• About
  • Blog
  • Working together
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Girl Gone Travel

Girl Gone Travel

North America, Travel
/
July 6, 2009

Fourth of July: A Date Night in NYC

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share

After having spent a day having fun with the boys at the zoo and park, my husband and I went home and started making plans for a date night. Date nights don’t come around too often for us. With as many kids as we have it can become an expensive venture, and not having a lot family nearby to call on for help makes getting away just that much harder.

But we lucked out, found a great sitter that was a perfect fit for all their needs (and financial limitations) and we decided to go out, without the kids, on one of the most celebrated nights in New York City: Fourth of July. This fourth of July was a special one because it was also the celebration of the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson’s first exploration. Thus an event which usually takes place on the East River, moved to the West side and thousands upon thousands of people were joining in on the festivities.

So, we left our 3 boys under the care of our angel/babysitter and made our way to 26th St., by way of 34th St. When we exited the station the sun was a bright yellow, the breeze was refreshing and a bit strong, and the sky was a beautiful blue. We walked past some of my favorite spots, such as the Empire State Building, the beautiful post office building (James Farley Post Office) on 33rd St, and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (from Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh) before arriving to 27th St and standing almost in awe at how empty and quiet the streets were. An incredible site for sure.

IMG_8494

IMG_8495

IMG_8496

IMG_8509The people around us were in a hurry, many with bags of food and blankets in their hands, quickly making their way towards 12th Ave, along the Hudson River. Those who did stop, stopped only for a drink or snack at the nearest hot dog stand, or for all the fun trinkets being sold for the upcoming ceremonies and fire works displays. But not us, we strolled down the empty streets, holding hands, kissing every so often, enjoying our time alone.

IMG_8502

IMG_8511

The scene along 12th Avenue was anything but empty. Tons of people had already gathered and it was only 6:00pm! We found a spot to sit and even met a lovely couple from Canada who were there on vacation, celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary. Though the wait was long we made the best of it and had some pretty good laughs before we heard the first BOOM! in the sky.

IMG_8529

IMG_8524

IMG_8537

IMG_8521The sky was alive with a beautiful display of lights, the booming sounds followed by a colorful, wow-inducing brilliance of pyrotechnics.

IMG_8582

IMG_8584

IMG_8632

IMG_8565

IMG_8640

After all the excitement of the fire works and bidding farewell to our new Canadian friends, we made our way down 8th Ave. and had dinner at the vibrant Cuba Cafe. While Latin music played in the background, we chatted over mojitos (excellent by the way)and chicharrón, which consisted of small bits of deep fried sausages, pork, and beef.

IMG_8701

IMG_8684

IMG_8681

IMG_8692

I ordered the Ropa Vieja which was a bit salty, even for the dish which tends to be on the salty side already, but still good. Hubby ordered the best dish ever, which was Grilled Chicken with Habanero Sauce, served with fresh Spanish and mashed potatoes.  Yum!

IMG_8697It was, by far, the best Fourth of July ever…and the best date night in a long time.

Related

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share
Pin this Post
Share this Post
Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

You May Also Like...

Christmas Tree Hunting in Long Island, NY

December 12, 2008

Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights, NY

December 10, 2008

Winter afternoon in the Bronx Zoo, NY

December 16, 2008
8 Comments
  • Tafari
    July 5, 2009

    Looks like a good time start to finish. And the photos are great!!!! On the way out of tbs city, we saw Cuban Cafe. When I'm back, I'll have to put that on my list of places to dine at. Good food is my weakness…

    Go Mama!!!

    Reply
  • Celebrating the 4th of July around the U.S.
    July 6, 2009

    […] made us all jealous with a wonderful post about a 4th of July date night in New York City. She brought the romance back to […]

    Reply
  • Pilar @ ScoringDeals
    July 6, 2009

    The food looks delicious! Looks like you had lots of fun! 🙂

    Reply
  • Lisa
    July 6, 2009

    LOVE the photo of you two!

    Great food/drink shots too!

    Who is the wonderful photographer? 🙂

    Reply
  • Traveling with an Open Mind | Traveling Mom
    July 7, 2009

    […] while sitting around with my husband waiting for the fire works display along the Hudson River, we had the fortune of sharing curb space with a Canadian couple, Rob and […]

    Reply
  • Smallprint
    July 7, 2009

    Fireworks and habanero chicken. Does life get any better?

    Reply
  • Carol
    July 7, 2009

    Thanks everyone for all the compliments! The food was as awesome as it looks and more.

    Lisa: I could tell her you're interested in maybe hiring her for a photo shoot?

    Smallprint: No, this is as good as it gets my friend, for sure!

    Reply
  • Celebrating Fourth of July in Washington, DC | NYCity Mama
    July 12, 2010

    […] all the displays I have seen, even on 4th of July in NYC, I have never seen any as wonderful as the display in DC. And there, sitting on the dusty, prickly […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Previous Post
Great Kills Park and Beach, Staten Island, NY
Next Post
Revisiting the Liberty Science Center

About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons and 2 puppies. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

Categories

  • Asia5 Post(s)
  • Caribbean17 Post(s)
  • Central America4 Post(s)
  • Europe53 Post(s)
  • North America315 Post(s)
  • Oceana1 Post(s)

Contact

  • carol@girlgonetravel.com

Follow @girlgonetravel

Hubby and I recently went to check out office spac Hubby and I recently went to check out office spaces for our business. We (I) started getting caught up in the perceptions of what other people might think about our business, or rather, how successful or serious it was with us operating it from our home. So, in order to keep up with the Joneses, we went out and searched. And immediately were like, "Nope."

One, it was an additional expense that we were taking on to convince other people of whatever we (I) thought they needed to be convinced of. And two, it felt like....well, like working out of an office, something which I personally haven't done in over a decade (almost two now) and which my husband just escaped from!

And lastly, we like to go out into the communities that our clients serve, but also that we live in, and get to experience it all ourselves. It makes us a great agency.

I share all of this because I am slowly coming to accept that there will always be those who will make a determination of who we are as people, as professionals, as a business simply from what they think they know, not from actuality...and..we (I) am still working on breaking down the toxic traits of corporate / professional influence and narratives.

As once a full-time travel blogger, I experienced first hand what it is to be dismissed and not taken seriously. But, because of my travel blogging work, I have visit over 40 countries (and still counting) and have been published and spoken on stages around the world. That doesn't just happen.

All this to say, as I (we) move away from renting an office in order to be taken more seriously by the corporate world...and save ourselves some money in the process...we are reminded to work on ourselves and on being our own biggest cheerleaders and advocates. Sure, we seek out support and mentorship and always work on learning and refining our skill. But can't pay attention to what others might be thinking. It will never be an accurate portrayal.

And a lesson to never, ever spend more money than we have to just to convince others how serious we are in our commitment to our work. In the meantime, our current office spaces are working out just fine.

#entrepreneur #smallbusiness
A band of misfits on a beautiful Finger Lakes nigh A band of misfits on a beautiful Finger Lakes night.

Life is too short and time too precious, so make sure to spend it with people who bring you joy and make you laugh. Whether it’s one person or more…it’s not the number of people, but the quality and kindness of their hearts that counts.

Here are some of the kind, sweet friendships we’ve been so lucky to have cultivated in our new home. Kisses and hugs @haejones32, @sarahloublagg, @nevetsretlaw, and @jerakahheady.

Till our next gathering! 

#friends #fingerlakeslife #fingerlakes
My happy place: the farmers market. It’s the sea My happy place: the farmers market. It’s the season for all the fresh, local, delicious goodness of the Finger Lakes to take center stage.

The region has a lot more than fried and fast food to offer locals and visitors. The vast amount of organic and locally sourced food is something that is really celebrated here. Even more so the fact that it is accessible and not exclusive to the privileged.

From cider to cheese to meats and veggies…all local, all from a passionate farming community. 

Oh, then, the artisans. *swoon* So much handcrafted beauty. For example, this beautiful hat from @easylivinghats. I have been wanting one of her hats forever and finally got not one but two! And her team, seen here, is so sweet and helped me find the right fit. Support local, shop small, be happy in the process. 📸@ithacafarmersmarket. 

#fingerlakes #myflx #farmersmarket #shoplocal #shopsmall
Hey, wanna come to a cool event in one of the cool Hey, wanna come to a cool event in one of the coolest places I know in Ithaca? (Read on!)

Today I took a stroll into the pavilion of the @ithacafarmersmarket. There was no market today, and though still a lovely space when empty, nothing compares when the market is buzzing with food purveyors and food-lovers! It is exciting and a favorite pastime of ours. Even more fun is when there is a special event happening!

And with that, I want to let you all know about the upcoming @tasteoftheflx taking place on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at the Ithaca Farmers Market and offer you a discount code for your ticket! Use BRAVE20 for $20 off of either ticket tier.

The event will feature 50 + vendors, music in 3 acts, and a full evening of celebration! Taste of the Finger Lakes serves the dual purposes of showcasing the dynamic Finger Lakes food and beverage industry while raising funds for 3 non-profits doing the important work of improving access to healthy food across the region. Local, good food for a good cause...the best combination!

If you already have your ticket or plan to take advantage of this discount code to purchase it, let me know! I hope to see you there!

#fingerlakes #tasteofthefingerlakes #flxfood #flxeats #farmersmarket #ithacany
Cheers and Happy Pride to this beautiful, inspirin Cheers and Happy Pride
to this beautiful, inspiring, proud community full of people that I love so much.

To my LGTBQIA+ family and friends, know I adore you, would fight for, and support you always. You make my life and the world a more beautiful place. I celebrate you today, this month, and always. 

Thank you for being you. 🌈

#pridemonth #loveislove
What a stunning day to be on the lake with my fam. What a stunning day to be on the lake with my fam. We missed spending time with each other and it was time for us to slow down and bond. Even the surly teens eventually gave in to the fun and smiled a few times. Have I told y’all how much I love our new life here?

#lifeintheflx #fingerlakes #lifeinthecountry #soflx #thisissoflx #Lakelike #myflx #keukalife #winecountry

Copyright © 2022 Girl Gone Travel | Privacy Policy | Copyright Notice