About a month ago I sat thinking about what I would do for my daughter for her 17^th birthday. She said she just wanted to go to her favorite sushi restaurant but I wanted to do something more. Then I remembered that she has said she wants to go to NYC so I decided that would be her birthday gift.

NYC Trip Planning

I begin researching plane tickets and hotels to see what the prices were. I felt they were kind of high so I decided to wait. Big mistake! I should have bought the tickets when I first saw them instead of trying to wait until they went down. I learned the hard way that the changes in the airline industry have affected how prices change.

The Airline Industry Almost Changed My Plans

A few years ago plane ticket prices would drop kind of dramatically the closer you get to the trip. These days…not so much… The price went up, but it could be because of the time I planned to go; during July 4^th week. Other financial obligations made it seem impossible to pull this trip off but I maintained a positive attitude and dreamed of this trip for her.

A Positive Mental Attitude Turned Things Around

My faith and positive attitude paid off because not too long after it seemed the trip would not happen, I received a check in the mail that covered the cost of the tickets and the hotel stay. Wooohooo!!! I believe in the power of positive thinking. It’s too hard to fail when your mind is in the right place.

Going to NYC to Celebrate a Teen Girl’s Birthday

We are going to NYC this week to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. I’m so happy for this experience. I’ll share where we stay and the activities we plan to do. There will be lots of pictures posted on my Instagram account as well as status updates on Facebook and tweets on Twitter.

3-day NYC itinerary

My 3-day NYC itinerary looks like this:

Day 1 – July 3

• See the Lion King on Broadway
• Little Momma’s Birthday Dinner
• Visit Grand Central Station, the Empire State Building (using Smart Destinations pass) and Tour Times Square

Day 2 – July 4

• Visit The Highline Park
• Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
• Visit the 911 Memorial (using Smart Destinations pass)
• Go to Battery Park
• Visit Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty (using Smart Destinations and City Pass)
• Fireworks

Day 3 – July 5

• Shopping
• Central Park
• Visit Little China and Little Italy
• Staten Island Ferry
• Visit Friends

Watch for the updates on my social media channels and come back for the updates here at RichSingleMomma.com.

Do you live in NYC? What should I be sure to see?

Have you ever visited? What was your favorite part of your visit?

Samantha Gregory

Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.

Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.

She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.