Travel NYC like Kino and Hong-seok of PENTAGON
We truly must thank idols for going to places we have always wanted to go, but never had reason to go near. While we might’ve complained about one or two locations, even we have to admit we had some fun in Times Square.
We digress. New York is known for the many different bridges that go in and out of all the boroughs. The Verrazano, The Manhattan, George Washington, and even the Outerbridge Crossing. But one seems to have grown in popularity in recent years. And a lot of idols have made this place a stop on their trips.
Cue PENTAGON.
Now we did say a lot of other idols have gone to this particular spot, including Ren of N’uest and all the ‘members’ of PLT, to name a few but we chose Pentagon as we had found certain spots they had chosen to photograph the famous location in a more artistic way.
Fun Fact: we are not as artistic, and had to work with the maddening crowds of a gorgeous summer day, and couldn’t wait until the middle of the night because we were on a time crunch as Sammie had gotten sick as a dog half way through the day.
Just over a mile long, and one of the oldest suspension bridges in the US, the Brooklyn Bridge is where not only cars can cross from Brooklyn to Manhattan, but above the cars is a pedestrian walkway and bike path. And it is the site that, by cloak of night, Hong-seok and Kino chose to visit in their short time in NY.
We loved walking the expanse as the wind cooled out heated skin. The contrasting views of downtown Manhattan and the ever-growing DUMBO area of Brooklyn sitting at opposite ends of the bridge, is fascinatingly beautiful.
We do plan to explore the spot at night very soon so we can say we traveled NYC exactly like Hong-seok and Kino of PENTAGON
Travel NYC like Hyunjin, Changbin, and Seungmin of Stray Kids
Yes. We’ve covered a lot of Stray Kids spots. The boys travelled a lot. And it’s the pics people send us the most asking where they are. (hint: if you want to see different groups DM us on Instagram the places you want us to find)
As we continue this Travel NYC adventure, we were excited to see the boys find a semi hidden gem in the touristy area that is Rockefeller Center. Yep. We’re just coming out and telling you exactly where this statue is because it isn’t as easy to find as the rest.
In fact, we have walked around that area for years (and we mean close to 20), walked past the sculpture every year during the traditional ‘go see the tree’ event at Christmas, and not once noticed it. Sure, we knew it existed. We had seen it in shows and movies. We knew where it was located, but never. Not once, did we ever search it out.
And for real? Rockefeller Center is known for the big flashy gold fountain statue in front of a tiny ice skating rink that couples propose to each other on.
When we went to the site we learned the name of the sculpture and what it represented. And we felt our hearts clench with a sense of appreciation as to why we believe Stray Kids found and snapped a photo.
Known as Atlas, the sculpture represents the Greek titan, of the same name (Atlas), carrying the heavens on his shoulders. To us it represented Stray Kids. They boys, who have always written about feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders as they search to find their happiness in music, artistic expression, and simply life. We found it fitting that they went to such a historic and prolific site.
In a way, they are like Stays Atlas. Helping us by carrying some of our burdens, to assist us in getting past things we might not think we can handle on our own. Not to put too much pressure on them or anything. And hopefully in a role reversal, Stays could be Stray Kids Atlas. Helping carry some of their hardships, when they don’t believe they can carry them themselves.
Located across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Ave, between 50th and 51st St. you will find this beautiful statue that felt a lot more comforting to us newer Stays than we thought it would. Check out the area and you will see the FAO Schwartz toy store, flags from all over the world surrounding that golden sculpture and ice rink, and when you finally find our hunky Atlas, you can cross off another spot, and say you travelled NYC like Hyunjin, Changbin and Seungmin of Stray Kids.
Travel NYC like Dae-hwi and Dong-hyun of AB6IX
As KCONNY 2020 is steadily approaching we decided to revisit the good ol’ days of KCONNY 2019 when a solid group by the name of AB6IX came and tore the roof down, and also enjoyed some unique sites of NYC.
While a lot of groups chose to visit our top ten least favorite places in NY, AB6IX went off the beaten path and chose less chaotic, more true midtown vibe. No flashing neon signs, or lights so bright you can’t tell is it’s morning, noon, or night.
Bless these boys. They chose, just a few avenues over from Times Square, the quiet, business populated area of midtown that is Lexington Ave.
We actually love this area. It’s close to where Sammie’s mom used to work in the Chrysler Building, and right near one of our favorite buildings Grand Central Station. It’s also famous for a gorgeous that location that is currently under major construction as Lotte has bought the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
And this is exactly where Dae-hwi and Dong-hyun went to take some adorable NY corner shots. At the corner of 49th St. and Lexington Ave. these two cuties stood exploring the unknown quiet chaos of one of the heavily business district of New York.
So after you climb the red stairs of the TKTS booths like Stray Kids, or the roof top bars like Pentagon and GOT7, you can enter the calm, cool, of the regular masses of the New York employer and employees and say you travelled NYC like Dae-hwi and Dong-hyun of AB6IX.
Travel NYC like, NCT127, The Boyz, and others
We have done one of these before. A spot that several idols have visited, and even actors have visited in NYC. Today we are offering you another such location. This place is fairly new to New York. Only being open to the public for almost a year at this point. We had actually seen it while it was being built and had no clue what the heck it was. We were so confused. A weird upside down pyramid, honeycomb looking thing with stairs? Huh?
But sure enough when it was revealed to the public as a climbable peace of art, we wanted to go! And sure enough The Boyz and NCT127 wanted to as well. We actually posted on Instagram when we first went, before Travel NYC Like ___ was a thought in our minds.
Meet The Vessel. Located between 10th and 11th Ave and 32nd and 33rd St, this 15 story, stair climbing honeycomb maze with amazing views of the harbor, and the newly built Hudson Yards resides.
The views truly are unparalleled and once at the top, as the wind hits your face you fell an the sense of accomplishment is amazing. You can take breaks going up, finding new angles to observe the city and new sights you may not have noticed before and enjoy the fact that you have now travelled NYC like The Boyz, NCT127, and others!
(Edit: sadly this location is also home to a very tragic event that happened this weekend. RIP young soul, may you no longer be in pain)
Travel NYC like Seungmin and Hyunjin of Stray Kids
Stray Kids went a lot of different places while being here in New York. And since they’re coming back NEXT WEEK, we decided to do one more before they arrive. Some of the spots we loved (Like when they visited The Roxy hotel, and DUMBO) and some we legitimately try to stay as far away from as possible (like Penn Station and now this new spot).
This spot is actually somewhere we had talked about and been to when ASTRO came to town. Yes, that’s correct. We went back to Times Square. JUST. FOR. YOU! To a section we actually have never even been close to if we’re being honest. We had seen it in videos, pictures, and we knew where it was but since it was in Times Square we avoided it like the plague.
Famous from the Alicia Keys and Jay-Z music video for “Empire State of Mind” those bright red stairs actually hold TKTS, an infamous Broadway ticket selling broker. We say infamous because they say they sell tickets cheap, when really they are the same, if not more than face value for the tickets. Fun fact if you come to NY and want to see a show…don’t go there.
The spot has now become an Instagram mecca for the tourists who come to see Times Square. And the boys of Stray Kids hopped on that bandwagon. And what they do, we do. And we have to admit…
It was pretty cool. Actually really cool. Yes, we will admit that something in Times Square was worth going to see. Between Broadway and 7TH Ave, on 47th St. you will find these large red stairs to climb up and see the enormity of Times Square. And you can snap your shot and check another location off your list as you have now travelled like Seungmin and Hyunjin of Stray Kids.
Travel NYC like Young-Jae of GOT7
Going into 2020 we were determined to find some of the places we thought were impossible to locate. And GOT7 seriously has the hardest NYC spots to find. (click here to see where Jin-young chose to spend his time) And our girl Emi at @prince.sanie on Instagram sent us some of the truly tricky ones.
In our last article, we mentioned our love of rooftop bars and how they are a totally cool way to see the city. Well even Young-Jae enjoyed the sights of New York City from one of our favorite spots. Now when we looked at the photo he posted we were definitely perplexed as to where he was. We had only been to a few roof top bars and none of the buildings around it looked familiar.
Then one day, we were going to meet up with Sammie’s mom and we just took a cool picture down the street our office is on. When we went to look at the picture to edit it, we noticed something. The big blue building and its odd shaped top. Zooming in we noticed some other similar buildings.
We found it! Right outside Time Square, is a slightly hidden, very bougie, and a seriously amazing smelling hotel called Knickerbocker. And guess what they have? A garden oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle, perched on the 18th floor, aptly named St Cloud Bar. Look out onto the tourists a huddled together to watch street performers, enjoy a slightly expensive drink (if you’re 21+ obviously), and look up to see that you too can travel NYC like Young-Ja
Travel NYC like Kino, Yuto, Jinho of Pentagon
After Sammie’s wedding, we needed some serious R&R. And what better way to relax is to go into the frenzy of New York.
There are many things we love about NYC (we know our last two posts probably say otherwise). We love the sights and sounds, but what we love even more is seeing the sights and hearing the sounds from a different vantage point than on the street.
Rooftop bars are everywhere in Manhattan and they all offer different, breathtaking views of the city that never sleeps. We chose to hit up one of these many bars to celebrate her matrimony, while also deciding we needed to start planning our trips to Korea and Japan.
The one Pentagon to chose to visit happens to have a view of the building we work across the street from. A famous staple of New York. The Empire State Building.
A building that at night has different themed light shows to dazzle the people who take a second to glance up at its magnificent wonder of architecture.
Located on the 20th floor is 230 Fifth Rooftop bar. The location that Yuto, Jinho, and Kino decided to spend their day and night enjoying drinks, some food, and best of all taking in the view of NYC, after there concert in the city. Which we got to see! Click here to see how the lit up the city skyline when they performed.
And you guys can do the same. If you’re 21 or older you’re all good. If younger you need a parent or guardian. But have a drink and take in the amazing views as you travel NYC like Kino, Yuto, and Jinho of Pentagon.
Travel NYC like Felix, Lee Know, and Woojin of Stray Kids (We still love and support Woojin)
Since Stray Kids are coming to New York in January, we decided to cover another travel of the boys from their last visit to our city. (Click here for our previous Stray Kids Travel)
We don’t live in NYC. While we wish we could, our day jobs do not make that a possibility. So we have to commute from our homes in New Jersey and Pennsylvania by taking the train. Every day we go into the city via NJ Transit, probably the WORST train system in the United States. (Google it. We’re pretty sure it is top 10 worst or pretty darn close)
But we digress. The reason we bring up the train is where it funnels into. New York Penn Station. Another nightmare of NYC. Yes, we are jaded to certain aspects of NY that some people will love to experience. The hustle and bustle of people waiting for and then ultimately running to catch trains, all the new food and drink spots that have been added, and now all the brand new construction causing even more pandemonium as half the waiting areas are closed…SUCH FUN.
But on one day several boys of Stray Kids chose to go and visit the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) section of Penn Station and enjoy a staple of New York, Shake Shack. And since we frequent the station we chose to go too! We didn’t eat Shake Shack as we are trying to not eat too bad ALL the time. Lol.
After you arrive in NY Penn Station, make sure to hit up the Shake Shack, have a burger and revel in the fact you traveled NYC like Felix, Lee Know, and Woojin of Stray Kids.
Travel NYC like Sanha, Jinjin and Rocky of Astro
We love when ASTRO comes to the US. We have seen them all three times they’ve been to the states and we can’t wait for their next tour. And when they come to NY they don’t usually have enough time to actually enjoy many of the sites that we love. But they have been able to see some of the sites that a lot of people know best about NYC.
Now we would like to preemptively say…we are not fans of Times Square. We understand the hype, sort of. You see this place in any movie or TV show about NYC. It’s on all the ads to visit NYC but to us, while it is famous for all the bright shining lights, the stores, and the hustle and bustle, the lights are obnoxious, the stores are large chains you could find in most cities, and that hustle and bustle is so tightly cramped you will get elbowed and possibly pick pocketed. If you think we’re kidding, just ask several of our friends. This isn’t New York. The New York we know and love are the small coffee shops in the basements of buildings, vintage shops and even the designer shops in the Meat Packing district, and the lights and sounds heard from the Highline. (several of these places will be covered in future articles)
The only times we would say to visit this location is in the dead of night and early morning so basically the hours of 2am-8am. And even that isn’t great. This is the time most idols tend to go to Times Square. After they wrap up a show, or they just landed and are jet lagged, Sanha, JinJin, and Rocky took to the streets of NYC like any tourist and enjoyed the lights and sounds and…smells of the area.
We happened to be staying in the area, not because we wanted to, but there was a writers convention and the hotel was right off Times Square. So we took the opportunity to get some pics like the trio. It wasn’t too bad that night and a lot of idols come to the area and so in the future we might have to journey back. Maybe we will fully test the 2AM theory. Just for you guys.
And once you eaten a burger, shopped at H&M, and lounged in the middle of the street, you can cross this off your bucket list of travelling NYC like Sanha, JinJin and Rocky of Astro.
Travel NYC like Hong Joong of ATEEZ
Ever have a day where you crave a food so bad that nothing else but that exact meal, in that exact restaurant will do? Well the day we found a spot Hong Joong had walked past was one of those days. And what we craved were steamed rice rolls down on Canal St.
During a usual summer lunch break at work, we loved going for nice walks in the areas of the city we hadn’t fully explored. We would always stumble on a cool new shop with amazing clothing, or a free experience like a traveling double decker bus decked out like a forest.
But that day we were on a mission. To get rice rolls. We knew about the Canal St Marketplace and all the amazing food and shopping (including a k-pop shop) it had to offer. And while one of us craved steamed rice rolls, the other craved to find this gem of a restaurant tucked away on the streets of SOHO. So we struck a deal with each other. One of us got the rice rolls, the other got her picture like Hong Joong.
Near one of our favorite rice pudding joints (yes that is a real thing), Balthazar is a French restaurant on Spring St. We haven’t eaten there yet but maybe now we will after we’ve wrapped up a day of traveling NYC like Hong Joong of ATEEZ.
