It all started with a couch and some beers. That is how we will tell this story and how most of our travel starts. We were sitting there having a few beers to unwind from the week and I checked my email. I received an email from a music streaming service about concerts that I may like based on my listening preferences. None other than Billy Joel was at the Madison Square Garden and literally right after my birthday. Erin and I talked about it and she said that his concert and Madison Square Garden were on her bucket list. We bought the concert tickets so there was no going back. If you don't know by now, that is how we recommend all travel plans start. Find something you absolutely want to do, then buy the tickets or pay the admission. Buying the tickets locks you in and ensures you want to go so you don't waste money. That comes with a caveat though, you can't just put yourself completely out. We had months to plan this. We bought the tickets in October of 2021 and the show wasn't until April of 2022. So with five months to plan the trip Erin got to work. Erin does all of the trip planning from where we go when we get there to where we eat. Erin started researching what parts of NYC we wanted to see that were around MSG and planned the days from there. She leaves at least one day in each itinerary open for whatever we want, but has a plan just in case. As the trip got closer, our plan solidified and we were all set to go. For our full itinerary with tips to keep you from making mistakes in NYC, we will make it available in the store. Day One We touched down the morning of my birthday, April 7th. The first order of business was an Uber to the Westgate New York Grand Central which ran about $40 at the time. We checked into the hotel and begged for an umbrella since it was raining. Then we set off to purchase unlimited subway ride cards. Our first subway ride was to get some food even though it was relatively close. Figuring out the subway was a challenge at first, but we quickly learned how to operate our google maps, a subway app, and read the subway signs. If you don't travel often or are not experienced with subways or trains, this could take some time to figure out. We headed to Coppelia for lunch and some of the most amazing Cuban food I have ever had. We ordered drinks, empanadas for an appetizer, a Cubano, and Arroz con Pollo. Coppelia is owned by Celebrity Chef Julian Medina, and you can taste it in the food. Excellent service and some of the best food we found in NYC. You can find my Yelp review if you want the full experience. After some more time on the Subway and a stop at the hotel bar, it was dinner time. We had reservations at Bierhaus NYC for great German food and, of course, das Boot of beer! The atmosphere was what you expect at a bierhaus, large tables that you share, lots of conversations, packed place, great food, and wonderful cold beer. From giant pretzels, to schnitzel, to spicy sausage or even pasta, they have something for everyone. We had a great time putting a few boots of beer in and then we headed back to the hotel for some rest. Day Two We started with breakfast delivered to the hotel from Chelsea Bagel of Tudor City. A subway ride and then we were off to see the Statue of Liberty. A short walk through the city put us on the wrong path at first towards the Ellis Island Ferry when we wanted the Staten Island Ferry, I will make sure to add why to our itinerary when we put it up. Once we were on the Staten Island Ferry we had a great spot for pics and enjoyed the ride to Staten Island. Inside the station you can purchase a beer and hang out for the next ferry, or you can loop around really quickly and jump right back on and ride back. We rented some bikes at Unlimited Biking and biked across the Brooklyn Bridge. That bike ride is no joke if you aren't physical, but we enjoyed it once it was over. We hit a few spots over the bridge, had some more amazing food, and then biked back to return the bicycles. We used the down time before the concert to recover from the bike ride and rehydrate. By rehydrate, I mean drink a bunch at the hotel bar and hang with our favorite bartender. That night was the concert that started the whole travel plan. I won't go into detail because it's really something you should experience first hand. Besides, explaining a concert would never do it justice. I will say that it was absolutely amazing though and worth anything we had to do to get there. The way the show rolled out just showed how great of an entertainer Billy Joel is. He is captivating and he really wants to get the whole crowd into it. I cannot overstate this, it is absolutely worth making plans to go to his concert. Day Three Day three started with some food and a planned trip to Central Park. We were subway pros by now and were able to get to Central Park with no real issue. The park itself is more massive than you can picture from shows and movies. There is so much going on and so many people that it somehow adds to the ambience, even when some creep is playing weird music on a speaker clipped to their belt while they walk around, generally in circles. Just taking in the sights, the different buildings in the park, and walking around is plenty to keep you busy. We located a place for some drinks and had a few before grabbing some food and setting back off. We went to Milk Bar after that because we are huge fans of Masterchef and the creator of Milk Bar was a judge one of the seasons. From there a quick subway trip back to the hotel for some rest and recuperation, not the hotel bar this time. This was the morning we had built in some "Whatever we want" time and after that bike ride and a few days of constant motion, sitting still and a nap was whatever we wanted. The plans were Lucky Cheng's for dinner and a drag show. We hit a bar called Smith's Bar in Hell's Kitchen, because when your name is Smith and you travel you have to do those things. We were shocked at how inexpensive the drinks were here. There were 4 days left on our unlimited subway passes and we gave them to some of the staff as an added tip. Those are gold to people in the city and turned out to be a great additional tip to give. Lucky Cheng's was everything you could want in a drag show. We had so much fun there. The performers are super fun and interactive, the food is great, and the whole show is just super fun to watch. There are too many uptight people in the world that wouldn't enjoy this show as much as they should. If you go to a show, relax and enjoy the performance, you will love it all the more. Even though our day was pretty great already, we decided to head out to Times Square at night. When you have never been to NYC, Times Square before and after nightfall is a must. It is a different crowd at both times and the atmosphere changes drastically. We walked around, got offered some things we didn't want, got some pizza we did really want, and ended the night back at the hotel. The next morning was just some breakfast and travel home. We will compile a list of tips, tricks, and our itinerary for purchase in our store!