Exploring New York City - Labor Day weekend in the Big City

Visiting the big apple on a holiday weekend might not entice a lot of people but for Frankie and I it was the perfect send off before we left for our trip. This was our first time visiting the city and let me tell you the city is what you expect and so much more.

We stayed at the Radison near JFK airport - this was convenient for us because the Radison offers an airport shuttle service and for an international flight we didn’t want to mess with trains or traffic. But that was about all that was convenient. There weren’t any places to eat around the hotel so plan on eating in the hotel restaurant or try paying about a $50 Uber ride to be taken into the city. (Honestly, not that bad gives you a chance to explore!)

The hotel itself I give a 5 out of 10. There wasn’t a room safe, which made us a bit uncomfortable because the Radison JFK is located in Queens where you could walk out from the hotel and find yourself in a sketchy neighborhood.  We didn’t feel exactly safe about this - the hotel staff was great I will say very polite! The only gripe I really have is the smell in the hotel smelt like the streets of NYC not sure if our fresh Colorado lungs were ready for this!

Frankie and I ended up taking a Uber into the city and getting dropped off at the bottom of the Queensborro bridge. Great spot for photos! From that point Frankie and I wandered the city ending up in Central Park. If you’ve visited the city before you know that Central Park is like their safe haven. People gather from all over the city and sit in this beautiful park. I saw friends drinking in the holiday, families playing Frisbee, local art students playing music and plenty of fidos enjoying the open space. From the moment I sat on the grass I felt like I had been taken away from the city for a bit. If you get a chance we highly recommend heading to central park with a good book or some friends and sitting on the grass in Sheep Meadow park. We went at sunset, which is a guarantee for great pictures! (see above and below)

Even though it was a short visit I know Ill return to New York City as there is still much to be seen! Let us know what your must do things are in NYC!