However, we could only indulge in one because the food we ordered made us extremely full. Starting off with their chicken empanadas, and ending with their Valencia paella. More than enough for two. I’ve had better paella in Spain and locally in DC but nevertheless, it was still delicious.
After dinner at Havana, we went back to the hotel to check out their “rooftop” bar. That’s in quotes because c’mon, it’s November in NY. The definition of rooftop and reality are just not the same. The rooftop bar is on the 21st floor, with a fireplace in the middle of the restaurant, bar at the end of the venue, and outdoor seating with limited ceiling heaters. For an after dinner snack, Pepe tried their octopus and I had fries since I really wasn’t hungry. He claims the octopus was delicious! He’s a seafood foodie, I trust his judgement. The bar closes at midnight and last call is 10 minutes before they close.
Octopus at the hotel rooftop bar
The next day, we took the subway to Lower Manhattan, specifically the World Trade Center. Last time I was in Lower Manhattan, the sites were still under construction. When I was in NY two years ago, I did not have time to make my way there from the Astoria area. We were both looking forward to visiting and paying our respects to the victims. The metro stop was connected to One WTC so no outside walking was required unless we wanted to visit the North and South Pools, which we did.
Observation Tower:
Tickets can be purchased on site for approximately $35 per person. For an additional cost, they offer a priority pass with a separate line. However, if you go early enough, there really is no wait to get inside. When we arrived around 11am on a Saturday, there was no wait. However, when we were leaving few hours later, the lines were extremely long. After a 60 second elevator ride, we were on the 102nd floor of the tower, walking into a presentation about New York. Following the presentation, the screens are lifted to reveal an awe aspiring view of the city. Following the presentation, guests are led to another room where they can obtain iPads (at a cost) to walk around with which allow them to point the iPads out of the windows and view the names of the buildings. We skipped that and walked around admiring the views of different buildings. The observation tower does have a gift shop and a restaurant, but we also saw several families who had brought in their own snacks for the little ones.
Once back downstairs, we walked through the mall to get to the North and South Pools. The feeling and atmosphere around the pools was solemn. Both pools displayed names of victims. Walk around the pools, touch the names, be in the moment, and honor those we lost.
Other attractions and restaurants visited on Saturday:
Empanada Mama: Ah-mazing empanadas and sangria! A bit out of the way from Times Square but well worth the drive. They offer a vast variety of empanadas and crust. I ate mine too quickly before I could capture the deliciousness. Yum, yum!
The Kati Roll Company: We went to the location on W. 39th Street. It was packed! It’s casual dining where you order at the counter, grab a seat, and wait for your order number to be called. They have, hands down, the best kati rolls I have ever had! I used to drive to NY just for kati rolls from this specific location. Even Pepe loved them, and he is not a fan of carbs. He had shrimp and lamb; I had chicken and paneer. Can’t wait to go back for more! (Hint, hint - Pepe!)
M&M Store: Overpriced, and overwhelming! Three levels of chocolate heaven and tons of clothing and other merchandise. We ended up just purchasing a magnet and headed over to the Hershey store.
Hershey Store: Delicious chocolate! We picked up a few items for the little ones. I’m sure they were overpriced but hey, can’t go back home without souvenirs for the little ones.
Nightlife:
We went for an 8pm comedy show at LOL Comedy Factory. The tickets were $20 per person, with a two drink minimum. The first comedian was hilarious, but the subsequent five - not as much. The service was also slow in bringing our second round of drinks. We had 10 minutes left in the show before our second round arrive, which was just a soda and coffee - not sure why it took so long for a basic drink.
Following the comedy show, we grabbed a cab to a hookah bar and lounge, Karizma. Very unique location, beautifully designed and decorated. We sat upstairs with a view of the open space on the main level, and an entertaining view of the guests upstairs. They had belly dancers starting at 11:30pm. The first dancer was more burlesque than belly dancing but the second dancer was an amazing “traditional” belly dancer. We had an amazing time at Karizma. The music was upbeat, double apple mint hookah was delicious, and the drinks kept flowing. A must visit if you’re into hookah, or belly dancing. For food, I had their falafel appetizer which was actually not bad. The bread was stale. We didn’t order anything else off of the food menu.
Last morning in NYC:
We had planned to wake up early enough to visit the art museum before making our drive home later in the afternoon. However, by the time we did the check-out, and ate brunch, it was too late to make our way to the museum considering we still had a 4ish hour drive back home. We dined at the Boqueria before getting on the road. Pepe had Octopus again and we shared a half Chicken feast. Great experience with the service, drinks, and food! It’s a tapas style restaurant so you can definitely order smaller portions of several items if that’s what you desire.
Half Chicken Feast at Boqueria
What to wear in NYC for a November weekend: Dress warm, comfortably but fashionably.
Scarf
Hat
Gloves
Boots (flat for the daytime walking, heels for night)
Dresses for night time if visiting a lounge or bar (women)
Dress pants, sweater, dress shirt, dress shoes for nighttime if visiting a lounge or bar (men)
Jeans or comfortable pants for daytime exploring
