Everything we did on our trip from Myrtle Beach to New York City

My son (13) and I met my mom in New York City for a fun weekend of doing all of the New York things – we did all of the touristy things and ate all of the New York food. This was his first trip to the Big Apple. It was easy to get from Myrtle Beach to New York City for the weekend. Here’s what we did!

myrtle beach to new york flights

Spirit’s direct flight from the Myrtle Beach International Jetport to La Guardia makes a weekend getaway to New York City affordable and easy.

Tips for traveling on Spirit:

You can bring a personal item for free, not a carry on bag. They’ll charge you $60+ for a bag. We brought back packs.
I used a packing cube in my backpack for clothes to keep my bag organized.
Without much space, I decided to leave my professional camera gear at home. An inordinate amount of time, thought, and consideration went into this decision lol… but, lugging around heavy camera gear in NYC would not have been comfortable. Instead, I packed my phone and the my favorite pocketable travel camera Sony ZV1! (it’s designed for video but I think it takes excellent photos.)
Wear one pair of comfortable walking shoes to save bag space.
Spirit’s Terminal A at La Guardia airport is small, which is fantastic!
Uber from the airport was easy.

We stayed at the Westin Times Square. We are Marriott Bonvoy members and like to stay at properties where we can earn points 🙂 Pro: The hotel was nice and convenient. Con: Times Square – while convenient to shops, restaurants, and shows – is CROWDED.
The Grand Central Station was built in 1913, and is exquisitely designed. There are plenty of shops, but mostly just fun to step foot in the gigantic historic building.
The NY Public Library is a close walk, and I would have liked to spend more time browsing the exhibits but we were running late.
We took the Subway to the Met – Apple Maps actually makes this easy! It showed us how to walk to the station, which subway line to hop on, estimated times, and tracked us through each stop. You can use your iPhone to scan to pay your fare.
We walked through Central Park to get to the Met. Gorgeous!
I could have spent days browsing the exhibits at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, but we only had a few hours. A local recommended the Egyptian Art and the Arms and Armor section for my son. He loved it!
New York Pizza for dinner! My cousin, a long-time local, recommended John’s Pizzeria and it was fantastic.

48 hours in NYC: myrtle beach to new york city

We picked up Zucker’s Bagels and headed across the street to Bryant Park in front of the New York Library. This was a spectacular way to begin the day!
My son suggested the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour because he took one in another city. Otherwise, I probably would have continued to ignore the Bus hustlers trying to sell us tickets. It turns out this was a FANTASTIC way to see the city – we rode on top, listened to the pre-recorded tour guide, and got off on the places we wanted to see. Highly recommend!
We hopped off at the Brooklyn Bridge, and decided to walk it. It was crowded!
The 911 Memorial is peaceful, beautiful, and powerful. It was like I walked smack into an invisible wall – the sadness hit me that suddenly as I saw the memorial.
We headed back to Times Square to see The Lion King on Broadway. (my son’s choice!) We loved it!
Dinner at Tovola