NYC Getaway 🗽

At the end of November, my family and I took a quick 2-day trip to New York City, and it turned out to be one of our favorite trips of the year.

It was me, my wife, our 3-year-old daughter, and our 15-year-old niece. We drove into the city on November 29 and stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott near the World Trade Center, which ended up being a perfect home base for everything we wanted to do.

That first day was both meaningful and memorable. We visited the 9/11 Memorial, then headed up to the One World Observatory at the top of the Freedom Tower. Seeing the city from above was incredible and really put into perspective how special this trip was, especially sharing it with family.

That evening we made our way to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree. Our niece even went ice skating while we soaked in the holiday atmosphere, and we wrapped up the night watching the Saks Fifth Avenue Christmas light show. After a full day of sightseeing, we headed back to the hotel and ordered authentic NYC pizza, delivered straight to our room — the perfect way to end the night.

On Sunday morning, we hopped on the subway and headed to 34th Street and Herald Square. We saw the Macy’s Christmas window displays and even went inside to meet Santa, which was a huge highlight for our daughter. From there, we walked through the Herald Square Christmas Market, grabbing food and hot cocoa before continuing on.

Our last stop was Times Square, where we had lunch at Raising Cane’s, visited the Disney Store, and ended in the M&M’s Store before heading back to the hotel to check out and start our drive home.

This trip is a perfect example of why I love what I do at Happiest Place Travel Co. You don’t need a week-long vacation to create amazing memories. Even a short weekend getaway can feel seamless and stress-free when everything is planned out ahead of time — from where you stay to how you get around and what you’ll see.

Whether it’s a big vacation or a quick city escape, I’m here to help make it easy.