I planned this trip only a few months in advance. Originally we planned to go out west to see Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, and possibly the Grand Canyon. The main goal during this trip was to hit 4 new states that I had never been to for my bucket list. After a lot of thought, we decided to go north instead of west. Going north towards New York would allow us to hit a lot more states with a lot less driving.

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Sitting Next to Grandma for their 1st Plane Ride

We decided to visit New York for 5 days and then rent a car and drive through Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire towards Maine. This was my girls FIRST time flying in an airplane. And the first time visiting New York for all of us.

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We Drove 1247 Miles Total

My Epic 30th Birthday Trip started out with a canceled flight. It also happened to be fourth of July weekend and the Atlanta airport was insane. After two trips to the Atlanta airport, switching our flight from Southwest to Delta, and a broken pair of flip-flops, we flew out the next morning on a brand new plane with seats right behind first class in Delta Comfort. FYI, Delta Comfort is worth every penny, you get on/off first, in-flight movies, and you get free drinks… including tequila!

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Apartment Living Room in New York

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Empire State Building

I was really happy with our place. We had amazing views of the city and the river from our apartment. The Empire State Building was lit up for the 4th of July and I could see it while laying in bed!

Panoramic View of New York City

We were in the Manhattan/Hell’s Kitchen area on 52nd street which is within walking distance to Times Square, but out of the busy, craziness of the city.

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Rooftop with my Mom, Empire State Building in the distance

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View of the Hudson River from our apartment

We flew into Laguardia airport and took a taxi to our 2-Bedroom Luxury Penthouse. We stayed at 5 different places on this entire trip, and we booked them all through VRBO and AirBnb, except for the Salem Inn in Massachusetts.

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Staten Island Ferry

We walked 10 miles the first day in New York and almost 10 miles again the second day. I love how convenient everything is in New York. There’s always a grocery store or CVS right around the corner and most places will deliver to you!

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Riding the Subway with Grandma

We rode the subway for the very first time and rode the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.

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Statue of Liberty

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We visited the 9/11 Memorial, Times Square, and on July 4th we took a bus to Hoboken, NJ to visit the original Carlo’s Bakery!

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First Responders on 9/11

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One of the 9/11 Memorial Pools

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The original Carlo’s Bakery in New Jersey

We walked around Times Square on July 4th but decided not to go downtown to see the huge Macy’s Fireworks show. We saw bits and pieces of it as we were walking back to our apartment.

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Times Square on July 4TH

And of course our trip would not be complete without visiting Central Park.

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Central Park

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Carriage Rides through Central Park

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The next morning we rented a car and headed towards Salem, Massachusetts.

Check out the photos from part two of our road trip > HERE.