Big Apple Adventures: Central Park & Hamilton

Central Park is one of the most iconic spots in New York City, so we started the next day with a bang. With a typical American bagel in hand, we headed to the biggest and most famous park in the city. It was a sunny day, so it was a perfect day to walk around and people-watch.

We stopped at Bethesda Fountain, one of the most popular spots in the park, and took a few photos. We saw squirrels scurrying about and food carts lining the paths, but nothing felt quite as surreal as sitting on a bench in the middle of the park, surrounded by towering skyscrapers. The juxtaposition of the modern city and nature makes this place truly special to me.

The size of the park was huge, though, so we managed to see just a small part of it. We would come back eventually but after a couple of hours of walking, chatting and enjoying ourselves, we decided it was time to visit the Rockefeller Center area.

(One of the most important things when visiting New York City is to plan your restroom stops as lots of shops and cafes do not have them. If you don’t want to spend your time running around, looking for a restroom in panic, plan your restroom stops ahead. Rockefeller Center was our designated area with nice and clean restrooms, so we spent quite a lot of time hanging around the area.)

Rockefeller Center is known for its iconic ice skating rink and the stunning Christmas tree during the holiday season. We both knew we were visiting the city in October, so we wouldn’t have the chance to see the Christmas tree, but they were already in the process of building the ice skating rink! Standing in front of the rink, I couldn’t help but picture Kevin McCallister in my head.

We also saw plenty of other famous buildings and popular spots, such as Radio City Hall, Times Square again, and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and kept walking until we ended up in front of the Richard Rogers Theatre.

Approximately ten years ago, a musical that completely changed the Broadway game, called Hamilton, was released. I was barely eighteen years old and everybody was talking about Hamilton online. I remember thinking that it would be a dream come true if I ever got a chance to see it in New York. Though deep down I had a feeling that it would stay exactly what it was, a dream. Well, that day my dream turned into reality. Me and Dominik bought the tickets!

Standing in the queue in front of the theatre was so exciting. I had no expectations, I just wanted to enjoy the evening and immerse myself in the experience. Part of me couldn’t believe I actually made it there, and Dominik was as speechless as I was. The musical was everything I had hoped for and the whole experience made it even better. That day, I could finally say that I had seen Hamilton on Broadway in New York. Wow.