One of the most memorable and favourite vacations that my family and I went on was when we went to New York City for July 4th, in 2017. I was lucky enough to have visited this energetic and iconic city once prior to this trip with my mom and my best friend as a high school graduation gift. However, this 2017 trip was the first time that my dad and sister had ever been to New York, so my mom and I made sure to visit as many famous monuments as possible within our short trip.
We stayed in Midtown so that we would be near a variety of restaurants, Broadway and so that we were just a short walk from Times Square, Grand Central Station, and Rockefeller Center. During our trip we opted to go for a lot of guided tours so we could all learn about the history of the city and listen to stories about certain areas of the city that we wouldn’t necessarily be able to read about or find online.
One of the guided walking tours we went on was one that took you across the Brooklyn Bridge which then took us a little throughout Dumbo, which was incredible. The view of the New York skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge are breathtaking. Our guide explained the history of the bridge and all the obstacles people and the city had to go through in order to finish this now iconic structure. It truly gave me a new appreciation for the bridge.
We of course had to stop by Central Park for an afternoon stroll, which ended up being another opportunity for us to take a bike tour through the parks most famous filming locations which was great because I don’t think that we would have been able to move through the park with such ease on our own.
The last tour we had the chance to do was a boat tour that took us along the East and Hudson rivers. On this cruise we able to learn a little about the history of the city’s most famous buildings and were able to get a really up-close look at the Statue of Liberty.
I really wanted to visit the American Museum of Natural History and I was so impressed with all the exhibits they showcased, you can honestly spend your entire day trying to explore and absorb everything the museum has to offer.
My family and I were lucky enough to experience the Macy’s July 4th Firework Spectacular. We were able to get a really great view along the Hudson and I have never seen anything like it. It’s super chaotic to get there because of the amount of people that are also trying to watch the show, but it’s so worth it. The huge, colourful, mesmerizing display is a must see.
New York City is one of my favourite places to visit. They are so rich in culture and the energy the city has is incredible. There are endless amounts of exciting and fun activities to do, there’s something for everyone.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 