Waking up on day 2 was slightly painful. My legs were sore from all the walking done the day before and I still felt exhausted despite having slept a good 7 hours. Pain and exhaustion aside, I hopped out of bed and quickly got ready for the busy day ahead.
After I was ready, I went downstairs to the hotel lobby where I met up with the same group I had explored the city with the day prior. Before venturing out, we all took advantage of the deliciously free continental breakfast that the hotel provides every morning for their guests. Fruits, danishes, muffins, donuts, coffe and juice were all laid out for our consumption. If you’re on a diet, I feel bad for you because it was a total carb overload but exactly what we needed to fuel our bodies before heading out.
TOP OF THE ROCK @ Rockefeller Center
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10020
Fun Facts:
- Observation deck located at the top of Rockefeller Center.
- Open 365 days a year, rain or shine!
- Height from the ground to the top of the antenna is 850 ft.
- It has 3 observation decks.
- Plan to stay for about an hour taking in the views and as well as taking pictures.
- Better than the Empire State Building ((Not a fact but it’s a highly fact based opinion))
Reasons To Choose Top Of The Rock Instead Of The Empire State Building:
- You can purchase tickets for specific time slots.
- Short wait times and lines when compared to the Empire State Building
- Most importantly, you can not get a picture of the Empire State Building when you are directly on top of it.
Wow! Top of the Rock has to be one of the best, if not THE best, observation decks in New York. There’s nothing like being 70 stories up with breathtaking 360 views of the New York skyline. These unbelievable views don’t come cheap though. One adult ticket will cost you 32 bucks, however in my opinion, it’s totally worth it!
Any place you stand you’ll be sure to get an incredible view including those of popular landmarks such as The Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park, and the Brooklyn Bridge.
We visited Top of the Rock during the day but I can just imagine how amazing it would look at sunset or at night with all the city lights are shining below.
CENTRAL PARK
New York, NY
Fun Facts:
- Urban park located in middle-upper Manhattan.
- It is 843 acres.
- Central Park costs as much as it would be to buy Alaska.
- It’s not natural, it’s landscaped from the trees, walkways, bodies of water etc.
- It’s one of the most filmed locations in the world.
- The park has 29 sculptures.
- If you ever find yourself lost, you can refer to one of the 1,600 light posts throughout the park. Each one of them is marked with a number that references what street your are near.
- The biggest concert ever held at Central Park was Garth Brooks. He had over 900 thousand in attendance.
Ther are endless things to do and see at Central Park and I won’t even try to fit half of it here in this blog. However, I will let you in on a few things we did while visiting this awesome manmade oasis.
First, let me just start off with a big thank you to my P294 group for not losing me. this place is HUGE and I’m almost certain that it would take me days to find my way out. Thanks Guys!
Alice in Wonderland
Location: East Side at 75th St. (Mid-Park)
This bronze fairytale was brought to Central Park in 1959 and has been extremely popular with visitors of all ages.
As you can tell, we gave Alice and her friends a little Dodger makeover, bronze and blue have never looked better together!
Bethesda Terrace and Fountain
Location: North Side of 72nd St (Mid-Park)
I’m a sucker for a beautiful landscape, so while walking through Central Park I came across this amazing fountain surrounded by people admiring it both from afar and up close.
No fountain would be complete without a beautiful focal point. The Angel of the Waters statue, holds a lily in her left hand as a symbol of the waters purity. It references a story from the Gospel of John where an angel blessed the Pool of Bathesda, gifting it with healing powers. This statue is very symbolic to New York because it commemorates the Crotton Water System which brought clean water at a time when they were plagged with a cholera outbreak.
Conservatory Water
East Side from 72nd to 75th St (Mid-Park)
How cool is this? Ok, so apparently from the months of April to October, people can rent a model boat and watch it glide across the waters. We didn’t get to rent one because of our time constriction, but watching the little wind powered boats was almost just as fun. During the super cold winter months, the pond is transformed into a free ice skating rink.
Strawberry Fields
West Side between 71st and 74th St.(Mid-Park)
OK, let’s be honest with each other for a moment. When someone from the group mentioned that we were on our way to the Strawberry Fields, I was expecting something a tad bit different.
The Strawberry Fields, a living memorial to the the world famous John Lennon, was dedicated in 1985 on his 45th birthday. There’s a circular mosaic on the floor that says “Imagine”, clearly named after one of his many popular songs. On the day we visited there was a line of people, each waiting for their turn to take a picture with it.
Had I known how long it would take us just to walk around the Mid section of Central Park, I would have tried my best to arrange for more time. I assume we could have seen more if we would had opted for a horse and carriage or even a cyclist and carriage, but at $3.99 per minute, that being the cheaper price, we passed and chose to use our own feet instead. Who really has money for that when you're exploring on a budget?
If I ever find myself in New York again, I will definitely make sure to come back to Central Park with at least half a day set aside for exploration. I imagine this place would look extremely wonderful in the fall when the leaves are changing colors and the weather is a bit cooler.
After Central Park, we rushed to the subway and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the yacht cruise.
SUNSET YACHT CRUISE
South Street Seaport
New York, NY
“A cotton candy sky with a canopy of blue– Looks good enough to eat.”- Vin Scully
When Pantone 294 plans an event, they go BIG!
Two 600 passenger, three story yachts were reserved solely for Pantone294 that night. They both were an hour and half cruise around the Hudson River with immaculate city views and a very close encounter with Lady Liberty.
I was one of the lucky ones who purchased tickets to Yacht 1 which had an earlier cruise time than Yacht 2.
Here’s an awesome shot of everyone waiting in line. Dodger fans clean up pretty nicely if you ask me.
While some people chose to stay at the bar and enjoy the views from inside, I quickly went upstairs to the very top deck. I wanted a front row seat so I could take in every ounce of what I was about to see.
The music started, people were mingling and the sky began to change colors. At first no one noticed the subtle change but as the pink hues darkened, they all stopped to admire what was going on overhead.
I was quickly reminded of a wonderful quote by Vin Scully and I could almost hear him say it “A cotton candy sky with a canopy of blue–looks good enough to eat.” Indeed it did Vin, indeed it did.
As you can see from the photos, the views were amazing. The New York skyline was magical every which way you looked. We got to see some of the most popular landmarks from a different perspective such as the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. It was absolutely amazing!
Everyone was enjoying themselves, laughing and getting to know one another. Some people recognized each other from past Dodger games or from prior P294 trips. Other people who came knowing no one were making friends, exchanging numbers and bonding over something as simple as their love for a baseball team.
When the cruise came to an end, it was almost too soon and I actually contemplated hiding in a nook until the start of the next cruise. Had it not been for the promise of food after the cruise, I probably would have.
DINNER AT IL BRIGANTE
214 Front Street
New York, NY 10038
www.ilbrigantenyc.com
While looking for a place to eat, we stumbled across this charming and warm Italian restaurant, definitely a hidden gem located next to the South Street Seaport.
Upon entering we were immediately accommodated even though we had a rather large party. The staff was friendly and patient as we took our time searching the menu. Everything sounded so good, it was truly hard to pick but we did and it was all AMAZING!
Whether it was the Fettucini Alla Bolognese (Slow Cooked Homemade Beef Ragu with Handmade Fetuccine Pasta), Petto Di Pollo Alla Griglia (Grilled Chicken Breast served with Roasted Potatos), or the Brigante Pizza (Tomato Sauce, Mozerella for di Latte, Prosicutto di Parma, Rucola and Shared Parmagiano Reggiano), you could taste the authenticity with every bite.
Our apologies for not taking any pictures of the food but we were pretty hungry. I guess you are just going to have to take our word for it when we say that it was DELICIOUS!
COOPERS UNION
104 Hudson Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030
After we feasted, we took an Uber to a bar that had been recommended to us. Upon arriving we noticed that it was actually right next to a police station. Not that it mattered, I had just never seen a bar and police station side by side before. Anywho, we went inside and had the time of our lives!
Immediately after entering we were greeted by the bartender. He was fun, energetic and knew how to make a good drink. He definitely helped get our party started with a free round of Fireball shots. I really wish I could remember his name but three drinks and two shots later I could barely remember my own.
We were the only people in there but the sixteen of us filled up the narrow-ish bar quite nicely. While some were busy singing to the jukebox songs they requested, others were drunkingly playing darts and shuffleboard. The atmosphere was very chill as we proceeded to hang out, share some laughs and make new memories.
I hope you enjoyed this blog.
Stay tuned for more Pantone 294 ultimate fan experiences.
Day 3 ( Game Day) is next!!!