.nyc solo trip .10.15.16.

After such a late crazy night I was once again, exhausted. My feet were absolutely killing me. Note to self; bring proper foot wear if you are going to be walking all day long. Can you guess my first stop in the morning? If you guessed Starbucks you'd be right! With my morning fill of Pumpkin Spice I walked over to Gershwin Theater. There was a group of people beginning to line up outside of the theater, being the mindless sheep that I am, I got in line with them. After about 10 minutes I realized that I was standing in the "Lottery Ticket" line! I got out of line and walked straight up to the ticket window and bought tickets for the following night. 

Due to my feet being so sore I had opted to wear my Uggs today in hopes that they would cushion my feet from the terrible concrete! It was pretty warm outside so my feet were now way too hot!! I walked back to my airbnb to drop off my tickets and swap out my shoes for my flats once again. 

I walked over to Columbus Square to enjoy the beautiful sunshine when I got a call from my mom. I filled her in on the crazy situation I had got myself into the night before. As I sat around the fountain chatting with mom, some ballet dancers began to dance around the circle. I watched them for a little while before venturing into the park to explore. Central park, too my surprise, was not the Lush park that you see in the movies. The grass was patchy and the pathways were dirty and littered with garbage. As I roamed around I found a tree with some red leaves!!

Once I got bored of the dead grass and the smell of pee I decided to walk over to the Rockefeller center to go to the observatory deck and see Central Park from the sky. On my walk I discovered a little piece of Canada! 

Inside they had "Pumpkin Spice Ice Capps" ! My favorite fall beverage!! Unfortunately it was disgusting and I ended up throwing it away after a few sips!

While on the observatory deck I met a girl from Israel, she was also travelling alone! We took pictures for each other and chatted about the crazy adventures we have been having! Unfortunately all of the pictures that she took turned out blurry and dark. So instead I will show you my selfie stick pictures instead! 

Once I'd had my fill of the city sky line I headed down to walk around the Rockefeller Center grounds. Walking around on the ground next to a building of that size was truly stunning. Next I was off to Grand central station. 

I couldn't believe the amazing details in the stone work, it was absolutely incredible!! I walked around the station taking in the amazing sight while enjoying the gorgeous sunny day!

Inside the terminal was just as incredible as the outside. The beautifully detailed stone work filled the building with incredibly paintings on the ceiling. This whole trip I can't help but think of the talented people who created these amazing pieces of art, I wish I had a fraction of the talent that they have. While attempting to take some pictures of myself I met another solo traveler, he was from Australia. We took pictures for each other, trying-- and failing to get pictures without a ton of people in the background. 

After I had my fill of the iconic train station I walked outside to take in the sights outside once more. Ironically I was looking for a train station to take me to "The High-line park". I walked around in circles searching for the platform entrance when I realized that the entrance was inside Grand Central Station. Duh!

The High Line Park was really interesting. The park is constructed on an old raised railway, it's 30ft in the air and spans over 2 miles of the lower West side of Manhattan. 

After exploring The High Line Park I headed to Battery Park to watch the sunset! I picked up some churros on the way but they ended up being cold! bummer

While I was watching the sun set a group of people came up and challenged me to a foot race! They were doing a scavenger hunt in the park, a bunch of items on their hunt needed a tourist! My feet were aching and throbbing but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to have some fun with the locals!

Another thing on their list was to take some pictures for a tourist! Which was perfect for me because I wanted a picture with the sail boat I was about to go on! I happily accepted their offer!

Then it was time for me to go on my Harbor Lights Tour! Normally the sailboats don't do tour's this late in the season. I was lucky enough to be there for the one night in October that they had a tour!! After the sun set the wind picked up off the ocean and it was  quickly getting chilly outside!! 

I curled up with a hot chocolate and enjoyed the soft waves crashing against the boat. The city skyline and bright moon lit up the night sky, it was absolutely stunning!!! I sat quietly thinking about how lucky I was to be experiencing the city in such a unique way. I have met so many interesting people, some scarier than others, but I wouldn't change it for the world! The scary nights and action filled days are unique memories that have shaped my first solo trip into a trip I will never forget! 

When my tour of the city lights was over, I was completely frozen to the core! I have never been so happy to walk into the humid subway station. As I rode the train uptown, I slowly started to thaw in the sweltering heat of the subway car. I was off to another haunted house! Don't worry this one isn't in Harlem! Ironically just a few days earlier, Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Hart went through the same haunted house! Blood Manor

The haunted house was so much fun!! I laughed so hard every time the actors made me jump. As I walked back to the train station I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. 

I stopped for some supper in times square before slowly making my way back to my airbnb! Although my first night in times square didn't end the way I had hoped, I was determined to enjoy the iconic city sights every chance I got. 

My feet were aching and I was exhausted from a long busy day!! I collapsed in bed (with my curlformers in) and fell asleep to the steady rhythm of my throbbing feet!!

**** Step Count 27,678 ****