New York City – the Big Apple, the city that never sleeps, concrete jungle where dreams are made of…
I haven’t been to NYC since summer 2014 and 5 years later, it was so good to be back!
The restaurant and bar scene is incredible here and Liz and I were keen to try as many places as we could… but so much to do, so little time! We had a blast regardless hanging with the girls and catching up with old friends.
Day 1
We walked around Chinatown and went to Joe’s Steam Rice Roll for lunch – we had the one with prawns and eggs and it was delicious!
We headed to Battery Park and to the Whiteferry Terminal and caught the free Staten Island ferry to Staten Island and back. The views from the ferry, overlooking the New York skyline is worth it! You can also see the Statue of Liberty!
A short walk from Battery Park is the Charging Bull and The New York Stock Exchange.
The 9/11 Memorial area is quite sombering but worth walking around the plaza and pool that honour the victims.
Very close by to the memorial is the Oculus building as well as lots of colourful street art.
We had some pizza at Champion Pizza for a little snack.
We met up with the girls at Jimmy At The James in Soho. It had great views across NYC and it was nice drinking frose in the sun and by the pool.
Liz and I had a 6:30pm time slot to visit the Top of The Rock at the top of the Observatory with views across Manhattan, Central Park and Brooklyn.
A ticket at this prime sunset time costs US$52.26 including booking fees so it’s not cheap but it was worth the views. However it was also super crowded so if you’re not interested in seeing the sunset, it is definitely worth coming at off peak times.
You can’t come to New York City and not go to Times Square…
For dinner, we went to Chinese Tuxedo with the girls. We shared a bunch of dishes and they were all very good!
Day 2
We woke up early and went to the Brooklyn Bridge at 7am when it was practically empty aside from locals commuting.
Next we went to Grand Central Station and walked past the famous New York Public Library.
An icon of NYC – the Flat Iron building.
For breakfast, we went to Sadelle’s in Soho. I had the salmon which is served with a bagel, tomato, cucumber, onion and capers. It was so fresh and delicious but a little steep at $25.
Afterwards, we headed towards Central Park and went to Levain Bakery for their famous cookies. It was so damn good!
We then explored and chilled out at Central Park.
For lunch, we went to Carbone which is an upscale Italian place. They give complimentary cured meat, burrata and foccacia which was nice. We shared the spicy vodka rigatoni and the lobster ravioli – both very good but again, quite steep in price at over US$30-$35 for a pasta dish!
Momofuku Milk Bar – Liz and I shared the cereal milk ice cream which was good!
In the evening, we met Lisa at 50 Bowery Hotel rooftop bar. We had a few cocktails and caught the sunset (which was on fire!) before heading out to La Esquina in Soho for a Mexican dinner. We shared margaritas, guacamole, tacos, quesadillas which were good.
Day 3
We started the morning by heading to Hudson Yards. The Vessel can be booked in advance up to 2 weeks in advance for free. You can walk up the spiral staircases and explore the building and see the city from above from different angles.
We then walked The High Line before heading to brunch at Citizens of Chelsea.
Next we went to Chelsea Market and we went to Los Tacos No. 1 for their famous tacos. It was probably the best carne asado taco I’ve had!
We walked around Greenwich Village and stopped by Carrie’s house from Sex and The City. We then got a slice of pizza from Bleeker Street Pizza (get the Nonna Maria) the and went to Magnolia Bakery and got their red velvet cupcake.
We then headed towards East Village and felt like Korean so went to K’ook which was good value for money and pretty authentic. Afterwards, we went to Il Laboratorio del Gelato which was amazing!
For dinner, we went to Momofuku Noodle Bar in Columbus Circus. It was a great catch up with Helli and we shared the prawn buns and I had the beef brisket ramen.
Day 4
The morning started at Joe’s Pizza in Broadway.
We then took the ferry to Brooklyn. The day was cloudy but the views are still good.
For lunch, we went to Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn. Liz and I shared the roast prime rib of beef and USDA beef rib. It’s not cheap but it was some of the best steak I’ve had!
In the evening, we went to NoMad Bar, a classy bar at the NoMad Hotel for some drinks before dinner.
For dinner, we went to Atoboy, a Korean fusion restaurant in Nomad. We had a variety of dishes which had a twist and it was delicious!
I haven’t seen Abby since 2014 when I was last in NYC and I haven’t seen Manisha since before I left for London in 2017 so it was so nice to catch up with them both!
We headed to The Wren and then Piano’s for drinks and a dance with the girls for our last night!
Day 5
We stayed a night at CitizenM in Bowery which had amazing views from our room.
We felt a little rough in the morning but went to Jack’s Wife Freda in Soho to meet up with Victoria for brunch. We met Victoria in Positano last year so it was really nice to catch up!
After brunch, I headed to The Metropolitan Museum of Art to meet Abby. It was really great to see all the exhibitions including the “CAMP” one (luckily it was the final day!)
We went to Eataly in Flat Iron and shared the burrata, the ragu and pesto pastas which were all very good!
Before my flight, I had final drinks with Lisa at The Public Rooftop. The views are amazing from there.
It was a wonderful 5 days in New York City with jam pack activities, eating and drinking our way through and catching up with old friends! I’ll be back!
Day In, Day Out 