A fall weekend in New York city is a perfect couples getaway. I think NYC is fun at any time of year because each time of years has its own special aspects for exploring the city, but I do think that fall is my favorite time of year to visit.
My daughter lived in NYC for several years after she graduated from college. She loved it, and I loved visiting her there. Like any city, it has its good and bad, but it me, the good far outweighs the bad in this beautiful city!
I’m going to share our special weekend in the fall of 2023, and at the end of the post, I’ll list other things we’ve done during other visits! Of course, you want to do the touristy things, but I believe you should also make the trip your own by exploring the things that interest you. You will find it all in NYC!
A fall weekend in New York city is a perfect couples getaway.
Day 1
Saks on 5th Avenue
We arrived by 3:00 in the afternoon, but unfortunately our hotel room wasn’t ready. They kept telling us that it would be 30 more minutes, but we didn’t get our room until 7:00 that evening. We finally ate a quick bite and headed to Saks on 5th Avenue. I highly recommend going when you are in the city. There is no other store like it. My favorite memories of NYC are going to the cosmetic counters there. This time I went to Charlotte Tilberry and got them to tell me which shade of red I should wear. I wasn’t disappointed!
Even though there was a mix up with our room, I highly recommend staying at the Hilton Midtown. We are Hilton Honors members, and I was given the option to upgrade our room for great views of the city for $34.00 a night. You better believe that I did!! We have always stayed at Hiltons around the city, but this was my favorite location by far. We walked almost everywhere we wanted to go. TIP-The thing to keep in mind about this property is that they charge a $35 a day fee and then you have that credit to use throughout the hotel. I got coffee and a pastry every morning. We also bought snacks for the room so we used that amount every day. There are refrigerators in every room too which made it nice.
Day 2
Staircase that so many people used to flee the North Tower during the 911 attack.
There is always a que of taxis outside the front of the Midtown Hilton. A bellman helps you get in one. I had the Curb app downloaded on my phone. It is like Uber or Lyft, but it’s for taxis. Not all taxis in NYC use Curb, but many do. You can either get a taxi using the app or if you hail a taxi, you can can pair your ride with that taxi. You can use my access code to download the app HERE.
Footprint memorial of one of the towers
We took the taxi down to the 911 Memorial and Museum. We had been there right after it all opened and Dr. T really wanted to see it again. It is a must when you go to NYC. It wasn’t as emotional the 2nd time seeing it all. Dr. T and I decided that it’s just the grieving process- things get easier with time.
I LOVE Eataly!
We then went to Eataly for lunch. My daughter took me to an Eataly in Chicago, and I wanted Dr. T to see one. He loved it. They are in several cities around the country. If you have a change, you need to go. It is all imported food items from Italy. There are several different restaurants within the store! It’s just an amazing experience. Let me know if you ever go!! Tag Now Choose Life in your social media posts if you go #nowchooselife!
St Paul’s Chapel is a must see when you visit the 911 museum and memorial
We stopped at St. Paul’s Church when we left the memorial. We had been there before, and I wanted to see if again. It was a place of refuge for first responders during the early days of the 911 attacks. When I walked in I was shocked to see chairs instead of pews. I asked a woman standing there about it. She said the pews were so scratched from the firemen’s equipment when they laid on them to rest, that had to do something. One is left there to show how the church helped during a tragic time.
See the scuff marks from the 1st responders equipment
We decided to walk to Soho where I wanted to go to Polene– a French purse store that only has one store in the US- and that is NYC. I can’t tell you how much fun I had shopping there. So many women were there buying a purse! It was a great experience!! I highly recommend spending time in Soho. The cobblestone streets add to the fun!
I love to create an experience. Polene was an experience!
We used our Curb app to get a taxi back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
Redeye Grill has the FEEL of a quintessential NYC restaurant
I hesitate to recommend places to eat because everyone’s tastes are so different. It’s like my daughter says– if it’s a restaurant in NYC that has made it several years, it will be good. You can’t make it in the city if you aren’t good. My recommendation is to us Yelp for restaurants in your current location and pick from there. We had reservations at Redeye Grill. It is across the street from Carnegie Hall. It was an easy walk from our hotel and is a quintessential NYC restaurant.
Day 3
We started our day with a walk through Central Park to the Met. The plan was to spend this day on the Upper East Side and the next day on the Upper West Side, but we got a bit off course while walking and ended up on the west side of the park so we stopped by Strawberry Fields with a view of The Dakota a day early.
Picasso at the Met
Our visit to the Met was amazing. We didn’t have enough time to spend so we used the map and saw the things we wanted to see the most. We plan to go back the next time we are in the city. We didn’t get tickets ahead of time because you have a certain time you can enter when you do. We sat on the steps outside and ordered our tickets. TIP-The only problem with this is that the email to get our tickets was delayed. I went to a membership desk and a nice man took my credit card and found my order. He printed out tickets for us. TIP– Remember to keep up with your ticket. You need it for each area of the museum.
Georgia O’Keefe at the Met
We walked through the Upper East Side. I planned time for this because I wanted to see the stoops decorated for fall and Halloween. It was fun! I’m sure Christmas time is even better! Lunch was at JG Melon. I heard that their burgers were the best in the city so we had to try. I guess everyone else had heard that too because there was a wait to get in. The place is tiny, but again a great typical NYC restaurant. Tables crammed together so you feel like you are all eating together, but I loved it! We split a burger because we had dinner and a show to go to.
Hamilton was was on the agenda for the evening. We ate dinner at Trattoria Trecolori with many other people who were in the area to see a Broadway show. It was an easy walk from our hotel and around the corner from the theatre. We tried to avoid Times Square as much as possible, but did have to walk through it to get to the area of the restaurant and the theatre.
It was my 3rd time to see Hamilton, and I loved it once again. Dr. T loved it too. TIP— the Richard Rogers Theatre is next to a Marriot. When I went to see Hamilton with my mother, it was freezing outside. We went up to the lobby of the hotel and rested after the show. We then took an Uber back to our hotel. It’s hard to get around when all the shows let out so it was nice to have a place to be in out of the cold.
We took a pedicab from Hamilton to the hotel. I wanted to do it because I really wanted to avoid walking though Times Square at night. Dr. T wasn’t thrilled about it, but did it anyway! TIP-A warning about doing this… not surprisingly, it is quite expensive to do this!! It is a fun memory, but if you don’t want to blow money, this is not for you!! It’s about $150.00 for a 1/2 mile. Just want to be honest so you will know and can make the decision for yourself.
Day 4
The plan for our last day was to walk the west side of Central Park and go the the Museum of Natural History, but we had walked a good part of the west side of the park the day before. I wanted another look at Strawberry Fields and The Dakota where John Lennon lived, and Yoko still lives. We had already done that. We were both tired from walked almost 10 miles the day before and being out late with Hamilton. We decided that since we were in NYC we should see another Broadway Show. Dr. T picked the Six matinee.
We had time that morning so we walked to the Diamond District. I have fun memories of buying jewelry in this area. My late husband bought me a ring for our 20th wedding anniversary- I still wear that pinky ring! I bought my daughter a ring for her high school graduation as well as a cross necklace there. I learned from a friend that her family has a store there. Iannelli Diamonds is now the only place I will shop in the diamond district. You do need to be careful because some of the places seem a bit sketchy, but it is a great memory to buy in the Diamond District! TIP– they recommended calling ahead to let them know what I’m interested in before going next time. I have something in mind and plan to do just that!
We walked to Six and both enjoyed it. Afterwards, we walked to Restaurant Row in Hells Kitchen to find a place for an early dinner. Restaurant Row is an easy place to find a meal after or before a Broadway Show.
We had a very early wake up time the next morning, but I wanted one more special moment, and we got it!. Just down from our hotel- across 6th Avenue from Radio City Music Hall is a restaurant called, AVRA estiatorio. We sat outside in the lounge area to have dessert. I had the olive oil cake and the Mykonos Coffee. The coffee was one of the best things I’ve ever had! This is an absolute must if you are near Radio city Music Hall. Even if you just stop in for dessert like we did. You won’t be disappointed!
New York city is a perfect couples getaway.
Extra Pictures:
Past Travel Posts From Now Choose Life
Normandy Viking River Cruise Day 5
Visit Oppenheimer’s Los Alamos
Past NYC Experience
Here is a list of things we have done on past visits to NYC:
Bike Tour Through Central Park
Church Service at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem– Y’all, this is an ultimate experience!! This is not a tourist attraction. They are extremely strict about who they let in. You must be dressed accordingly. I wasn’t wearing the correct shoes. They have people there selling correct items of clothing. I bought a pair of shoes and donated them back after the service. Please read everything you can about going before you go. I will say- it was amazing to hear the choir, and I heard one of the best sermons that day!
Rode bikes across the Williamsburg Bridge– When my daughter lived in Manhattan, she road City Bikes everywhere. Her boyfriend lived in Williamsburg. We rode over to experience this great area of Brooklyn.
Walked The Highline– We didn’t have time to go this trip, but the Highline is a sun place for shopping and eating. It’s a great experience in the city.
Live Music at Groove in Greenwich Village– This was on our list to go back to, but we ran out of time. It’s great live music every night, and you get to explore Greenwich Village.
McSorley’s Old Ale House– My kid’s favorite place. This old bar was visited by Abraham Lincolm back in the day. The seating is community so you never know who you will meet. Light or dark beer and Coke and Diet Coke are the only drink options. It’s so fun!
Marie’s Crisis Bar– 1st- this is a LGBTQ+ establishment. My daughter took me here and we had a blast. Someone starts playing the piano, and the entire place belts out showtunes. I realize it isn’t for everyone, but I loved it. TIP– NYC is really good at marking outside establishments if they are mostly LGBTQ+ places. If you are unsure, just double check on Yelp or TripAdvisor.
You can read about Maries Crisis HERE. Thomas Pain died in the building. I love the NYC history!
Looked around Zabar’s– Zabar’s is a fun place to look and shop on the Upper West Side.
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