Mrs. Selfish and I decided to end our Selfish Year of flights with a whirlwind tour of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. While Los Angeles was spent recovering from jetlag and hanging out with my sister, and San Francisco was spent visiting family, we spent a large amount of time in New York seeing different parts of the city.

Having been to New York on numerous occasions, this time we decided to visit the Financial District, Coney Island, and Staten Island in addition to Central Park and Broadway.

Wandering around Manhattan

I love Manhattan. There’s probably no better place on Earth to grab a fresh bagel, take a stroll in the park, catch a show, and grab cheap happy hour drinks.

While we normally stick to Broadway & Central Park, this time we branched out and hit the Financial District, which was more than a little eerie with all the post 9-11 construction. It was still quite beautiful, however.

We also caught the Book of Mormon show, which was incredible. The show still sells out regularly, so if you’re interested in seeing it I’d book a few months in advance. I ended up booking our tickets back in May when we were staying in Kyoto, Japan, but still couldn’t get any tickets to the evening show!

Last, but not least we buzzed by Central Park for a nice stroll. Even though it was August, the weather was an amazing 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 Celsius)!

Heading to Chintzy Coney Island

Next we headed to Coney Island, which is about an 80 minute subway ride out of the city. I always pictured Coney Island as a cheesy snapshot of old new york, and it did not disappoint!

The boardwalk is ripe for people watching, and the rides are hilariously bad, but fun. They also have outdoor karaoke and dance parties.

$8 to ride the #14 Best Wooden Roller Coaster? Sign me up!

The Polar Express: equal parts crappy ride and hip-hop!

We even stopped for a hotdog at Nathan’s. I used to love Nathan’s as a kid and the dog did not disappoint.

Checking out Lady Liberty: The Staten Island Ferry

Last, we headed to the southern tip of Manhattan to board the Staten Island Ferry. The ferry leaves regularly about every half hour and is free.

While Staten Island itself is nothing to write home about, the ferry has some great views.

Of course the most famous sight is the Statue of Liberty.

Gotta love that coast guard patrol ship. U-S-A! U-S-A!

If you’re trying to get a good view of the ol’ girl, make sure to position yourself on the right side of the boat (starboard), which should be facing the statue when you board. Be prepared for crowds.

A shot of the side NOT facing the Statue of Liberty.

Overall a great trip, with some lovely sights. I highly recommend a trip to New York – it’s definitely worth visiting over and over and over.