The Most Empowering Flight Right in the Heart of NYC

Because NYC views never looked better.

Having grown up in Brooklyn, the NYC skyline has a totally different meaning. It’s not only something we have the privilege of saying we see almost every day, but it is a constant source of inspiration. If you are from NYC, you know exactly what I am talking about. If you aren’t picture this… It’s Monday morning, and after an exhausting weekend of still not getting everything you wanted to be done, you naturally woke up late for work and missed your train. To top it off, there is construction and your express train is making local stops. Commuting during heavy construction and major train delays almost feels like the world is about to end. Will you ever get to work? Then all of a sudden all of your problems go away. For the two minutes that you are above ground along the Manhattan Bridge, you see the skyscrapers. In all of its shapes and sizes, there is a feeling of empowerment. These skyscrapers are more than just a souvenir at an overpriced tourist trap or a picture that will get fewer likes than an irrelevant selfie on Instagram. It’s a sense of community, understanding, and inspiration to dream big. We are not just talking about the Freedom Tower or the Empire State Building either. From a true New Yorker’s perspective, you know that collectively all of the skyscrapers create that city skyline. Let’s just say that there is an endless appreciation for my city.

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Oh Wait, It Gets Better Than This

Now just imagine that you are 7,500 feet in the sky, at heights only one can dream of. Flying at a birds-eye view overlooking the big city that does not seem so big anymore. You feel invincible and trust me, it is worth it. There are some experiences that you need to try at least once in your life. Helicopter rides are the newest adventure and what better time to try it than now! If you are someone that values experiences over things, then you are in for a wild ride. Shall we begin? Let’s do this.

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Choose Your Fighter

As humans, we are programmed to sense our surroundings and social settings. You come to the realization that the same friend who wants to go to the mall every week is not the same to spontaneously plan a road trip across the United States. From a young age, you start to plan out which adventures or hangouts your friends will prefer. Just like any stock portfolio, diversification is key. It is great to have friends of all types. We need differentiation in our lives, but in this instance, there was only one person that came to mind when I thought about doing this and that was my very own Uncle. He breathes spontaneity and adventures and I just knew he would say yes. As predicted, after asking him, with very little persuasion involved might I add (some friends need an explanation for EVERYTHING), he responded, “What day and time are we doing this”. Let’s just say that within the next half hour I received m confirmation email and sent my Venmo payment to him. Things just got real.

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The Buildup: T-30 Days

My Uncle and I had chosen a random Sunday and marked our calendars. The last day of January was a perfect time. What better way than to end the first month of a fabulous new year? I know hard to top right? I have followed FlyNyon for some time and just waited for their 70% off flight deals to come again. When it came time to book our flights, we saved so much money! I could not believe it!! After we booked our flights, we crossed our fingers for good weather and hoped for the best. All I could think was how amazing it would be to fly over NYC, but for now, there were other things occupying my mind.

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A lot has happened since we had booked this trip. For one, I recently graduated college and started pursuing my MBA. For someone that loves school, this was nothing more than a continuation of handwriting beautiful notes on Muji notebooks and creating to-do lists constantly around my room. Although I am still in school, I have a completely different perspective on life. Especially during these times, I knew that once receiving a job, there would be more stressors in my life. For one, student loans are going to creep up on me and let’s just say I don’t have much time to be care-free just yet. So an impromptu helicopter ride seems like the most reasonable way to handle new beginnings right?

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Signing My Life Away: It’s Go Time

There’s something so frightening about me being more scared of ghosts than falling from 7,500 feet in the air in an open helicopter. Nonetheless, it was go time and that meant preparing for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Given that it is winter, layers is the real estate’s version of the word location. As an avid skier, I have tons of layers, but let’s discuss what you NEED to stay warm during this ride. This is everything that I wore and in 26-degree temperature with wind gusts at 8mph, it’s saying something when I say I was not cold.

What to Wear: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Below Freezing Temperatures

1. Thermals: This may seem insignificant, but you will thank me later. Thermals work wonders and help to trap heat, which keeps your body warm during cold weather. It is my go-to while skiing and a must for your helicopter ride!
2. Warm Winter Jacket: It’s one thing to dress fashionably, but this occasion is not one of them. Skip the fancy winter jacket and outfit and dress warmly.
3. Gloves, Hat: I personally prefer winter headbands rather than full hats, but I would have appreciated some warmth on my head, haha. Bring your warmest hat and gloves. Since you are taking photos throughout the ride, you’ll need something to keep your hands warm.
4. Warm Boots: I recently lost my Uggs in my black hole of a home, but thankfully bought hiking boots this past September. If you plan on hiking at least twice a year, I would consider investing in them. You kill two birds with one stone and end up using them for everything. They act as hiking boots, snow boots, and they’re stylish too!
5. Snow Pants: Yes, snow pants can be fashionable. There I said it. As much as they are big and bulky, they look great and keep you warm. Don’t I look like a winter sports model haha!
6. Sweatpants: So I wore a pair of sweats over my thermals and under the snow pants. It’s another layer of clothing and you cannot go wrong. Remember what I said about layers? It’s the most important word for the winter season.
7. Sweater: Lastly, over your thermal, you’ll want a warm sweater. Again, don’t choose something stylish over warmth, you will thank me later!

Your New Favorite Gear for Your Next Outdoor Winter Adventure

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T-2 Hours

My family and I got there around two hours early and thank luckily we did because they offered us an earlier flight. It pays to not rush and for events like these, you don’t want to test fate. If you are not there an hour and fifteen minutes before, you automatically forfeit your flight, so be careful and plan ahead. For myself, I was coming from my house upstate so I needed to make sure I did not miss the bus. The Trailways buses are very consistent and as planned, I arrived in the city 10:50. It is only a 20 minute ride to the office and in no time we were checking in.

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As we checked in, they taught us protocols incase of an emergency because yes anything can happen. We had to take our phone cases off and use their special cases so that our phones wouldn’t fall. Could you imagine an iPhone X falling into some random city pedestrian’s hand? Right before we were going to go, they offered us a longer flight for only $50 more each! What a steal! With delight we took it and recommend the 30 minute flight 100%. You get to see more of the city and hey you only do these type of things once so why not!

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They drove us to the site and there were were, 100 feet from the helicopter. It was all getting real. The pilot joked that it was his first fight and weirdly enough helped to relieve some nerves. In about five minutes we would be off and seeing the city from a completely different perspective.

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Absolutely Breathtaking Views

Hello my name is Veronica and i am probably the most emotional person you’ll ever meet. I cry all of the time; for good and bad, but in this case, I happy crying. The city that inspires me every day to dream big, was below me. I got to see every building that makes that iconic skyline that I see on my commutes to the city. When I tell you that this is a once in a lifetime experience, I mean it in the best way. If you are an adrenaline junkie like me, this is a no brainer. Especially during the winter time, you get to see such a unique perspective of NYC. Don’t believe me, take a look at these awesome shots and try to tell me otherwise!

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So There You Have It!

Thank luckily they offered us the earlier flight, because if we went at 2pm as scheduled, we would have not been able to go due to weather conditions. It was set to snow that day so any later flights were pushed back. Told you I was lucky right?

Don’t let go of this opportunity to dream big and see NYC from indescribable views. FlyNyon is offering 70% all flights and even that special discount when you get there so for sure book the 16 minute no doors flight and you will thank me later:) Use the code FLASHSALE70 and knock this off your bucket list! Check it out here!