New York City & The Hamptons

It was my sisters 21st birthday and I had planned a surprise trip to the Big Apple for her and my family. 3 days in New York City and 2 days in The Hamptons before heading to Orlando for a week, was a really good 21st Birthday trip! We arrived into JFK Airport where we were met by our driver for our private transfer to the Distrikt Hotel in Manhattan. One hour later, we checked into our lovely hotel, dropped the bags to the room and off out the door to explore the big city.

After a short 5 minute walk, we joined the Hop-On Hop-Off tour bus and took the full tour around the city. These tours are a great way of getting to see a bit of everything and then knowing where you want to further explore. Ending the tour in Times Square was such a thrill, to be standing in the middle of this buzzing city with all the lights and crowds of people; I was so happy we decided to do this trip. We had dinner in the Olive Garden in Times Square at one of the window tables overlooking the Hersey and M&M store, we loved it.

We spent 3 days in NYC seeing and doing as much as we possibly could. The main highlight of all the attractions was Ellis Island. We all agreed that the view from Top of the Rock was a wow moment; if you visit top of the rock at the right time in the evening you can catch a day and night view of the city, this varies throughout the year depending on the sunset times, but it really is worth the visit.

The best thing we did over the 3 days was head down to The Boat House in Central Park. They have row boats for hire and you can spend an hour on the lake in Central Park in the boats for $15. It was such a nice and relaxing experience which we all loved and was truly one of the highlights of the holiday.

For the most part, we used the subway to get around. It is the fastest and cheapest way to commute and multiday passes can be purchased saving you time as well as dollars. There is so much to see and do in NYC for all ages but it is hard to fit everything in. We tried to make the most of our time in NYC and that meant long days, so comfortable shoes and clothing is recommended if you are spending the day sightseeing. The Distrikt hotel was in a great location, only a 5-10 minute walk from Times Square.

We hired a car in the city for The Hamptons and although my Dad was a bit nervous at first, he found it very easy to drive and get around. It took us almost 2 hours to get from the City to the Hamptons. We booked into the Hampton Inn in Brookhaven, it was clean and comfortable and a good location for us. We spent two days exploring Southampton, Sag Harbour and Montauk Lighthouse. We drove around Bridgehampton and met friends and relatives each night for dinner in Hampton Bays, it was a great way to end the New York leg of our holiday.

This was my third visit to New York City and I would highly recommend a trip to the Big Apple!