On New Year’s day, I watched an interview on the Today Show with motivational expert, Jon Gordon. Since it was New Years’ Day, it was no surprise that the interview was about resolutions, but Gordon made it simple. He said reaching a goal can sometimes be accomplished by breaking it down to one word. A lot of my goals are the same as most Americans, so I am sure you can guess them. Saving money and getting in better shape topped the list along with experiencing new things. I figured the only way to make these things happen was to PLAN, so that became my word for 2014. I decided to put everything on my calendar to help me stay true to my word. My calendar entries included everything from due dates to making an appointment with a financial planner after taxes to scheduling workouts in the morning and walks in the afternoon. I am sure if you have read my blog, you might be thinking that I don’t need to schedule day trips because it might look like I have always made it a priority, but to stay true to my savings goal, I know that I have to cut back on traveling. I also know that I start to get blue if I don’t have a trip or adventure on the calendar to look forward to, so I planned out one day a month to get my fix and experience places I have never visited. With finances in mind, my list is local. Lucky for me, local is New York City. With so many things to do in New York City, it wasn’t that easy to narrow down my list, but I eventually committed to twelve new places, and they are already entered in my calendar! My son will join me on some of the trips, and in his teenage years, they are now referred to forced family fun days. Others are planned with friends that I don’t get to see that often which I am sure will make the experience even more unique. Hopefully having something to look forward to each month will satisfy my travel bug and allow me to save a few pennies over the year! Let me know what you think of my list and let me know yours!
1. Scott’s Pizza Tour
The NYC Pizza Walk focuses on pizza from a historical perspective. Being a history buff, I am excited that we will start at America’s oldest pizzeria, Lombardi’s Pizza. I am glad this is a walking tour, so I can burn off the calories from the three slices that are included in the tour. My son is excited about going and plans on bringing a friend when we go during Easter break.
2. United Nations Tour
My son will be representing the United States as a Student Ambassador for People to People this summer, so I thought visiting the United Nations before he leaves would be a great idea. The tickets are already purchased, and we will be doing the tour over winter break.
3. Downtown Culture Pass
I can’t wait to spend the day downtown in March. A. The Anne Frank Center the USA
B. Fraunces Tavern Museum
C. J&R Music and Computer World
D. Museum of American Finance
E. Museum of Jewish Heritage
F. National Museum of the American Indian
G. The New York City Police Museum*
H. New York Water Taxi
I. 9/11 Memorial Preview Site
J. The Skyscraper Museum
K. South Street Seaport Museum
L. Tribute WTC Visitor Center
4. Lower East Side Tenement Museum
This museum tells the story of immigrant families by exploring restored apartments of past residents from different time periods. Photo Credit: Tenement Museum FB page.
5. The Cloisters
I’ll be visiting the Cloisters this summer when the gardens are in bloom. This is a museum located in Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan. It is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, exhibiting the museum’s extensive collection of Medieval European art, architecture, and artifacts.
6. Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge and Dine on Stone Street
I am looking forward to walking across this iconic suspension bridge in May.
Quaint little restaurant rows on NYC’s first paved street. Photo Credit: MTS Blog
7. Shakespeare in the Park
You will find me on the line for one of the June performances early in the morning crossing my fingers I can land two free tickets at noon for the evening performance.
8. Explore Theodore Roosevelt’s Birthplace National Historic Site
Visiting Teddy Roosevelt’s birthplace has been on my things to do for a long time. I remember reading that he looked out the window when he was a child to see Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession. I plan to visit in the fall in hopes that the upper gallery’s renovations will be completed.
9. Go to the Broadway Show All the Way
When I heard Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston was going to be playing LBJ on Broadway, I immediately put it on my must-see list. Celebrities are the only thing that will get my son to see a Broadway Show. For us history buffs it is the perfect play for both of us.
10. Go to the Ballet at Lincoln Center
I haven’t been to the ballet in years. This year I will change that when I see Snow White at Lincoln Center at the end of April.
11. The Neue Galerie
I have heard so many great things about this museum. I plan on visiting on the first Friday of the month when it is free from 6 to 8 pm and then enjoying dinner at Café Sabarsky which is located in the museum.
12. The New-York Historical Society Museum and Library
I have passed this museum several times since it is across the street from both Central Park and the Museum of Natural History. This museum is on the recommended list from Time Out NY, and since it combines NYC and history, I am sure I am going to enjoy it. Plus it is not too far from Pain d’Épices where they have the most delicious chocolate croissants.
[…] he goes to college. I used the time to travel on my own to the Berkshires and to chip a way at my NYC Bucket-list. In addition, I headed to Charleston, South Carolina to explore my dream city with one of my […]