These days I have become quite the little traveler!! I am writing this post from my hotel room in Buffalo NY where mom and I went for the day to do a little shopping. Of course no trip to Buffalo would be complete without a stop at the Cheesecake Factory!
New York City Travel Diary
My trip to New York City at the beginning of June was the first time that I travelled anywhere solo. I was a little nervous beforehand but mostly I was excited!! It was an opportunity for me to push myself out of my comfort zone and I am so glad that I did it! This wasn’t my first trip to NYC, I had been here before with friends so this trip was a little different. Travelling solo to a city that you have been to before is a great way to get your feet wet. There is definitely a level of comfort that wouldn’t exist if you have never been there before.
Since I had some familiarity with New York City I knew exactly what I wanted to do on this trip. I had seen the statue of Liberty before, as well as Times Square and a Broadway show so while these were all points of interest my priority was to head to Central Park.
Central park
If you have never been to Central Park before here is a little tip – it is MASSIVE!! When I went to New York City 8 years ago with my friends we visited the park but we were in and out very quickly because we were only in town for the weekend and there wasn’t enough time to do it justice.
This time I picked out the places in the Park that I wanted to visit. With my map in hand and my GPS on my phone I set out to hit all of the items on my to-see list.
Alice in Wonderland Statue
This is one of the sights that I had hoped to see the last time I was in NYC but we didn’t have time for it. This statue was definitely top of my list for this visit. When you are walking through Central Park, there is so much to see. Obviously, there is a lot of greenery along the MANY paths, but then you will turn a corner or come around a bend and see something pretty cool. You pretty much have to search for all the different statues and places to visit at the Park but it is totally worth it! Imagine walking around for a while, coming around a bend and then all of a sudden you see this:
I mean, come on!! Look at this thing!! What an incredible work of art that is just hidden away in the park! I was so excited to find it that I had to ask the guy next to me to get a few pics of me and the statue (and some random children).
Shakespeare Garden
I didn’t know what the Shakespeare Garden would entail but as a lover of Shakespeare plays I knew that I wanted to visit it. If you are also unfamiliar with this garden I urge you to go and visit it the next time you are at Central Park because it. is. gorgeous!!
I love flowers and the ones in the Shakespeare Garden are so beautiful they definitely did not disappoint!
The Carousal
I have a thing for carousals. I don’t know why but ever since I was a child I have loved them. At my parents house I have a ceramic carousal on my bookcase that is one of my favourite keepsakes. So, of course I wanted to go and see the one at Central Park. I also thought that it would be a great opportunity for some photos!!
It took me AGES to find the carousel!! Even with the map and the GPS on my phone I had the hardest time finding it!! I was looking for an open carousel (I don’t know why) but this one is inside a building. I swear, I must have walked past it at least twice before I finally found it!
After all the searching when I finally found it of course I had to go for a ride š It was so much fun!!
The Central Park Zoo
Ah, the zoo. I left the zoo for last on my trip – big mistake!! By the time I finally found my way there the zoo had closed. An hour before I got there š
I was so bummed to have missed the zoo that I planned a trip back to the Park the next day before I had to head out to my retreat. Check back next week for my Travel Diary on the Central Park Zoo!!
Charlene xoxo
