Toasting the Moon in New York City

Travel for 2 cost breakdown (at the time of writing this post):

The Roxy Hotel – Tribeca: $250 per night
Roundtrip Airfare from San Francisco to New York (non-stop): $197 pp
Food/Entertainment/Transportation/Souvenirs: $1000
GRAND TOTAL FOR 2 TRAVELERS – 4 days: $2394

***At this time, we are not endorsed by any outside affiliates. That said – when booking our trips, we have had a lot of success with Hotels.com, Skyskanner, and Tripmasters.

Booking

Toast the Moon always recommends using a passport. We also recommend TSA Pre-Check and Global Entry, because who wants to waste their vacation time in an airport line, am I right? Traveling around the United States is not difficult, but changes are in the air. Please be advised that as-of October 1, 2020 – basic drivers’ licenses will no longer be valid for identification in airports. Sign up for a passport or Real ID now to avoid complications later!

We Heart New York

I remember the smell of the city stepping out of the airport in 2002, my first experience in New York City. The buzz, the noise, the fast pace — all of it excited me. I didn’t get a chance to see New York before the day that we will never forget (9/11), but I can tell you that the city “had me at hello” during one of its roughest periods in history.

Noah and I have had the privilege to travel to New York on multiple occasions for business. When one of us has a work trip, the other tends to tag along and enjoy the city for a few days.

New York offers no apologies, and I love that. You are truly free to be whoever you want to be (as long as you have thick skin) and because of the myriad of opportunities, you can truly reinvent yourself at any time. You will experience shock in the worst ways – public urination, homelessness, and insane pricing. But, you will also experience shock in ways that change you – subway car performances, street art, political art, and beautiful green space surrounded by urban jungle. In New York – you can do it all.

Besides the food, the entertainment, the street exploring, and the public transportation – what I love most about New York are New Yorkers. They have such a hard reputation due to the honking and the yelling. But, honestly, they have life figured out. It’s difficult to live in such close proximity to other humans! But, New Yorkers are kind and will yell at you one minute, then offer you a hand the next. They have to make their own way in a harsh reality, which leads to confrontation and brutal honesty. But, if they see someone in trouble, they are first to offer help.

To me, New York is the epitome of the American Dream. It’s all about the hustle, the work, the lack of sleep, and the merging of cultures and ideas in one central location.

What To Do

Pizza!!! Noah’s first stop off the airplane is always pizza. There are wars that break out over who offers the best pie, but really, you can’t go wrong (at least as far as the expectations from non-New Yorkers!). Our personal favorites (so far) are John’s in Greenwich Village, Lombardi’s, and NY Pizza Suprema. Let us know your favorites and we’ll check them out!

More Food!! Check out the Chelsea Market, Smorgasburg, Eataly, Zabar’s, Bar Pitti, Katz’s, Serendipity 3, Monkey Bar, and BarBacon. But, also check out new restaurant openings and which chefs are up-and-coming. The tourist staples are great, but part of what makes the New York food scene so amazing is the new offerings that pop-up weekly!

Museums and Entertainment and Sights and Stuff!! New York is loaded with cultural activities. Our favorites are One World, Sleep No More, Broadway Shows – pick your poison!, Bushwick Collective Street Art, MoMA, Birdland, Chelsea Piers, Hudson River Park, Central Park, Hudson Yards, The High Line, Domino Park, and window shopping down Madison. Call it cliché, but it’s also really fun to get out on the water. The Classic Harbor Line offers great jazz cruises around Manhattan departing from Chelsea Piers.

If you have a hobby or a passion – New York has a place for it. Go find your tribe in the city that never sleeps!