Times Square, I Heart You

After a few crummy weather days in my hotel, it was finally warm (enough) and sunny. I could hardly wait to get into the city to wander around aimlessly!

My day began by taking the hotel shuttle to the New Jersey Transit bus stop. After paying $4.25, this giant tour bus took me all the way to the Port Authority Bus Station in Times Square!

Butterflies in my stomach, folks. I love this city.

Once I was off the bus, I walked through the Port Authority to get to Times Square.

As you can see, even the locals thought that it was cold. So wearing a sweater and a jacket didn’t make me feel silly at all!

The temperature for my two days of exploring was right around forty-eight degrees on both days. Not too shabby, huh?

On the base floor, I always stop to admire this flag honoring 9-11. I love how the flags are made to appear as the World Trade Center.

We’re getting closer to paradise! Let’s follow the signs to head outside to 42nd Street. We are right in the heart of Manhattan!

That is one expensive bus station!

I took a deep breath. Ah, at last.

Man, I love this place.

Can you see the Chrysler Building way down there?

And the hotdog(s) stand, of course?

The famous New York City cab. I’ve never been in one, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t take pictures of them as they attempt to maneuver through impossible Manhattan traffic.

I passed this Crumbs Bake shop by, thanks to some healthy goals. But I have eaten cupcakes from here before. Do you remember my trip from last September?

Really, how can you possibly go wrong with a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcake?

I’m pretty sure that this Tim Hortons is new, too. I would have definitely noticed if my favorite Canadian doughnut shop had been here previously!

Can you believe that I passed this by today, too?

Sheesh, am I developing willpower or what?!

Hi, Subway station! Amazingly, I walked during my entire visit these two days. I never even went down below to ride the subway, like I usually do. What a shame!

I walked a few blocks along 42nd Street, desperate to find somewhere to eat. I didn’t want to waste precious time at a sit-down place, but I didn’t want to trust one of the million food stands, either. But I was ready for some lunch!

There is the Amsterdam Theater, where I saw Mary Poppins last September. Playing there now is The Newsies.

I had no desire to drop $200 on a ticket. I guess I lucked out last fall paying only $67 for a great seat five rows back from the stage!

So New York City! Cop horses!

How do they deal with all of that noise?

I got closer and closer to Times Square, hoping to see something edible that also sounded reasonably-priced.

That’s not asking too much at all in one of the most expensive cities in the country, right?

I never tire of seeing this few blocks in New York City. Isn’t this place amazing?

It was way more crowded than I expected, too. I doubt that this place ever feels empty, but it seemed very busy to me for still being so cold!

Maybe they don’t have a tourist season, but it’s all year long?

Swoon. Look at this! I love you, Manhattan!

If you need to advertise, this is the place to be noticed by millions. Unfortunately, it also costs millions to advertise here! Catch-22!

I was really hungry by now, so I was tickled to see this stationary food truck as an option for lunch.

Baked empanadas? That sounds very healthy to me!

The hard part was deciding which empanada to try. I asked the worker’s professional opinion, and he highly recommended the Argentine.

Sounds good to me!

It was warm and flaky and flavorful.

And beefy. I rather enjoyed this. But, remember…I was pretty hungry.

Everything tastes better when you’re hungry!

I only had one little empanada, and it didn’t fill me up.

Luckily, this Rickshaw Dumplings Shack was right next door!

And, even more so than the empanadas that I had convinced myself were healthy, these guys were steamed and ready to be devoured!

I loved the little packaging. But I didn’t make it far carrying these…there are tables right next to the shack. Let’s eat some dumplings!

Pork dumplings for lunch. Yes, please!

It even came with a soy sauce-based dipping cup of goodness. This was just the right amount of flavor and salt added to the steamed and delicious dumplings.

They kind of looked creepy, thanks to the steamer bin in which they cooked. The bottoms kind of look like octopus to me, or something fishy!

But, if I closed my eyes and took a bite…mmmmmmm.

This was one of the best things I ate during my entire two days in Manhattan!

(Yes, I went back the next day. Why do you ask?)

Mr. Cop and Mr. Horse rode by while I ate. I waved, but he must have not seen me.

Well, it seems like the horse saw me. See how nervous he is? I have that effect on horses.

After my lunch, it was time to wander around Times Square just a little more. I’m just in awe of this place and am so tickled to be here!

Sorry about the underwear advertisement. Awkward!

You can glimpse a little of the New York Double Decker Tour Bus in this picture. I decided not to sign up for the New York Pass or do anything expensive like that during this visit.

My reason? Well, I’m going to Disneyland next week. I would much rather spend my money there!

Fortunately for you, this is not a picture of the Naked Cowboy, though I did see him.

And don’t be fooled by the hippie clown in the lower right-hand side of the shot! He’s not naked, either.

Appropriately, this is a statue of “The Man Who Owns Broadway," Mr. George Cohan.

I wonder what he would think of NYC almost one-hundred years after he made this part of town so wonderful?

Doesn’t this just make you want to visit NYC? If you haven’t been, may I highly recommend it to you?

Just make sure that you get a Crumbs Cupcake as soon as you arrive…

As I walked north towards Central Park, I passed the M&Ms Store.

I always think of my friend, Susan, when I see this place. She was here on vacation once and sent me a picture of this storefront from her phone. She thought that I would appreciate four stories of chocolate.

Boy, does she know me or what?! Hi, Susan!

Not to be outdone by Mars, Hershey’s also has a giant store just a block away. I am no respecter of chocolate stores in Manhattan…I love them all equally.

I hope that you’re ready for a whole lot more NYC, because we’ve only just begun! Tomorrow, we’ll head towards Central Park for an afternoon stroll with the locals.

And a million other tourists, apparently.