Every summer for the past few years, my mom, aunt, sister and I head to NYC for a day (or sometimes two). It is typically a spur-of-the-moment decision made once we reach August, and this time was no different. The day before we left, my mom called. "So are we going to New York City tomorrow or what?" Um...sure! Haha.
This trip was especially cool since my sister now lives in the city. She's kicking ass at her new job, and has a great apartment with her friends.
What's funny is that our cousin Alex moved to the city from LA this summer. Without realizing it, the apartment he rented is just one floor down from Phoebe's, in the same building. Isn't that crazy?! New York City is so huge, we couldn't stop marveling over the odds that they'd end up so close unintentionally. Another one of our cousins, Alex's brother Clay, moved to the city this summer too, so the six of us all got to spend time together last Saturday.
We really didn't plan anything for the day, other than moving a dresser into my sister's apartment. By the time that was finished, it was early afternoon. We stopped by Clay's apartment in Midtown, and then found a place for a late lunch/early dinner. We decided on Socarrat just from walking by. In 2011, our family took a trip to Spain and Portugal, so Spanish food has a special place in our hearts. The paella at Socarrat was so good! Not to mention the tapas, and the strawberry cider I had that's made in Galicia. (Nobody else liked my cider though, ha!)
The rest of our day was a big question mark. I really wanted to buy mirror nail polish (priorities, right?) and ended up finding it at a Duane Reade right next door to the restaurant. Then Clay suggested taking the tram from 59th St. to Roosevelt Island, something none of us had ever done. He had to go to work, but Phoebe, Alex, and I headed for the tram while our mom and aunt went to visit our grandmother's cousin, who lives nearby.
I can't believe we'd never visited Roosevelt Island before! It was so cool. It felt like a little haven tucked inside the city. Riding the tram over was a trip – and a tiny bit nerve-wracking. But it only took four minutes, and cost the same as a metro ride, just $2.75.
Once we got to the island, we walked by the water all the way down to FDR Four Freedoms park, at the south tip of the island. On the way, we passed the Renwick Hospital, an abandoned smallpox hospital, which was totally beautiful and creepy (and has its own Instagram account, Alex pointed out). It's supposed to be the most haunted NYC landmark!
It just so happened our visit to Roosevelt Island was perfectly time with golden hour :)
We rested our feet, and ate French macarons we'd picked up earlier while the sun went down. I want to go back soon and rent bikes to explore the island even more!
The tram feels a *little bit* like being on a rollercoaster! The views were unbeatable, though.
It was such a lovely, relaxed day. Normally we as a group are not the best at not having firm plans, but I'm really proud of us. We were laidback and flexible, and it paid off...big time.
In case you're curious, posts about our past NYC trips: 2015, 2014, and 2013.