I'm not sure if I mentioned this here on the blog already, but in 2016, Jorge and I decided that every Christmas time, we would travel to New York City as our little family tradition.

We were so blessed to be able to make it happen last year, and here's the post from that trip...finally! I'm sorry it took forever, but life happened! What's important now is that here it is, and I'm warning you, there will be a lot of photos!

This is the first time Jorge and I travel to NYC in a bus, and the second time we travel to NYC during Christmas time. It was painfully cold the morning we traveled to the big apple, but it was because I didn't dress for the weather! I was "blogger" mode that day, and now that I look back at the photos, my outfit wasn't even that blog-worthy! #icrey The bus ride itself wasn't bad at all, and we honestly prefer taking the bus to the city rather than driving our car, because Christmas in NYC is crazy, and driving your car to the city is crazier! HAHA. Altogether, Jorge and I were able to save money on gas, tolls, and ridiculous parking fees (and tickets) by taking the bus. If you live in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area, be sure to google bus trips to and from NYC. I'm sure you'll find cheap bookings, and it's pretty safe.

We arrived at 11:00AM

And it was raining

This was my breakfast. @Friedmans

We planned for a two-day one night trip to NYC, and we absolutely enjoyed it! Our first day, which was Christmas Eve, also happens to be our proposal/wedding monthsary so the day was all the more special to us. We decided to visit spots that we weren't able to see the first time we visited New York City. We booked a King-Sky room at Arlo Nomad, and we had our monthsary/Christmas Eve dinner at the restaurant of the hotel. I don't have photos of our meals, but I think it will be in the vlog. When midnight struck, Jorge surprised me with my very own iPhone 7 plus, and the entire moment was captured on video. I cried like a dummy because I was overwhelmed with joy. HAHA.

This was a very painful trip because I wore heels the entire time, while carrying a heavy backpack. I know, that was a dumb move on my part, but like I said, I was in blogger mode that trip. HAHA. We decided to bring all our belongings in a backpack since we booked for only one night. Anyway, I know this is what you really came here for, so I hope you enjoy the photos! Part two will be up sooner than later.:)

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DUMBO

Yes, we went to that one famous Instagram spot, and thanks to Jorge's Google Maps skills, we were able to find it right away. We did a lot of walking though, so even though Brooklyn was our first actual destination of the day, my feet were already dead at this point. HAHA.

It was a little difficult to get a photo because it was crowded. Like I said, it's a famous spot, so if you want to get photos of you without any people in the background, go at an off-peak time, but to be honest, I think that place is crowded no matter what time of day. Just be patient, and take turns with the other tourists and explorers. This spot is so famous that while Jorge and I were there, we witnessed two engagement shoots.

*click photos to enlarge*

BROOKLYN BRIDGE

We didn't go on the actual Brooklyn Bridge this day, but since this area was just a few steps from Dumbo, we walked a little further. At this moment, the sun was nice and golden and the rain decided to completely stop. We could have explored more of this place, like go to the other side of the dock, but because we were so tired, we didn't. It was really beautiful here, and both Jorge and I think the Brooklyn area is one of our favorite places in NYC.

TOP OF THE ROCK

Jorge booked Top of The Rock for that day, so after Brooklyn, we made our way back to the heart of the city. I don't think most people know that you HAVE to book for this viewing ahead of time. It will make your life easier. You also have to be strategic about the time of your booking depending on what type of photos you want. Jorge and I really love sunset colors, so we booked around 4PM. The management let people inside in batches so you have to make sure that you're on time for your booking. We got there early but we still had to fall in line because it was Christmas Eve; the entire place was chaotic. Eventually, all the 4PM ticket holders were called in and we all went up together. What's nice about this though is that, once you're up there, there's no time limit. And you guys, it was worth all the money, the wait, and the fear of heights haha. It was so beautiful up there! We got to see the entire city, and since the sun was setting at the time we were there, we were able to get different vibes for each photo.

Right after that, we decided to go check in to our hotel, and I wrote a whole post about it. Our nap ended up becoming a few hours of sleep, and when we woke up, we had dinner at the restaurant of the hotel to celebrate Christmas.