First things first: if you're planning a trip to New York City be sure to pack comfortable shoes as I made that mistake an unfortunate couple times . You will be walking A LOT even if you plan on taking the subway.
What I wore: Tops and pants from TJ Maxx (you don't have to be rich to be stylish), Crossbody from Coach, sandals from DSW.
As I'm going into my senior year of high school, the whole ordeal of applying to college is coming up. I've been swamped with building up my resume and grades and doing college tours across the Northeast for the last year and yesterday was yet another day dedicated to touring a college. I toured Fordham University, the Lincoln Center campus, in the Upper West Side. As I was going to NYC anyway for this tour I decided to make a whole day out of it.
At 5:30 am I woke up to start my day and to make the 8:02 train out of West Haven, CT to Grand Central which is a little under two hours.
First Stop: Fifth Ave.
As you know 5th Ave is littered with big name stores such as Adidas, Victoria Secret, Topshop, and Louis Vuitton to name a few. I had the chance to go into the new Adidas flagship store and Victoria Secret both on 5th Ave and they both blew me away. I didn't take any pictures at the Adidas stores, but the store captivates you the moment you walk in with its lighting, decor, and items on display. I thought it was cool how the staircase represented bleachers and how the walkway was just like an outdoor track. The Victoria Secret store also blew me away. I've always ever gone to the Victoria Secret store near Herald Square whenever I was in the city and that store is phenomenal too, but the VS store on 5th Ave consists of 4 floors. The bottom floor is dedicated to Pink with the middle floors selling Victoria Secret's usual products such as lingerie and perfume, but when you go up to the 4th floor there is a museum that showcases the well known Victoria Secret fashion show. The exhibit is called: Victoria Secret A Retrospective. I had no idea that an exhibit dedicated to all the wings VS Angels and models have worn were up there. I was stunned and I definitely recommend walking up to the 4th floor of Victoria Secret if you ever find yourself on 5th Ave. The costumes were beautiful. The exhibit also featured a board where it stated all the models who have walked for the show -- that was signed by some of the models -- and another board also stated the artists who have performed on the show such as Taylor Swift and Hozier. Audio from the 2016 Paris show was also played while walking around. Plus I was the only one up there -- as well as my Dad -- which made the experience more worthwhile. Seemed that I found a hidden jem. After this encounter I walked around 5th Ave some more doing some window shopping and also made a detour to Rockefeller Center which I surprisingly have never been too when the famous Christmas tree wasn't up.
Second Stop: MET and Central Park
After wandering around 5th Ave, I walked along Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Upper East Side. The walk was painful as I made the poor decision to wear lace up sandals. I didn't think they would be a problem, but after walking many blocks in the city I got several blisters on my foot -- I was limping by the time I got home. Anyways I reached the MET and took a few ~touristy~ pictures on the steps because who goes to the city and decides not to take a picture on the steps of the MET? Thanks Dad for being my photographer outside the museum. Obviously I didn't have time to go into the MET and explore as I had a college tour to get to, but next time I go to New York I would love to see all the exhibits. After the MET, I cut through Central Park to get to lunch and to Lincoln Center for my tour. Central Park wasn't too crowded except for the several summer camps that I passed. It's so beautiful to see the skyscrapers rising up out of the trees, hard to think you're in the city when strolling through Central Park.
Third Stop: Lunch at Playa Betty's
Soooo I randomly stumbled upon this Californian-style restaurant on Amsterdam Ave called Playa Betty's. I don't know how else to describe it, but it was very beachy which made the restaurant even more authentic. I'm so glad I found it because I had the best guacamole -- which happened to be a build-your-own -- and tacos. The crunch of the tacos was life changing. Not trying to exaggerate when I say those were the best tacos I had. So so so tasty! Shoutout to Google Maps for the find. My trip to New York City seemed to be played on spontaneity -- which usually is the best thing. I 10/10 recommend you stop here if you find yourself on the Upper West Side.
Fourth Stop: Fordham at Lincoln Center Information Session and Tour
YAY! College tour time, not much to talk about except the fact that the city views were breathtaking from Fordham's dorms and that I'll definitely apply to the Lincoln Center campus. Side note: The tour was a bit challenging for me as my sandal was rubbing against my heel causing pain, but like I said please don't make my mistake wear comfortable shoes to NYC, sometimes you don't need to take style into consideration. I'm not sure about applying to the Rose Hill campus in the Bronx, but it's probably nice just as well -- I definitely want to be in the city for college. But talk about college debt though after that tour, YIKES.
The Final Stop: Home
After the tour my Dad and I were pretty exhausted but we decided to take our time walking back to Grand Central such as walking through the Hell's Kitchen district and the much crowded Broadway and Times Square. When we finally got to the station I finally had the chance to stop at Magnolia Bakery. The cupcake was to die for -- worth the price and line. After the end of a long day I was pleased to hop on a train and go home, but I will always love New York City. Who knows maybe it will be my home for the next four years.
