Delta Diva’s Awesome NYC Driving Tour
This weekend I was lucky enough to snag a ride to the Laguardia airport with Delta Diva and his parents. Because no sooner had we hopped in the car, then he asked if I would mind if he gave them a quick tour of Times Square on the way. With several hours before my flight, I had no worries, and it seemed like it would be fun.
And thus started one of my best trips to/through New York City ever!
We started driving down I-95S and decided to make a detour around Yankee Stadium around the way. Very cool! I got to see both the historic site where the original stadium stood, as well as the beautiful new construction.
I also unintentionally started a Foursquare competition with Delta Diva where we both rushed to check in at a destination before the other, eventually agreeing to teamwork when we arrived further south and the close proximity of locations required alternately tagging each other in posts just to keep up. And apologies for the lack of photos, I was too busy trying to check in ahead of Delta Diva!
But anyway, back to the amazing tour. From Yankee Stadium we headed south into Harlem (my first glimpse) to see the Apollo theater.
On the way down to the Apollo Theater we thought we’d caught a glimpse of Columbia University so we then headed north up 8th Ave to check it out. With the help of Foursquare we realized the amazing stone structure we were looking at was actually Shepherd Hall of City College. So we then popped down St Nicholas Avenue to take in Columbia one mile away.
Columbia wasn’t nearly as pretty as the City College on the hill, but nearby Morningside Park wasn’t bad AND we discovered the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This was a massive, Middle Ages looking structure that would have seemed more at home in Edinburgh than in New York City. It looked enormous and also unoccupied.
A quick search on my phone turned up its interesting history (I recommend reading it) and fun nickname: St. John the Unfinished.
From there we quickly wove our way down to Central Park West, turning off on 72nd Street to see The Dakota where John Lennon was shot (another first for me). And then made our way to Broadway, passing the Lincoln Center on the way.
Next we hit Times Square (much better seen from a car someone else is driving than on foot!) and headed south to see the original Macy’s, to have a Miracle on 34th Street, and see the entrance to the Empire State Building.
A quick detour from there to see the New York Public Library and the entrance to the nearby Andaz, then a quick jog by Grand Central Station before catching the tunnel to LGA Airport.
Total driving time: <1 hr 20 min.
I’ve done Dry Creek and now NYC with Delta Diva, can’t wait to see what the next tour will be!!
—————-
Never miss another post! Sign up to receive new content via e-mail or RSS Feed.
Get real-time updates on our travel adventures via Twitter feed (and say hi!) and like us on Facebook.
Heels First is the travels and tribulations of two twenty-something frequent fliers jumping into the world of travel. Join Keri and Jeanne as they tackle mileage runs, elite status, and of course–the perfect travel accessories.
As a native New Yorker, this is why I love NYC!!! You can pack in the sights and the history in just a few short blocks. And there’s so much to see, it never gets old!