Posts Tagged With: NYC

NYC: It’s been too long!

Posted on April 15, 2023 by crystalburney

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!

Categories: Blog, North America, Where in the World | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Never Forget

Posted on September 11, 2020 by crystalburney

New York City is one of my favourite places in the world and I try to visit at least once a year.

I will never forget being there on September 11, 2006. It was a grey, drizzling day out as I made my way down to where the Twin Towers had once stood. 

I remember them reading out the names of all those who were lost that day and looking out at the empty space that had, until a few years earlier, been the towers at the World Trade Center—a sight I would never see in real life.

As I’ve been off from my job as a flight attendant due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I’ve been going through the tens of thousands of slides from my Grandma’s travels and recently came across a box labelled “Cruise from NYC to Bermuda 1993.”

As I began to click through them, one of the first slides in the carousel was this…

A grainy old photo she’d taken through the window on the cruise ship of the Twin Towers, standing tall above the Hudson River.

What a sight. 

I sat for a moment taking them in and thinking about their horrific end along with the lives of so many, especially those in my field of aviation. Today, I found myself going back to it and thinking about all the stories of loss and love that took place 19 years ago. Never Forget.

Categories: Blog, North America, Where in the World | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

17 years

Posted on September 11, 2018 by crystalburney
17 years have gone by, yet I still remember so clearly sitting in my English class as my teacher wheeled in a t.v., and watching the devastating images of a second plane crashing into the Twin Towers in New York City. I remember thinking how much anger and hate you must carry with you to be able to knowingly take so many innocent lives and how life can change in an instant.  This feeling has always hit me every September 11th, but since becoming a flight attendant myself, it’s only grown stronger.

fullsizeoutput_1bb7.jpeg

While September 11th always brings back feelings of terror, hate and loss, it was also a day where people came together with love and compassion.

Some of my favourite stories of this come from Gander, Newfoundland.  The recent musical ‘Come From Away,’  is based on a collection of true accounts of the days that followed September 11th, when 38 planes were grounded there after the American airspace was closed following the attacks.  I’ve seen the musical three times so far, and it continues to hit me just as hard. If you haven’t seen it and it’s playing anywhere near you – GO SEE IT!

There is also a book I just finished re-reading called, “The Day the World Came to Town- 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland”,  that shares stories from passengers, crew and the townspeople who generously dropped everything and opened their doors to the “plane people” who arrived in their small town.

These stories make me so proud to be a Canadian and remind me that even in the darkest times, love and kindness will always overpower hate.

Categories: Blog, North America, Where in the World | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

In the Heights

Posted on June 7, 2016 by crystalburney

20160524_124433

‘Lights up on Washington Heights,

Up at the break of day’

Since, like thousands of others,  we couldn’t get tickets to see “Hamilton” on a recent trip to NYC, we decided to take the A train to the site of “In the Heights,”  Lin Manuel Miranda’s other show, (which we had no problem finding, thanks to the lyrics).

20160524_130854

‘Well you must take the A Train                                                                                                       Even farther than Harlem
To northern Manhattan and maintain
Get off at 181st, and take the escalator
I hope you’re writing this
Down, I’m gonna test ya later’

Disclaimer: We didn’t fully follow these ‘directions.’ We actually got off at the Washington Heights stop at 168th and walked up to 181st, but we made it regardless.

Washington Heights, Manhattan’s highest ground, was named after George Washington, who led troops into an unsuccessful battle here against the British in 1776. Today, Washington Heights waves a flag of American diversity, with many of its inhabitants hailing from the Caribbean – especially the Dominican Republic.

Continue reading →

Categories: Blog, North America, Where in the World | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Springtime in Central Park

Posted on May 4, 2016 by crystalburney

 

Nestled amongst the concrete and bright lights of Manhattan, Central Park is a wonderful escape from the city’s hustle and bustle.

This sprawling 843-acre masterpiece was designated New York City’s first scenic landmark in 1974 and has become the most famous and beloved urban park in the world.

Central Park has something for everyone. Grab a hotdog and sit by one of the ponds or rent a boat and row around the lake after lunch at the Boathouse. Do a scavenger hunt seeking out the park’s numerous statues. Grab some friends and play a game of baseball or volleyball. Pay tribute to John Lennon in Strawberry Fields, take a ride on the carousel and then head to Central Park Zoo. With all this and so much more, Central Park will keep bringing you back for more!

While I enjoy the park year round, it’s particularly nice on a sunny day in spring as everything is starting to bloom. On a recent trip to the city, I spent a day wandering though the park, stopping for a hotdog, before finding a spot in the sun to sit, read and people watch.

One of the beautiful ponds in Central Park
Strawberry Fields, created in memory of John Lennon
“Imagine”
Bethesda Terrace
The fountain in Bethesda Terrace
Stopping for a Central Park hot dog
Intricate designs on the steps heading to Bethesda Terrace
Trees in bloom around Bethesda Terrace
Rowing around the lake in Central Park
‘Alice in Wonderland’ Statue
Hans Christian Andersen Statue
Central Park Carousel
Taking a ride on the one of the 57 horses
One of the many beautiful bridges in Central Park

 

Good to know-

  • Central Park is free and open to the public from 6 am to 1 am every day.
  • The Dairy, a Victorian Gothic building houses the park’s Visitor Centre. Here, you can buy souvenirs, get maps and sign up for guided walks of the park.
  • Carousel Rides are $3 and can be purchased onsite.
  • There are numerous snack vendors and several restaurants located throughout the park.
  • For more info click here.
Categories: Blog, North America, Photo, Uncategorized, Where in the World | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Coney Island Fun

Posted on October 4, 2014 by crystalburney

On a recent trip to NYC, I finally made it down to wander around Coney Island.  With over 50 rides, lots of shops, restaurants and a boardwalk along the beach, it was definitely a great way to spend a sunny, summer day in New York City!

 

For more info and directions check out  http://www.coneyisland.com/tourist-information 

Categories: Blog, North America, Photo, Where in the World | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.