Summary of Itinerary – The 20 Mile Day
Bryant Park
Grand Central Station
Ess A Bagel
Rockefeller Center
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
MOMA (Walk Through)
Radio City Musical Hall
New York Pizza Suprema
Highline Park
Chelsea Market
Staten Island Ferry

By passer-by default:
Penn Station
Madison Square Guarde
Hudson River Walk
Tribeca Film Festival

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The 20 Mile Day: Having visited so many monumental places on day one, it was hard to imagine a day more spectacular. Day two, also known as “the 20-mile day”, was completely unplanned. My mother and I decided to start in the middle and walk our way out.

We started at Bryant Park! When we arrived, I immediately thought, “This is what I pictured when I thought of New York City.” Bryant Park was a vision – a beautifully kept park surrounded by architectural history. Since it was early in the workday, we were lucky to enjoy the park all to ourselves…just us, the pigeons and the flowers.

From Bryant Park to Bagel Heaven! I had my heart set on the legendary Ess A Bagel – a toasted, everything bagel with cream cheese & a small, black coffee. Truthfully, most of the cream cheese squeezed out with each bite of the perfectly crunchy and chewy treat, but every morsel was unforgettable!

From Bryant Park and Bagel Bliss, we continued our loop of Midtown to the picturesque Grand Central Station. This place is nothing short of mesmerizing! Travelers from all over the world have, and still do, travel through this cultural crossroads. There was no hiding our stares, but we won’t be the last to gawk at the unmistakable ball clock, sky ceiling, and bronze chandeliers. Surely no in-transit station is more beautiful!

These photos don’t do the station any justice, but for the sake of enjoying the moment with my mother, I chose not to bring my “fancy” camera. There is nothing that will capture an experience like our memory and natural senses – the colors, smells, sounds, and feelings we have while being present. As technology evolves, it becomes more and more important to choose wisely…how many moments are will willing to live through a lens verse with our own eyes?

Next stop – Rockefeller Center! Talk about consolidated tourism?! Rockefeller Center is a one-stop-shop for someone looking to hit the mother-load of attractions. From NBC Studios and St. Patrick’s Cathedral to Radio City Music Hall and the Museum of Modern Art, it would be easy to commit an entire day to Rockefeller Center.

Do yourself a favor and forget fashion if you plan on walking New York City. We walked 20 – yes 20 – miles on day two! By mile 10, my ballet flat wearing dogs were barkin’ so loud, I couldn’t enjoy an afternoon at MOMA. Me, the fine arts student, had feet so swollen that I couldn’t stand (literally) to walk through the Museum of Modern Art! A sad lesson learned, but we made up for it by resting our toes and changing shoes in time for an evening stroll through Highline Park. But first, PIZZA!

I have always preferred New York-style pizza, but when it came to the overwhelming options and fake “original” joints, I am happy we took our Big Bus tour guide’s advice. New York Pizza Suprema is around the corner from Penn Station and across the street from Madison Square Garden. Also conveniently close to one Highline Park entrance, this place makes the best cheese and upside down pizza I. HAVE. EVER. HAD!

If you think we stopped after pizza and the Highline Park, you must have forgotten that I mentioned we walked 20 MILES on day two. Oh no, after walking the park to and through the Chelsea Market (which we re-visit on day 4), we decided it would be the perfect evening to see the lights of New York City from the Staten Island Ferry. 

The Staten Island Ferry is FREE and runs every 30 minutes from Battery Park. So, we hoofed it roughly 4 miles along the Hudson River, passed the Tribeca Film Festival and through the Financial District, just in time to miss the 8:30 ride. Luckily, there was plenty of beverage and people watching options to keep us occupied for the next 30 minutes.

There are no photos of our day-ending extravaganza because we were too busy hauling-tail and talking about how we made day two our [you know what].  All in all…it was another amazing day in New York City!