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Travel Diary: 24 Hours in NYC, During a Pandemic

by Komalmeansdelicate

If you have been an avid reader of my blog then you know that I grew up in New York, but have moved to Memphis, TN a few years ago.  My family is still based in New York so, lucky for me, I still get to visit the beautiful city a couple of times a year.  However, since the pandemic began, I did not visit my family- to keep both of us safe and healthy.

Lucky for me, after both my husband and I had received the COVID-19 vaccine, we booked our first trip since the pandemic began, to finally see my family in New York.  Regardless of traveling to islands and other parts of the US, I wanted to see my family first before traveling anywhere else.  It had been 18 months since I had seen my family (since Thanksgiving 2019) and I missed them a lot. 

If one thing came out of the pandemic for me, it has to appreciate all the time you can get with your family and close friends.  At one point, I thought taking a plane to see my parents was easy but once the pandemic hit, that was not so safe anymore.  I am glad that the world is now experiencing a “new normal” and we can slowly resume our old lives.  Without further ado, enjoy the breakdown of the first 24 hours of my trip back home to NY!


Breakfast

Lucky for me, my family lives in NY so, my mother provided breakfast.  She knows that my husband and I try to eat more of a healthier diet so she made us some delicious avocado toasts!  We eat these in our car ride to the city with my brother as the driver.  My family is based in Queens, NY, which is one of the five boroughs of New York City.  It may not be Manhattan but it is still part of the city.  Since Queens is the suburban borough, we tend to drive more than other parts of NY.                      

Beautiful floral arrangement at The Edge, Hudson Yards.


Hudson Yards

Every time I go back home to NY, I try to visit a different part of the city.  I like to call this my “hometown bucket list”.  Neither my husband nor I have gone to Hudson Yards since they revamped it so we were excited to visit this new tourist site.  My main goal was to see The Edge and The Vessel in Hudson Yards.  My husband and brother were on board for both as well so we got to see both.  It was such a fun experience to see both buildings and I highly recommend visiting Hudson Yards.  I got to meet one of my blogger babes, Rini of Rinisphere, at Hudson Yards!

  • Rain day manhattan views on The Edge.
  • Sitting on the edge of The Edge.
  • Met up with my friend, Rini of Rinisphere, at The Vessel.
  • Met up with my friend, Rini of Rinisphere, at The Vessel.


Brunch

For brunch, I met up with a couple of my girlfriends from high school and college.  We went to this restaurant called Cantina Rooftop.  Since both my friends had dietary restrictions, Mexican food is the best way to go.  We all enjoy the food and it’s easy to plan with a huge group and all the possible dietary restrictions.  In addition, the restaurant was a rooftop restaurant- which we all enjoy.  I like to go to a rooftop restaurant at least once on my visit back home.  Especially rooftop restaurants during the Spring in New York, that’s just a whole different kind of feel.

Beautiful rooftop at Cantina Rooptop.


Late Night

My High School bestie, another high school buddy, my brother, my husband, and I went to a late-night spot in Queens, NY (near my parents).  Since going back-and-forth to Manhattan is quite a trek, we wanted to stay local for the nighttime.  Plus, we had spent all day in Manhattan and wanted to rest up before we went out again.  Especially for this trip, not many places were open in Manhattan due to the pandemic so keeping it local was another great choice.

Forgot to take pictures of our night cap so here’s another one of the Rootop!


And that’s a wrap for my 24-hour Travel Diary in New York!  I hope you all enjoyed reading through my day in the city.  Are you excited to travel back into the world?  If so, what’s the first place you’re going, as soon as you feel comfortable?  Let me know in the comments below!



Much Love,

20 thoughts on “Travel Diary: 24 Hours in NYC, During a Pandemic”

  1. Thank you for sharing. Looks like you had a lot of fun in this me day in New York. I’m originally from New York and know there are quite a lot of nice places you can visit. I’m glad you were able since the pandemic.

    Pastor Natalie
    Letstakeamoment.com

  2. New York City looks like such a great place to visit. There’s so much to do. The Vessel looks so cool. Great photos. It looks like you had a great time.

  3. I have visited New York many times and I have always enjoyed my time in New York. I had someone I know personally telling me how NYC was during the Pandemic and it was interesting hearing what they said. I enjoyed reading your blog post.

    1. Thanks girl! I feel like, even as a former local New Yorker, there is always something new to do/see in the city (in a good way). Also, NYC during the pandemic was like a culture shock- I’m sure you heard (lol).

  4. I cannot wait to travel again. I haven’t gone back to my hometown in 18 months either. So reading this is giving me hope that I will be traveling again soon!

    2. Omg it looked like you had a great time! I love NYC and hoping to visit there sometime this year

  7. I live in the area, but haven’t been to the Vessel yet! Your pics look great. Also want to check out the Cantina… thanks for the recs!

    1. You’re so lucky, Jordan! I miss the city and the vibes. I would say to try to check out the Vessel on the weekdays/non-holidays since it will be less busy on those days.

  9. I enjoyed reading about your time in New York. I am from New Jersey but have worked in NYC, and I love the East Coast. Glad to hear you were able to reconnect with your family and friends.

    1. Thanks girl! I appreciate your comments and insights. Also, wow, I knew so many people who did that! We may have possibly crossed paths at some point. 🙂

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