I wanted to put together a must-do list for anyone coming to New York City that's not your stock standard Times Square/Empire State touristy stuff, although these attractions are wonderful, I wanted to share some of the places to go that you may have not heard of that you can do in between the main attractions.
See
The High Line - A free public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets of Manhattans West Side with stunning views over the Hudson River and the city. A photographers dream! grab a coffee and stroll across it on a fresh winter morning.
Runs from Gansevort St in the Meatpacking District to West 34th St
www.thehighline.org
Central Park - obviously this is still pretty touristy, but I couldn't leave it off the list. I can imagine there would be so much to do here in the warmer months, but if you are here during winter, then I definitely recommend a walk through the park when it is covered in snow
www.centralparknyc.org
Top of the Rock - an unobstructed 360 degree view of Manhattan, 70 floors up. Hands down the best view in the city. Tickets are $27 for adults, but we purchased a combo ticket when we went to the Museum of Modern Art which was $40 for both (save about $10 per person).
30 Rockefeller Plaza, between 5th & 6th Ave
www.topoftherocknyc.com
Brooklyn Bridge - One of my favourites, we ended up walking the bridge 3 or 4 times. The architecture is incredible and the view is even better. If you are there with a special someone, do what we (and hundreds of others) did and buy a padlock, write both your names and the date on it, and attach it somewhere along the bridge to ensure you will return one day.
Lower Manhattan, head down broadway and the access bridge is off City Park Hall
Williamsburg - Catch the subway from Manhattan to head North of the main parts of Brooklyn where you will find endless cafes, quirky vintage stores and cool brownstones. Explore the side streets to find the latest is street art by ROA - Belgium's answer to Banksy.
Catch the L Train to Lorimer Station
Shop
Century 21 - Before I came here, this was on everyone's list of recommendations they gave to me, and now I know why. Century 21 is a haven of designer clothing, accessories and shoes. I stocked up on Nikes and some great exercise gear, and the President filled his annual quota of socks and jocks.
22 Courtland St, Financial District
www.c21stores.com
Brooklyn Flea - I could have spent the whole day here (and eaten my way around) in vintage heaven, lusting after the most incredible pieces of furniture, none of which I could bring home with me unfortunately, but still enjoyed looking through all the beautiful homewares, jewellery, vintage maps and all the pretty things on offer. I am coming home full of inspiration (and just full in general, I ate way too much here).
Various locations, we went to the one at 80 North 5th St (at Wythe Ave), Williamsburg
Soho - There are of course all the chain store regulars like Sephora, Zara, H&M etc, but Soho also has some beautiful boutiques, as well as harder to find designers like Phillip Lim & Alexander Wang. Less hectic and touristy then shopping on 5th ave or around Times Square, Soho and its gorgeous cobblestoned streets seem to attract many of the locals.
Head down Broadway or past Canal St
Eat
Best Breakfast - Egg Restaurant - I love when cafes dare to do things differently, and Egg nails it, from the quirky farm-to-table menu options, the french press coffee, complimentary doughnut holes to munch on before your meal arrives and crayons to draw on the paper tablecloth.
135 North 5th St, Williamsburg/Brooklyn
www.eggrestaurant.com/menus/breakfast/
Best Pizza - Village Pizza - There is no shortage of places to get a slice, but our favourite was village for its thin and crispy base, rich tomato sauce, decent variety of toppings and not too greasy. I went with good old Margherita and it hit the spot.
65 8th Ave, West Village
Best Burger - Shake Shack - People line up around the block for hours just to taste the burgers, fries and shakes here. It lived up to the hype, although we were lucky to get ours during a visit to Brooklyn, where we only lined up for about 10mins. I got the mushroom burger, which had a crumbed and fried mushroom as the patty and it was great.
Various locations, we went to 409 Fulton St, Brooklyn, or you could wear your comfiest shoes and get your elbows ready to stand in line at 691 8th Ave in Times Square (or at another 2 locations in Manhattan)
Best Bagel - Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Co - Join the locals (and the back of the line) to choose from over 10 different types of bagels made in-house, with your choice from about 20 different cream cheese based spreads. The bagels are heavenly and others simply do not compare. Get your coffee elsewhere, it tastes like cats piss here.
286 8th Ave, Chelsea
www.bkbagel.com
Best Cupcake - Georgetown Cupcake - This is heaven for anyone with a sweet tooth, Georgetown Cupcakes are light with shitloads of icing, just how I like my sugar fix. choose from one of the faves, the rotating menu or if you are gluten intolerant or just a pain in the ass in general they have gluten free and vegan options. Our faves were the red velvet & salted caramel.
111 Mercer Street, Nolita
www.georgetowncupcake.com
Best Coffee - Birch Coffee - Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a fully functioning coffee addict and refuse to touch instant with a 10 foot pole, and can barely string a sentence together until I've had my long macchiato. New York City threatened to send me into a spiral of withdrawal and caffeine associated psychosis, as it seemed the definition of coffee here loosely translates to "small bowl of steamed milk" which simply is not going to cut it. I managed to hunt down a handful of little independent coffee joints around the West Village that can churn to a decent cup, my fave being Birch, for it's perfectly brewed coffee and witty banter.
56 7th Ave, West Village
www.birchcoffee.com
Best Overall - Chelsea Market - You could eat here every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner and try something different each time. Chelsea Market has something for everyone. Some notable mentions are:
* Beyond Sushi - healthy vegan sushi rolls, salads and bowls made with 6 grain rice and tons of exciting flavours to choose from
* Buddakan - Modern Asian cuisine in sexy and sophisticated surroundings. This was the location of Carrie & Bigs wedding rehearsal dinner in the first SATC movie.
* Dickson's Farmstand Meats - If you love your meat (which I don't), then get your carnivorous ass down to Dickson's, where you can choose from a range of gourmet cuts to take home and cook yourself, or a takeaway container containing rotisserie chicken, mac n cheese and roasted brussel sprouts.
* Los Tacos No. 1 - follow the trail of smoke to Los Tacos, where the tortillas are made on site and the fillings are super fresh, never greasy, and taste exactly how mexican food should.
* Num Pang - A modern twist on the traditional ban mi (Vietnamese rolls) with fillings ranging from catfish, salmon, spicy tofu, roasted cauliflower steak and everything in between.
* The Green Table - at least 1 dinner here is a must! This place is one of the city's first farm to table restaurants with an interesting and beautifully presented menu that delivers on taste and is reasonably priced. The cocktail list here is the bomb too, I had a warm home made apple cider with whiskey, which had me nicely tipsy and lazy eyed by the end of the night.
* The Lobster Place - When we first walked through Chelsea Market we couldn't help but notice just how many people were sitting in front of a plate with a whole lobster on it. The President is a huge seafood lover, so literally lost his shit when he finally got to have one. One day he will love me as much as he loved the lobster, which we lovingly named Pinchy. RIP Pinchy, you made a young man very happy.
Shannon, thanks so much for including Shake Shack on your must-do list! Hope you had a great stay in NYC, and our team can't wait to see you again next time you're in the States.
ReplyDelete-Brandy, Shake Shack