Unplanned blessings and unexpected luck can lead you to some of your life’s greatest adventures…
We were graciously offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that brought us to New York City this weekend. We were offered a prime featured space on a billboard at 1540 Broadway in the heart of Times Square! After pinching myself upon hearing the news, I got to creating an ad that I hoped would both capture attention and showcase the heart behind She’s Venturing - Love for travel. Passion for good. That we are all ‘Made for Venturing’.
The inspiration just came to me, and in one fell swoop I designed the video that felt like a piece of my heart that I could show to the world. I sent my video to the generous parties that be and wondered…could we be just crazy enough to pull off a 22 hour trip that includes a drive to Miami and then flights from Miami to New York and back and then home to Key West, just to see it for ourselves?
The answer is yes, we are always just crazy adventurous enough. Whirlwind travel is our forte so we jammed our backpacks with the essentials and we were off!
Upon arrival we did what any good tourist would do and grabbed a yellow NYC taxi cab and asked to be whisked to Times Square! Of course our first stop of the trip had to be the famous Times Square to see our gorgeous video in sparkling lights, on the big screen, being viewed by thousands.
When we arrived we were surrounded by bright lights, music, the smell of street vendor eats, and a buzzing energy of city nightlife. We turned onto Broadway and as we rounded the corner there it was - the beautiful waves, green trees, and beautiful vibes of our gorgeous She’s Venturing feature! It was truly a moment where your breath catches, your eyes well just a little as your smile breaks into a huge grin, and a small part of you is just so proud to see a piece of your heart and soul on display for the world, sharing your mission. It’s real, and it’s amazing.
Surrounded by street performers, artists, tourists, pedicabs, and all variation of characters, we partook in a mini-photo shoot to document the moment!
After soaking it all in, we ducked into a little Irish bar for a celebratory drink, some dinner, and to (a little proudly) but ever so casually mention to someone that WE are featured in Times Square. Us. Just two people with a vision. The kindness of everyone we met that night led me to feeling like this was a beautiful, serendipitous thing that was just meant to happen.
The next day we woke up with an excitement to see the rest of this amazing and iconic city.
There are innumerable must-see tourist options - from the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, and more, but you can’t tackle momentous sightseeing like that in a trip this short…Of course I also immediately remembered every iconic New York City movie scene my rom-com heart had seen and loved, and though they might not be on the top of the must-do lists for all, they certainly were for my nostalgic heart.
I knew there were two spots that would be extra special and with such little time I knew exactly where we needed to head…
We grabbed a cab to Riverside Park in search of the 91st Street Garden, the location of my beloved Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly’s fateful meeting in the final scene of my all-time-favorite, You’ve Got Mail. We found it, and though it wasn’t quite in bloom the way Nora Ephron had envisioned it, the sun came out to make it a beautiful memory - and my sweet husband was gracious enough to recreate our version of the romantic scene.
Then seeing as it’s only two blocks away (at 328 89th) we headed to see her beautiful apartment from the movie as well. It was as adorable as I’d hoped, and I snuck a few pictures of course. We continued on, wandering the Upper West Side admiring the architecture and I may have let my mind, just for a moment, pretend that I was back in 1998, playing the role of a carefree movie lead.
Coming up upon Central Park I let myself come back to reality ready to soak up another memorable landmark. As we entered the park we had no idea what to expect, but I knew I wanted to head to the Literary Walk and luckily the route there led us by a number of the park’s highlights - the Belvedere Castle, Shakespeare Garden, quaint row boats on the lake, and the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain - all worthy stops along the way.
As we approached the walk, we passed through beautiful arches with exquisite detail, and an opera singer taking advantage of the acoustics they offered, showcasing her talents.
Once you ascend the stairs from the fountain arches, you are greeted by a wide open space of towering trees, some creating a canopy above the walk. There are artists and musicians along the walk accompanying the sculptures and busts of some of history’s notable authors, poets, and leaders.
After enjoying the paths and views of the park we ended at a gourmet coffee truck (a beautiful gift to me if you know me and my love for coffee), and we caught another ride back to our hotel with just enough time to pack and get ready for our second airport venture in 24 hours.
Times Square, Central Park, and the intricacies of the unique offerings of both…we somehow packed gorgeous memories of each into our short visit.
As we boarded the plane, the trip seemed like a short dream, but one I want to remember and relive in another longer visit very soon. I want to see that beautiful city in full spring bloom, dressed in warm colors for fall, and twinkling with lights and a white blanket of snow in the winter.
I leave a piece of my sentimental heart in every city I come to love, and there is now absolutely a part of it in New York City.
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