New York City

YOU EITHER LOVE NEW YORK OR YOU HATE NEW YORK

My very first time in New York City was with my closest friends. After losing my brother, one of my best friends planned a trip to New York to get my mind off things. It was an incredible experience to enjoy the company of my girls exploring the city. Our trip consisted more of touristy things and having a typical New York moment.

My second time in New York was with my mom and we did more of what the locals do. Experience the NYC food, enjoy the coffee shops in SoHo and shop on Fifth Avenue.

Here’s a quick itinerary for New York for first timers:

Top of Rockefeller Center (Top of The Rock)
Brooklyn Bridge & make it to pier 2 on the Brooklyn side- It has a nice view of the skyline
Central Park
Grand Central Terminal
Flat Iron Building & 5th Ave
Washington State Park
9/11 Memorial & Financial District
Statue of Liberty
Times Square
The High Line

GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL

If you’re a Gossip Girl fan like me, please try to find the Hidden Bar at Grand Central Terminal. It’s called Campbell Bar and it’s one of the opening scenes of Gossip Girl with Serena at that Bar. I won’t tell you where it is but I dare you to find it. It’ll be a nice little ice breaker for you and your friends for possibly your first day in New York.

PLACES TO EAT IN NEW YORK:

Obviously there’s no bad choice of places to eat in New York. I haven’t had a bad meal there yet. Here are some of my favorites brunch places:

Citizens of Chelsea– This is such a cute spot I recommend for brunch if you’re starting your day in the Chelsea area or in the Meatpacking District. There Avocado Toast with a beetroot latte is so delicious. Because of them, I am inspired to learn how to make my own beetroot latte at home.

While we were Young-Cute & Chic! This is my favorite brunch place in NYC. It’s cute, girly, pink and their lavender and mauve inspired cocktails were the highlight of my trip. It’s such a tiny place, so I recommend getting there early as soon as they open. We were the first ones in line and waited outside till they opened their doors.

Outro NYC-Retro & Delicious! Their avocado toasts here are creative and delicious. It’s a quick spot where you can grab and go or if you’re lucky enough to find a spot, you can enjoy your avocado toast with a signature latte.

Pietro Nolieta (Pink as Fuck)-The popular spot on Elizabeth Street because its PINK. I came here for coffee and dessert. It’s super tiny yet cute. Everything is PINK and that’s the only reason it caught my eye.

Some of my favorite lunch and dinner spots in the city are:

Toro Loco (Stone Street) -If you are in Financial District and have a chance to visit the oldest street in NYC- Stone Street, I highly recommend stopping and having some tacos at Toro Loco. Their cocktails were strong for me but they were delicious especially paired with the tacos.

Tacombi – Lets meet for tacos! Tacombi is everywhere in the city and you can not go wrong with tacos. You just can’t. The ambience, the customer service, the food- highly recommend. I’m sorry, but I’m from California and we have the best tacos until I met Tacombi. California no longer has the best tacos anymore.

Spaghetti Incidient– Quick Italian bite to go. Located in the Soho and it’s delicious. Italian food is one thing in Italy- but when you come across it in New York, ahhh it’s too die for and for sure I felt like I was in Italy for a moment.

Pizza Beach-A cute little gem located in the Soho. I love the pizza here. The atmosphere brings a whole another vibe here. Honest opinion, if you don’t go here- then did you really go to New York?

Souvlaki GR– A little Mykonos in NYC. This is place is one of the many places in the Soho area. If you love gyros, this is a MUST. I highly recommend this place for the food but also of the facade. It makes for a perfect Instagram photo.

Eataly-A Mall of Italian Food! Who would have thought that you can’t have a mall filled with different choices. This is more of a market with wines, cheeses, baguettes. It’s heaven. You have an option of choosing from a few different restaurants.

Halal Guys– if you prefer street food and are one of those people who loves to eat on the go, I highly recommend Halal Guys. Their food carts are almost everywhere in the city.

Street food in NYC is the best and if this is your thing-you’ll have plenty of options to try. The street food in New York is damn right appetizing.

The Best Dessert Places in New York City:

(I won’t go in detail about these dessert places because each of them are unique and yummy at the same time-it just depends on your preference).

Big Gay Ice Cream
Black Tap
ConeChurro
Molly’s Cupcakes
Wowfulls Waffles
Sweets by Chloe

COFFEE SHOPS IN NYC:

Felix Roasting Co.
Marche Maman
Urban Backyard
LROOM cafe
Remi Flower & Coffee
Supermoon Bakehouse
1803nyc
Tinys
Cha Cha Matcha

New York has no shortage of coffee shops. There are far way too many to choose from. These are a few of my recommendations. If you are one of those people that needs to photograph your latte with coffee table aesthetics, I recommend you going early. I regret not being able to photograph my coffee at Supermoon Bakehouse and Remi Flower & Coffee. 1803nyc is the one cafe I got extremely lucky at. There was no one inside and I was able to take such a cute photo of their floral wallpaper.

LET’S MEET IN BROOKLYN FOR TACOS

230 Fifth Rooftop

230 Fifth has to be my favorite rooftop. It’s beautiful. We went during the day and went back again a few nights later. The views are amazing. The atmosphere is amazing and overall, you are just going to have a wonderful time. The lounge inside is just as beautiful, so if its too cold to chill outside on the roof, don’t feel ashamed that you won’t have a good view. Inside the view from the windows are just as nice. The vibe inside makes it just as fun with the gorgeous bar and the upscale music. I will definitely go here again on my next trip to New York.

ROOFTOPS IN NEW YORK:

I’m obsessed with beautiful views and admiring those views with a glass of wine. Rooftops are huge on my travel itineries and here are a few of my favorite rooftop bars and lounges in New York.

230 Fifth– The most popular yet super elegant. This is located right off 5th Ave and in close proximity of EATALY.

Mr. Purple Lounge– I believe this is a newer rooftop in Soho but it would be my go to spot for an early evening cocktail to beat that New York humidity and catch in the skyline views real fast.

Le Bain Lounge– Among the finest of them all with views of the Hudson River and it’s located in the Meatpacking District. I’ve experienced this in the evening hours and it was a really nice lounge with the dance floor and some great music. I haven’t experienced it yet during happy hour so it’s definitely on my list next.

St Cloud at the Knickbocker Hotel located in Times Square– Located in Times Square- I personally prefer Times Square from the top with the views rather than being run over by tourists on the ground. This is a nice place with great atmosphere to quick a glass of wine before heading to a Broadway Show. A glass of wine is more on the pricy side here because of the location but if you’re up for it, then it’s definitely worth the views.

PHD Rooftop Lounge-My first experience there was incredible and the view was the most important thing that I cared for. The NYC skyline is such a beauty. In the late night hours, this place is a such a poppin club where you can dance the night away. It is crowded during the late night hours- so if you can find yourself a booth or happily get invited to a booth-trust me, you’re experience will be over the top.

PHD Rooftop Lounge

The views are all gorgeous obviously; however, some are more breathtaking than the others.

Aladdin Broadway Show

If you’ve been to New York and never watched a Broadway show, I’m sorry to tell you, but you’re life must suck. The girls and I experienced our first trip to New York and ALL of us are MAJOR Disney Fans….So the only Broadway show we wanted to watch was obviously Aladdin.

Aladdin was by far amazinggg!!! I’m not going to ruin it for those of you who haven’t seen it, but I will tell you that it’s a MUST. The Broadway Characters did such a wonderful job, I was really impressed. It had been a while since I watched the movie Aladdin, but after seeing this play; not a single scene of the movie was missed. You have to remember, this is a Musical, so there will be singing and dancing every so often.

During my second time in NYC, I had my second Broadway experience and watched “Pretty Woman.” I don’t want to ruin this experience for you; but it was absolutely amazing. Props to the characters-they did such an incredible job. I am officially obsessed with Broadway Musicals.

THE PLAZA HOTEL

Home Alone 2 was shot in New York City and we know the Oooo’s and Awe’s you made when Kevin McAlister walked into the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Yep, when the girls and I went, it was beyond the Ooooo’s and Awe’s. Obviously back in the 90’s, the hotel was a bit dated. When we went recently, it was remodeled and it looked even nicer then what it did in the movie. The hotel inside is beautiful. It definitely looks like a Palace. The architecture is amazing. This is a MUST, even if you stop in to just have a cocktail or High Tea, this hotel will not disappoint you. Every corner of the hotel was gorgeous.

My mom and I experienced the full on High Tea Service here and I recommend it. If you are big on high tea- I truly recommend this. The wait staff is not like your typical New Yorker; they are very friendly and helpful when it comes to tea selections and what not.

TOP OF THE ROCK, OBSERVATION DECK

I’m sure you’ve heard of the view from the Empire State Building is breathtaking. Well, we didn’t check out the view from the Empire State Observatory Deck. We decided to see the view of New York City from the Top of the Rock in Rockefeller Center. Wouldn’t you rather see the view of New York City with the Empire State Building in it?

STATUE OF LIBERTY

During our time in New York, we took a ferry tour to visit Lady Liberty also known as The Statue of Liberty. For those of you who don’t know, this is not the original statue of liberty. The original statue of liberty is in Paris, France. Anyways, the statue of lady liberty was gift given from the French. The statue looks huge from a distance, but when looking at it from close, it looks like its 4 feet tall. She’s a beauty located on the Hudson River near New Jersey.

9/11 MEMORIAL, ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER

The 9/11 Memorial was one of the toughest sites we saw. It was really emotional. You can just feel the sadness and vibe as soon as you get to this site. One of the hardest things was to accept the fact that all these innocent people woke up one morning, went to work and never thought their life would end there. Many of these people probably didn’t even kiss their spouses good bye or tell their children how much they love them. It’s sad and breaks my heart.

On the bright side, I am amazed in how well of a job they have done in building the memorial and making the entire site more beautiful than ever.

TIMES SQUARE

New York City is not a city, it’s a world. Times Square is crazy and hectic. I enjoyed it for the first 20 minutes and after that I was ready to get out of there. It’s nice to go visit for a bit and take a few pictures. Its crazy hectic that you have people running over your feet with strollers. When I was younger, I would always say I want to go to Times Square to go see where the ball is dropped. Yea, after going to Times Square, I realized that I don’t ever want to go back to Times Square again. Maybe I’ll go take a picture or two…or I’ll find a rooftop in Times Square and enjoy the view from there instead. On your first trip to New York, I would say, definitely go check it out and experience it for yourself.

Pietro Nolita

This is a cute all PINK cafe for brunch or just to even hang out and come take pictures. My reason for going here: Well, it’s obvious, it’s all PINK, super girly and Instagram worthy. I love it. I would recommend adding this cafe to your New York itinerary.

Sweets by Chloe

Sweets by Chloe is a gluten free, vegan dessert and coffee place. It’s pink, cute and girly. It’s a trendy and hipster place located in the Greenwich Village of NY.

CENTRAL PARK

Central Park is huge! You can spend hours here. I would love to sit here read a book and enjoy a little picnic. Every corner of this park has some Hollywood Historic Moment. For instance, Sex and the City, Gossip Girl and the Met Steps, Home Alone 2, Maid in Manhattan and even the family sitcom of Friends. Wear your walking shoes because the day you tour central park- you will get at least 10,000 steps.