New York City can feel overwhelming if you have never been here before. It is loud, fast, crowded, and full of options. But it is also incredibly navigable once you understand a few basics. These are not secret hacks or tourist shortcuts. These are the things we wish every visitor knew before arriving, especially if this is your first trip or you are visiting in the summer.

New York in the summer is not the place for overpacking. It is hot, crowded, loud, and walk-heavy. You move through airports, trains, apartments, sidewalks, stairs, ferries, museums, and restaurants, often all in the same day. What you bring with you should support that, not slow you down. For this trip, we traveled backpack only, which is how we typically travel. One backpack per person for the entire trip. No rolling suitcases. No extras packed out of anxiety...

There’s something quietly powerful about watching people you love experience a place you already know by heart. Rick and I live here. New York is our everyday. Errands, routines, favorite corners we don’t think twice about anymore. But for five summer days, the city shifted. It slowed down just enough for us to notice it again.

Based on a real trip hosting our nieces in New York City. Walking times assume an easy pace with stops. This itinerary is designed for first-time NYC visitors, especially families traveling with teens during the summer. It balances walking, iconic sights, museums, food, and strategic air-conditioning breaks so the days feel full — but not exhausting.

What happens when two New Yorkers host two of their nieces for five packed days in the city that never sleeps… during one of the hottest weeks of the summer? Walking. Ferry rides. Museums. Food. Strategic air-conditioning breaks. And memories we’ll never forget. From a flight into Newark to skyline views, Central Park adventures, classic NYC landmarks, and a last-minute escape into a movie theater when the heat finally won — this trip was about seeing New York through f

A short video of all 40 locations we went to over the past year to celebrate me turning 40 this year!  We work hard to get to travel and are so fortunate to be able to do so! https://youtu.be/TOAiJbosjgI?si=lb4xinSQbewNK2iG   I joke about being surprised that I made it to 40. But in reality there have been moments and decisions that do make this feel lucky or fortunate at times. Not only to have made it - but to have made it to where I am - happy, successful, whole, and loved

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New YouTube Video! https://youtu.be/oPQso0kLUcQ 13 of 40 Birthday Experiences! September 2023 - Oktoberfest in Munich with Kassie’s Parents! Oktoberfest tip: Three different large and pretty busy tents - Kassie would ask the first waitress without beer in her hand, and ask where we could sit if we didn’t have a reservation. Every single one got us a spot at a table right away and beers! One time even at a reserved table! Day 1: We landed in Munich just after lunch. After over

12 of 40 Birthday Experiences! September 2023 - An amazing long weekend in Bermuda with our close friends, Brad and Elizabeth! Day 1: We took an early flight out of NYC - and ended up in Bermuda before lunch! The Airbnb that we stayed at - included the ability to schedule a ride from the airport - and since the Airbnb was in Sandy’s Parish which is closer to the Royal Dockyard. We settled in then walked a bit to grab some lunch before getting a taxi to the Dockyard to pick up

11 of 40 Birthday Experiences! August 2023 - Wichita Kansas with the Runyans! Celebrating birthdays and more with a surprise weekend in the heart of the midwest. During one of the hottest weekends of the year (past years) ewww! After letting Rick’s folks know that they need to pack an overnight bag and hustling them into their car - we drove first to breakfast at Cracker Barrel before heading out of town. A few pit stops at the painted silos - one was painted like a coke bott

10 of 40 Birthday Experiences! Day One of our Iceland Vacation in August 2023: Starting at the Reykjavik airport for a small domestic flight to Egilsstadir. We got into our rental car and headed on the beautiful road. We took a break at Fardagafoss waterfall prior to heading to our amazing hotel in Seyðisfjörður. This was after driving down the road that Walter Mitty longboards down. We’ve heading into Seyðisfjörður in 2022 but were excited to come back to stay this time! We

9 of 40 Birthday Experiences! July 2023 - Playing, Laughing, Picking Fruit, Playing Disc Golf, Watching Fireworks, and MORE! A great work-cation and vacation! Day One: We made it into Spokane and joined Kassie’s family at the rental house in Spokane, Washington. Relaxing family time was the goal of this trip! Day Two: After a few rousing games of foosball and ping-pong, we headed to pick strawberries, raspberries, and cherries at two places in Green Bluff: Knapp’s on Green Bl

7 of 40 Birthday Experiences! May 2023 - Sheep, hills, history and more! Day One: We woke up and grabbed coffee and a pastry from No 25 Cafe in Tenby, Wales before heading out in the car to Caerphilly and to walk some sheep (OMG!!!) at Duffryn Farm. After that we headed to Caerphilly Castle - which is a great one to really explore and walk around. The roads quickly went from highway to very tight 2 lane roads. It was a bit nerve-racking for Rick but the view was gorgeous. We

6 of 40 Birthday Experiences! May 2023 - Two days in the beautiful coastal town of Tenby, Wales. Day One: We landed in London early in the morning before taking the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station. Such and easy express train. Then waiting the few hours until our train to Cardiff. In Cardiff we walked the mile to Hertz to pick up our rental car and got in (Rick on the right of course!) to drive the four hours to Tenby. It was mostly larger highway roads between

8 of 40 Birthday Experiences! June 2023 - Celebrating Rick’s Birthday in Newport, Rhode Island. An easy train ride to Providence And an uber out to Newport for a weekend of exploring, eating, and relaxing. Day One: Made it to Providence early - around 10am - after an easy Acela ride from New York City. We walked around Providence for a bit until we were ready for a lunch and a beer at The Malted Barley (Craft Beer + Pretzel Sandwiches). Then an uber out to Newport for the wee

6 & 7 of 40 Birthday Experiences (the specific videos coming soon!)! May 2023 - Five days exploring Wales!! Staying both in Tenby and in the south part of Snowdonia. Ocean to Mountains / Castles to Sheep. It doesn’t get much better than that! Day One: We landed in London early in the morning before taking the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station. Such and easy express train. Then waiting the few hours until our train to Cardiff. In Cardiff we walked the mile to Hertz

5 of 40 Birthday Experiences! April 2023 - We spent a long weekend upstate New York near Watkins Glen - in a tiny house at the Farm Sanctuary! We rented a car and drove the 4+ hours upstate to the amazing Farm Sanctuary. This was our third time there and we stayed again in one of their beautiful tiny houses. They have three tiny houses and three cabins. The tiny houses each have their own kitchen, bathroom, and a little porch to sit and watch the sunset over the farm. Our dri

4 of 40 Birthday Experiences! April 2023 - We spent a long weekend in Mystic, Connecticut! One of the wonderful things of living in NYC - is the ability to get to places on the train. We hopped on Amtrak and a few hours later - we stepped off for a half mile walk into the historic district of Mystic. We stayed at the fabulous Whaler’s Inn: https://www.whalersinnmystic.com/ We’ve walked by this hotel every time we’ve stayed in Mystic - but seem to always plan our trip on a whi

3 of 40 Birthday Experiences! March 2023 - we headed to Central America with a group of friends to celebrate Allie's Birthday! We stayed at the Occidental at Xcaret - a resort in Playa del Carmen, along the Yucatán Peninsula's Riviera Maya strip of the Caribbean shoreline. Details and links: The hotel is spread out quite a ways - and has a central area (get a room there if you can!) with a river, restaurants, trails, lots of animals, ruins, and a beach, a gym, and plenty of s

We spent a week in Morocco with Morocco Immersion Tours! https://moroccoimmersion.com/ - Highly recommend. We wanted to see a lot in only 7 days - and to have a private guide so we could move at own pace. It was amazing! We had Sallam as our guide/driver - and he was phenomenal. Sharon planned our whole trip and we got to meet her and Abdou while in Morocco! Details and links: Day 1: Flew into Casablanca and drove to Chefchaouen - even with a missed and rebooked flight - we m