Singles Travel International members take a BITE out of The Big Apple for Thanksgiving. Our 50+ Singles came to New York City to experience the magical wonders of the city during Thanksgiving weekend. And magical it was….

It all started with Broadway and Times Square. Yep, that’s where we stayed. The Pod Hotel in Times Square is close to everything in Midtown – Broadway, Central Park, Empire State Building and just a subway stop away from everything else. As their website says “We don’t just bring you the heart of the city, we’ll give you its body, mind, and soul…”  Come early, stay late is my motto. A few eager members came early to give their regards to Broadway. They saw The Girl from the North Country and the Rockettes at the Radio City Music Hall. What a kick.

Come to NYC with your appetite. They have everything you can image. You cannot leave NYC without having a slice of ‘za. That’s pizza for you non-Noo Yawkers. John’s Pizzeria on 44^th didn’t disappoint. The original owner, Madeline had a vision. She wanted to construct the most unique pizzeria. And that she did, but also created the largest pizzeria in the United States. John’s Pizzeria is an old church, repurposed into a top-notch pizza joint. Yum. We didn’t stop at pizza. We had Italian at the celebrity favorite, Patsy’s on 56th. We ate Belgium food at BXL Zoute in Midtown and also ate at two Irish pubs Gabby O’Hare’s and McHale’s Bar and Grill.  Breakfast is a treat. Westway Diner is iconic! It is where the Seinfeld concept was created. I think we even sat at the same booth as creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld did when they created Seinfeld. The members soaked it all in and enjoyed the new experiences.

What to do when in NYC? What don’t you do when in NYC? So much to do, so little time. Especially during the holidays. Well, during Thanksgiving, you of course go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. We pushed through the crowds to stand at 41^st and 6^th Ave, where we had up-close and personal views of Snoopy, Smokey the Bear, SpongeBob Squarepants, Papa Smurf, many balloons I didn’t recognize and multiple marching bands. Seeing the parade in person is something everyone should do at least once in their life. We did so many other things too: Christmas Market at Bryant Park, Hop On Hop Off bus Downtown and through Uptown/Harlem, The Whitney, The SpyScape, Ghostbusters HQ and The Today Show. And don’t forget the VIP Experiences, that Premium members received for FREE. We went on a 9/11 Memorial and Museum Tour and after that to a comedy show at the Gotham Comedy Club. From sad to glad, the emotions were all over the board. All told, we averaged about 15,000 steps each day, and that is with public transportation. Our dogs were barking.

What’s it like to travel in NYC during a resurgence of COVID-19? It wasn’t bad, because Singles Travel International does things right. We require all of our trip members to be vaccinated and masked when inside a building. And NYC was the place to be.  Every restaurant, attraction and public transport required proof of vaccine. Downloading the NYC Safe App made that super easy. Most people in the city are masked if they can’t social distance, even if vaccinated. This helps everyone stay safe, plus it kept our faces warm during the super cold days.

While we were very busy, we still have time to sit down, relax and enjoy each other’s company. The group bonded right away. One of the things I love about Singles Travel International is that the members get to meet each other and their Concierge before the trip, via zoom, about two weeks before the trip. One other major plus is that our members love traveling with us, so they return again and again. I had the pleasure of traveling with 3 of our members in the past. You have the opportunity to see some of the same faces. This helps take the stress out of traveling solo. Plus, with the Concierge, you get a worry-free trip so you can sit back and enjoy.

This trip was fun, engaging, interactive and best of all, we created life changing experiences and unique opportunities to meet the world….together! See you next time.