Back with another throwback! This time I’m sharing how I celebrated my 21st birthday.
Twenty-one is truly the best age; some may ring in their legality by getting belligerent while others prefer a low key celebration. I’m not the biggest party person so I decided to spend the day in one of my favorite places with my sister, her boyfriend, and my best friend.
My birthday is super close to Christmas so for many birthdays in the past I opted to go see the Christmas lights in NYC over a gift or a party. For my 21st, I kept the tradition alive but this time I was able to have a few drinks.
For most trips to NYC we drive and stay over for a few nights but, for this trip we just had the day. So that means a nice early wake up call to drive 3 hours. Once we get into the city we typically park in a garage on 44th street for $40 a day, there are about three garages on this street to choose from and all are typically around $40/$45 for the day.
We were starving once we got their so we stopped at URBANSPACE where we each got what we wanted from different vendors. I had my first sushi burrito and I highly recommend.
You can’t go to NYC without having an SJP Sex & The City moment so our next stop was The New York Public Library right by my favorite Bryant Park! Classic spot where Big leaves Carrie at the alter but somehow everything works out in the end? Anyway, I swear the library is closed every time I go to NYC, it was a Christmas miracle that it was open and it was beautiful.
After we headed over to the Plaza Hotel and then Central Park for some shopping and a walk. Our next food stop was The Roof at the Viceroy for my first legal drink (didn’t get carded even though I look roughly 17 years old) and some appetizers. We then stopped for some Italian food near Times Square and Broadway, walked through Rockefeller Center to see the tree and headed home. It was the perfect start to my favorite year so far!!
For anyone in the North East region looking for a fun day trip with friends, if you’re willing to get up early and stretch your day, NYC is perfect! The whole day cost about $120, mostly for transportation and food, and was entirely worth it.
Thanks for reading!!
Always,
Ari
Always, Ari 