That’s My First Solo Trip

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Detour to Maria

Sing with me – In Neeeew Yooooork! I am so excited to share my first solo travel journey. What an amazing way to begin 2023! Yes, I have traveled by myself on a plane before but I have never had to navigate around a city on my own. I felt so ready to spend some amazing time with just me.

Only a couple days before Valentine’s Day, I arrived in the Northeast where one of My Squad members Maria lives. There was a cool Korean BBQ restaurant that we both wanted to try. Korean culture is a shared interest of ours. We make the most of what we love to do whenever we are together. Seoul BBQ was a great way to begin this trip. We chatted about what we’ve been up to since our trip to Cancun in January. 

We jammed to some music during the drive to New York. How exciting to be in a part of the U.S. where driving between States is no big deal. We continued our tradition of screaming out the lyrics to ‘Lightning In A Bottle’ as we drove. The drive to the Big Apple wasn’t bad. I was expecting A LOT of traffic once we got to New York, but really, it felt like it took us two seconds to get from the Bronx to Times Square.

Welcome to New York

Have I mentioned that I love hotels? So many reasons. I love Marriott hotels because they have many perks. New York has the Renaissance Hotel in Times Square. This was my choice for this trip. One perk is checking in early (if the room is ready), and mine was! I was checked in before noon. A second perk that I really enjoyed was a food and drink voucher. I received a $30 voucher to spend on any food or drink in the restaurant at the hotel. This included alcoholic drinks. This was $30 a day for all the days I was staying there. I definitely took advantage of that!

Early check-in gave me more time to enjoy New York. If you don’t know already, I’m a big fan of BTS. The K-Pop group collaborated with Line Friends to create characters called BT21. There is a Line Friends store in the middle of Times Square. Of course, I had to go. I was in heaven when I walked in. Also, a little bit overwhelmed because everything is SO CUTE! Times Square has so many stores! We shopped at Steve Madden, American Eagle/Aerie, the Disney Store, Forever 21, and the M&M store.

Walking through Times Square to find something to eat, we passed by people standing in a circle and dancing. I noticed that it was a K-Pop Random Dance Play. A random song plays and you run out to the middle if you know the choreography. I participated in a few songs and it felt good to show off my dancing skills. ☺️

After all of the dancing, we were now very hungry. We could’ve eaten anywhere in Times Square. Local restaurants, Margaritaville, Taco Bell Cantina (we went to the Las Vegas one, check it out in That Purple Feeling), and so many more options. We decided on Olive Garden since it was right by the hotel. Some pasta and breadsticks while looking out at Times Square was when I really knew I was there – in New York on MY trip. A new and awesome experience.

I enjoyed starting this trip with Maria. Exploring Times Square with her was a great way for me to be comfortable with my surroundings. She needed to drive back home, leaving me in New York City by myself. Time for the solo adventures!

For my first activity by myself, I went downstairs to the hotel’s bar called R Lounge. I wasn’t really hungry after the Olive Garden pasta, so I ordered a vodka cran and some potato chips. I watched one of the NBA Basketball games while sitting at the bar. I enjoy simple moments like this.

Chicago in New York

The next day was the first full day in NYC. I spent it as a hotel appreciation day. I know trips should be exploring outside and sightseeing, but sometimes I do enjoy using the hotel’s amenities and relaxing. I woke up at a decent time in the morning to have a workout at the hotel gym. For lunch, I devoured some leftovers from Olive Garden.

I love Broadway shows. The music, dancing, goofy moments, just all of it. My first Broadway show was An American In Paris that I saw back in 2015. At the time, I didn’t appreciate them as much but now, I want to see all of them! When looking for shows to attend, Chicago caught my eye. It’s the longest-running American musical in Broadway history and the 2nd longest-running musical of all time. Set in the 1920’s (which is one of my favorite decades), Chicago has flashy dancing and costumes that make you think you are really back in the Jazz Age.

I walked a couple of blocks down to the Ambassador Theatre. It was built in 1921 and the architecture of the building is stunning! I grabbed a couple of snacks and a drink once inside the theater and sat in my seat to enjoy the show. It really was “All That Jazz”!

Watching the fantastic performers made me hungry. Luckily, the restaurant in my hotel was open so I grabbed a pizza to-go and ate it in the hotel room. After a good meal and a shower, it was time for some ZZZ’s.

Magical World

As my first time exploring a city by myself, I wasn’t comfortable then to venture away from what I was kind of familiar with. This meant that I didn’t explore beyond Times Square. I know New York City has so many different activities and places to see, but I did want to take in all that I can of the things Times Square has to offer. This specific day was Valentine’s Day and I was on a date with New York.

I walked around the “Crossroads of the World”, which is another name for Times Square, exploring more shops and street performers. First stop though was coffee. On 7th and 43rd street, there’s a Starbucks. I needed my morning cold brew. As I sat inside enjoying my ham and cheese croissant, I looked around observing the people walking in and out. Business men and women, tourists, couples enjoying Valentine’s Day, and the Starbucks employees. I was fascinated by conversations and people’s personalities.

On my way back to my hotel, I stopped by Famous Original Ray’s Pizza to get a large cheese pizza. When I visited New York back in 2015, this pizza place was the best go-to place for a quick meal fix. This large pizza that I ordered was enough food to feed me for 2 days. Next time, I’m gonna get the “Ray’s Famous Special” pizza pie.

I hate to share this sad news, but I am a Muggle (those who show no magical ability). It’s unfortunate that I can’t wave my wand and magically my dishes are clean. This doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy watching magic. I was very excited to go see the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play. The theater is themed to the play along with the snacks and drinks. I enjoyed a Butterbeer and some caramel corn. Of course I would recommend reading/watching the Harry Potter series to better understand this play, but I believe that anybody will enjoy it.

Solo Adventuring

This solo adventure was a wonderful experience. Traveling alone is an amazing feeling. Exploring new places alone isn’t lonely. Even though I only stayed in Times Square, it still felt like a great adventure. In the future, I hope to do it again plus more (Spoiler: I do a whole Broadway show week in NYC… stay tuned). I enjoyed spending some time with Maria and also loved time with myself. Solo traveling, I discovered, is a great way to connect with my passions. And, it has become a way to find new passions. My travels will only get bigger and better.  Thank you, New York. You opened so many doors for me.  Now, all I have to do is walk through them.

Check out my Youtube vlog of my solo trip to New York City!