New York City, you will always have my heart! There is just something so magical about this city. I would hop on a plane back to NYC any chance I get! I’ve played around with the idea of moving to NYC, and perhaps in the future an opportunity will present itself. I went for the first time last year for NYFW, and then again this year for fashion week. There is still SO much for me to see and do there, but I wanted to put together my New York City travel guide with all of my favorite spots/tips from my two experiences so far! I hope this will help you out if you’re planning a trip to the city, or if it’s your first time there! I’d love to hear if you end up trying out any of my recommendations 🙂 You can see my post from the Brooklyn Bridge here and my Self-Portrait dress post here. Here is my post from NYFW last year!
Airport: Both times I have flown in/out of La Guardia I’ve always had a great experience! The airport itself is easy to navigate and everything moved quickly each time I was there. The designated Uber lot for pickup is really great and easy to use, too. Both times I have flown in on the earliest flight Friday morning so that I still had the afternoon to get to my meetings/events, and this year we had the latest flight out Sunday night so we had the morning to spend in the city.
Hotels: My first trip to NYC in 2017 I stayed with The Quin located in Midtown, and I can’t recommend it enough! The hotel is beautiful and the customer service is wonderful. It was never too crowded or hectic the entire weekend even with NYFW going on. It’s just a block away from 5th Avenue shopping, and Central Park is right around the corner which I loved being able to walk in the park in the morning/evenings!
Where To Stay/Areas I Love: Both times that I have been to NYC now, I have stayed in Midtown. There are things that I love/dislike about the Midtown area, but a few of the main reasons I chose to stay in this area both times are that I enjoyed being close to Central Park, for my first ever trip to NYC it was a good location for 5th Avenue shopping, and it was just a good home base location for all of my events/things I had planned! It’s also close to things like Top of the Rock, the Upper East Side where The Met is, and our Broadway show was right around the corner. The few things that I dislike about Midtown are that it’s pretty close to Times Square which is not my cup of tea, and it can just get pretty hectic and traffic more crazy than other areas I spent time in.
Other areas that I’ve spent time in, love and want to stay in next time are SoHo and the Flatiron District. I would love to be able to see the West Village next time I go! I also adore the Upper East Side, but in terms of a home base to stay while traveling, it’s just a little far if you’re wanting to do a lot of things that are down in the SoHo area, Brooklyn Bridge, etc.
Where To Eat:
– Pietro Nolita: It’s the cutest little pink building, I’m sure you have seen it on Instagram at some point or another! The restaurant itself is soo tiny inside, but the food is absolutely delicious! Get the pasta, it’s so yummy! I got the cacio e pepe. Don’t forget to take a picture outside for the ‘gram. Be prepared for a possible wait, since it is such a little restaurant.
– Paesano: We went here as we were wandering through Little Italy, and it was some of the best Italian I’ve ever had! I love that a lot of the restaurants on that street are little family owned ones, and we weren’t sure which one to choose, but the sweet Italian men standing outside Paesano invited us in and said to give us the best table! It was so charming inside with the candles and lights hanging, and they were playing some of my favorite Italian music that I grew up listening to! They served a delicious basket of bread and we ordered carbonara and my all-time favorite red wine, Chianti. It felt just like we were back at my grandpa’s house having dinner! They were all so kind there, and I loved that they were all sitting having a meal too and speaking in Italian to each other! It was the authentic experience, and it wasn’t pricey either.
– The Malt House: We spent Saturday morning in the Financial District (such a pretty area!) after going to the Brooklyn Bridge, and then stopped here for brunch. Hands down one of my favorite brunches ever, it was so, so delicious. Waffles are my weakness, so my sister and I each order a side of waffles (it was a whole waffle with berries on top, ha!) We then split a plate that had the most amazing breakfast potatoes, the tastiest scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and sausage! It was perfect.
– Mariella: I could honestly eat a piece of pizza everyday and never tire of it, so I always get excited for pizza in NYC! Saturday night we were ready for a chill night, so we grabbed a pepperoni pizza to-go from Mariella (it was recommend to us!) and brought it back to the hotel! Oh my gosh, it was yummy!! Patsy’s also came highly recommend to us but we didn’t have time to make it there!
– The Wayfarer: This is the Quin hotel restaurant, and breakfast here was included in our stay, but anyone can go there, you don’t have to be staying at the hotel. The waffles and avocado toast with mimosas were my favorite! It’s so pretty inside, too!
– Shake Shack: Up until a few weeks ago, we didn’t have one here in KC, so it was always a treat to go while in NYC. I’ll never say no to Shake Shack! The location on the Upper East Side is really nice! We went after going to The Met!
Sweet Treats:
– Chip NYC: What I would do to have one of their chocolate chip cookies right now! It’s safe to say I’m a chocolate chip cookie addict, they are seriously my weakness. So when I say these are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had, you can believe me 😉 They are soo thick, and so warm and gooey on the inside. The outside is just perfectly crisp, and then you break it open and it’s like heaven. P.S.- the second best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had are the ones that Nordstrom makes in their cafes (totally random, but they’re amazing!)
– Junior’s: After chocolate chip cookies, cheesecake would definitely be another of my favorite desserts. Junior’s came highly recommend to us for cheesecake, and it did not disappoint!! I love just a really good traditional cheesecake, nothing fancy on top, and their’s was perfect. We grabbed a slice to go after our Broadway show that was right next door!
Things To See & Places To Go:
– Top of the Rock: If you’re looking for an epic NYC view that will give you alll the feels for how incredible New York City is, you will want to head to the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) I’ve gone both times now, and I could go back a million more times and never tire of those beautiful views.
– Brooklyn Bridge: I went for the first time this year, and it was breathtaking! It’s for sure one of those iconic NYC sights that you will fall in love with. How I would love to live in the city and be able to run on that bridge every morning like everyone else was! If you want to get some great photos without many people in the background, go early in the morning between like 6-9am. We were there around 8am and it was lightly sprinkling which also helped keep it quiet. There was a fair amount of people walking/running/biking, but we were totally able to snap a bunch of photos in between the breaks of people since the bridge is so huge!
– Washington Square Park: I love the beautiful arch (it reminds me of Paris!), and the surrounding park area to sit and relax for a minute!
– Central Park: Central Park is, of course, beautiful. I could spend all day walking through, listening to the people set up playing their saxophones and music. It’s just so magical being in the park surrounded by the city. I’m dying to go back when the fall leaves have changed, and also at Christmastime when it’s covered in snow! (Home Alone 2 anyone?)
– The Met: If you are an art lover like myself and my sister, definitely spend an afternoon at The Met! We happened to be there while the Heavenly Bodies exhibit was there this year, and it was incredible.
– The Flatiron Building– The Flatiron district is one of my favorites, and the building itself is one of my favorite sights in the city! It’s such a fun area to spend the day in, and there’s also great shopping!
– Broadway Show: I went to my first show this year, and it was truly incredible!! My sister and I absolutely loved the movie Anastasia growing up, so I was thrilled that we were able to see it the weekend we were there. The movie itself has such great songs and drama, so it was the perfect Broadway show, they were amazing! I wanted to see another show as soon as it was over, ha! Tip: if you happen to end up in the Broadhurst theatre, bring a jacket or something warm!! It seriously felt like 30 degrees in the theatre I was shivering the entire time, ha!
Please let me know if you ever have any other questions about NYC, or about anything we did! XO, Rachel
