After a short but definitely memorable visit to Washington DC, D and I hopped on a bus to go back to where our US trip started – New York City. We got there in a little over four hours, and pulled our luggage to our Midtown hotel, La Quinta Inn & Suites. Unlike the first hotel we stayed at in NYC, our room this time was smaller and had an unexciting view. But I’d say I liked this hotel better than the first one because they had good coffee, cookies and breakfast.

As soon as we dropped off our bags, D and I walked several blocks up to Central Park. I was eager to revisit it because the last time we’ve been there was years ago when we stayed at the Upper East Side. I planned on renting bicycles so we could explore the farther areas, however when we got there it was almost sundown so we put off our cycling plans for the next day. On a good note, we still managed to check out a few places we’ve never been to. While D busily took photos, I enjoyed watching ducks and dogs at The Pond.

We said see you later to Central Park, had a quick bite, and explored the area. En route back to the hotel, D bought me a souvenir from the MLB store – a New York Yankees cap. He’d been watching me undecidedly (and unsuccessfully) choosing caps when we were in Instanbul a few weeks before.

Because our hotel was near Times Square, we passed by theatres showing our favorite musicals and those that are on my list. Seeing the billboards of ongoing shows, I promised myself next time we are back we’ll schedule time to watch a play or two. For now, we’re contented reacquainting ourselves with the city.

The next day, our plan of cycling at Central Park was immediately scrapped. It was our last full day in NYC, and the weather was gloomy with high chances of rain. In the morning I slept in while D headed out to take photos. We agreed to meet at The Drama Book Shop at 11 o’clock.

A couple of hours before meeting D, I walked to The National Arts Club, a lovely building near Gramercy Park. Its gallery was free to visit, and I enjoyed their exhibit, especially the impressionism art pieces.

My next stop was Madison Square Park where I said hi to the Flatiron Building nearby. There was a dogpark there, and as I watched te dogs play, I suddenly missed Nacho. I wondered if he missed us too.

When D and I met, we had dimsum lunch and headed back to the Madison Square Park to have dessert at Anita La Mamma del Gelato. I savored my gelato while D raved about his dairy free dark chocolate.

That afternoon, D and I checked out and admired the sculptures at the Park Avenue Malls. We had a laugh because D was also wearing a yellow hoodie like one of the sculptures.

Afterwards, D and I headed to the Morgan Library & Museum. We booked our Free Fridays tickets online prior to to going. There was a short queue when we got there but it moved quickly. My favorite exhibit was the J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library. It was exquisitely beautiful.

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In the evening, we headed to Bryant Park to meet with D’s cousin Pauline. No visit in NYC would be complete without catching up with Pauline, and it was always a blast spending time with her. On our last visit we had a dinner cruise with her where we had a closer look at the Statue of Liberty.

After dinner D, Pauline and I went souvenir shopping at Times Square. We took in the vibe from the brightly lit boards to the street performances. Unfortunately we didn’t have the energy to stay long in Times Square, so we walked back to the ‘quiter’ areas before calling it a night. It was a bittersweet saying goodbye to Pauline. We look forward to seeing her again soon – be it when she visits the Philippines or when we go back to USA.

Very early the next day we checked out, had bagel and coffee for breakfast, and took an Uber to the Newark Liberty Airport. As if on queue, the rain poured while we were already in the car. Glad we didn’t have to use the umbrellas we bought the day before.

That wraps up our one week whirlwind visit to NYC-Philadelphia-DC. Despite the little planning, it turned out to be quite nice and re-energizing, with the highlights seeing family in both DC and NYC.