While I always love traveling somewhere new, sometimes spending a couple of days in one of my favourite places makes for a perfect escape.
It’s been four years since I was last in New York City, a place I have visited at least once a year for over a decade until Covid put a halt to my travel plans.
Wandering through Times Square, already bustling by 9am, it felt great to be back.
One of my favourite things about visiting a place I’ve been many times is being able to relax. Sitting around doing nothing is not in my nature at home or when I travel, but knowing I will be back gives me the freedom to do just that. It was a beautiful, sunny day when I arrived, so I spent almost an hour sitting in one of the many little parkettes, enjoying my Dunkin Donuts iced coffee in the sunshine. Then, after wandering the streets, I grabbed a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery (a must on each of my NYC stays) and sat in Rockefeller Center people watching.
I had around 52 hours to spend here, so after checking into my accommodation in Queens, I headed to check out the Harry Potter store. The store contains two floors filled with merchandise from both Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts franchises as well as some memorabilia from the movies. The decor is fun and filled with some classic photo ops throughout and there is a Butterbeer bar where you can enjoy a cold Butterbeer while you take a break from shopping.
As always, my main reason for coming to NYC was to see shows on Broadway. This trip was specifically planned around seeing Moulin Rouge while Aaron Tveit was back for a limited time playing Christian.
The decor inside the theatre was amazing and the show was excellent (as was Aaron Tveit!)
I also saw Life of Pi and Parade (starring another favourite Broadway performer of mine, Ben Platt). I leave each show feeling both inspired and desperately missing performing.
The other planned stop on this mini getaway was The Drama Book Shop with shelves filled with plays, scores, librettos, books on script writing, set design, lighting, autobiographies, monologues, audition techniques, and anything else you could ever want to read about the performing arts.
Always a popular spot in the New York theatre scene, the shop has been around since 1917, moving locations several times and now found on West 39th St with Lin Manuel Miranda as one of its new owners! As you walk in the door, you are met with a very cool bookworm winding its way throughout the shop.
With a cafe inside, you can grab a coffee and curl up in one of the chairs after perusing the shelves for the perfect read. I could happily spend hours here.
Walking along these streets that have become so familiar over the years as I head to catch my bus back to the airport, I feel both tired and refreshed…the perfect way to once again leave one of my favourite places!
Tales of a Travel Addict 
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