The concrete jungle - land of $0.99 pizza, bright billboards, and honking taxis. My first visit to the East Coast was nothing short of memorable. Trevor and I visited New York in mid October for five days, walking the busy streets, navigating the subway, and enjoying the exquisite cuisine. My first impression of New York City is that it’s both loud and lively. It captures the beauty of America with its diverse population, sky-high buildings, and charm. There is no shortage of activities, sites, and food to explore. New York captured my heart and made me feel like a part of a real crowd.
Trevor and I flew from SFO → EWR on Wednesday, October 13 and stayed through Sunday, October 17. We flew into New Jersey, which is a 40 minute drive into New York without traffic. The airport is smaller and less congested than JFK. The Uber prices are also cheaper. We had a positive experience flying into this airport! Although - we cut it extremely close on our return flight. We had to cut through the entire security line of ~100 people, begging them to let us in front of them. As we sat down in our seats, the doors to the plane closed. It was truly a miracle, but here I am writing this as I am seated on the plane 🙏🏼
Mode of transportation
New York City requires a lot of walking, so make sure you wear the most comfortable pair of shoes you own while exploring. We walked about 5 miles each day as we visited the various neighborhoods and sites. In addition to walking, we braved the intricate subways. Trevor carried the team here and got us to and from all of our points of destination. He was such a pro, I would have thought he lived in New York at one point in his life 😆 💙 There are subway stations on every block and they run every 5 minutes to get you right where you need to go. Make sure and set up Apple Pay on your phone. You can tap right through the entrance for $2.75, making it a quick process. You can also hail a yellow taxi, as they flood the busy streets at all hours of the day and night.
The Hotel
We stayed at The Sheraton New York Times Square. The location of our hotel was prime, just around the corner of the iconic Times Square and Central Park. I recommend staying here due to the convenience of its location. We stayed on the 30th floor with a high-rise view of the surrounding buildings.
Places
Check out all the cool spots we visited during our trip! Laying it out on a map helped us make the most out of our time and plan out our days.
The Itinerary
Times Square
Given that we were just a minute away from all the action of Times Square, this was the first attraction we visited. It looked just like the movies - flashing billboards, loud honking, yellow taxi cabs being hailed, and a rush of people in close proximity. There is a special energy in Times Square that is unmatched. With plenty of gift shops, restaurants, and the M&M superstore, there is a whole lot of entertainment here.
$0.99 Pizza
All across Manhattan, there are pizza places that sell slices for 99 cents. Eager to get our hands on authentic New York styled pizza, we ventured to a local spot and purchased 3 slices for $3. I couldn’t believe it! Just because of the price, I was a bit skeptical of the quality. Don’t be fooled! The taste was incredible and one of the best pizzas we had during our visit.
Joe's Pizza
Right after our 99 cent pizza, we turned the corner to the famous Joe’s Pizza that had raving reviews and plenty of famous celebrity visits. We wanted to taste the difference of the two joints. This place had a variety of options while the first one only had one pie readily available to select from. Although we enjoyed this pizza very much, the 99 cent one won our hearts, stomachs, and wallets.
Trattoria Trecolori
Continuing our palette of Italian cuisine, we had dinner at the delicious Trattoria Trecolori in Manhattan. I ordered the chicken parmesan and caesar salad as my side, enjoying every single bite taken and dreading the moment my plate was spotless. If you are visiting New York, make sure you have your COVID-19 vaccination card (either physical copy or a digital photo) and photo ID. It is required to dine indoors.
Rockefeller Center
Following our delicious dinner, we walked towards Rockefeller Center. There is a beautiful fountain with rainbow colors and flags. Surrounding the fountain is The Jimmy Fallon Show Studio and Radio City Music Hall. As a lover of pop culture, it was hard not to fan-girl over these famous spots. So many celebrities have entered through those doors!
SERRA by Birreria
I found this incredibly cute brunch spot thanks to Instagram. Take a look at New York Bucket List on Insta for some great inspiration. The restaurant is located on the rooftop of Eataly NYC Flatiron. Make a reservation in advance to ensure you get to experience the gorgeous fall decor and local market menu. They change the design based off of the season, making for a unique visit throughout the year.
Madison Square Park
After the cutest brunch, we walked across the street where we were greeted with a band of musicians playing the saxophone, bass, and cello. This park was so full of life. New Yorkers enjoyed people watching on the benches, taking their dog to the local park, and enjoying pastries while catching up with friends.
Wall Street
We hopped on the subway to visit the famous financial district of New York, known for its professionals walking the streets in suits and ties. Trevor took me to the famous bull. Make sure to rub its bronze balls - it’s supposed to bring a fortune of financial luck 🤣 🙏🏼
Statue of Liberty
Next, we walked to the Staten Island Ferry port, where we boarded a free boat that showcased the Statue of Liberty and stunning city skyline. The ferry ride was about 30 minutes each way. We greatly enjoyed seeing Lady Liberty on the blue-skied day.
One World Trade Center Observatory
We arrived at the base of the building and first paid our respects to the beautiful memorial of 9/11. The monument made us emotional about the tragedies that occurred in the city of New York that dreadful day, devastating so many lives.
Next, we visited the One World Trade Center Observatory, where we purchased tickets to visit the 102nd floor of the building. The view from up top was unbelievable. What a treat it was to see the entire city of New York from that height. We arrived around 5:45pm, at the golden hour to catch the sunset.
We stayed at the observatory while day turned into night, admiring the twinkling lights down below us. The observatory closes at 7pm, so make sure to plan accordingly!
Oculus
After exiting the observation, we found ourselves inside a very futuristic looking building called the Oculus. A Westfield Shopping Center is located inside, as well as the One World Trade Center subway station. The building is supposed to resemble a white dove with wings, leaving a child's hands.
While We Were Young
My coworker Brooke recently moved to New York for a new job at Facebook. Additionally, my other coworker Tiffany was visiting New York during the same time! We were all on the same team at Facebook and had not seen one another for 1.5 years, so we made plans to catch up over dinner and drinks 💜
The dinner menu was pre-fixe, meaning we paid $50 each for an appetizer and entree. I ordered the chicken dumplings and cheeseburger. The burger was the best I've ever had, filled with fig jam, brie, arugula, and a secret house-sauce.
Mr. Purple
After dinner, we said goodbye to Brooke who had work the next morning and made our way to Mr. Purple, a rooftop bar. The vibes of this rooftop was so lively - full of people ready to kick off their weekend. There were strung lights, a pool, and a fantastic view of New York at night.
Dominique Ansel Bakery
Most famous for their cronuts, this bakery was worth waiting in line for nearly 30 minutes. However after a minute of standing in line, an employee came out with a huge sign mentioning the cronuts were sold out. We ordered the milk cookie shots, DKA, jumbo s’more, and the Chef’s grilled cheese. Make sure to grab a table in the back patio area. The aesthetic was so cute!
Central Park
Trevor was most excited to show me his favorite place in all of New York. Greeted with horses and carriages, Central Park had a magical aura to it. The park was full of bikers, picnic goers, dogs, families, and individuals enjoying the vast greenery and warm October day. We rented bikes at the beginning of the park entrance for $15 a person for 1 hour.
We made several pit stops along the way. The first was in a huge grassy field, where people had picnic blankets set up and were playing frisbee with their friends. The park had a gorgeous view of the city sky scrapers in the horizon.
Make sure to check out the Lake at Central Park. The view from this spot is a hidden gem, especially at sunset!
La Boucherie
My cousin Geoffrey recently began his MBA at NYU and started a new job in Washington DC 👏🏼He took the 3 hour train ride into New York City that Friday night. I had not seen him in 10 years and was so excited for our reunion, and to finally introduce him and Trevor to one another 😃 We met up at a French restaurant, where we caught up over drinks and delicious food. The ambiance was high-end and a fine dining experience.
Le Bain at the Standard
After dinner, we hopped in an Uber and got in line to check out a rooftop bar. Unexpectedly, my white jacket had red stains from dinner. The first order of business was getting inside and to the bathroom to wash it out. The bathroom here is for all genders, so Trevor and Geoffrey accompanied me to the sink. Trevor, an expert at getting my stains out, used his magic and made my jacket look good as new. A word of advice - get here before the doors open! The line will become insanely long if you arrive later. We comfortably found seating on the outside terrace with a glistening view right behind us. We checked out the dance floor before heading out.
Celebrity Run-In
After our night out, we wanted pizza before heading back home. Trevor google mapped us to a nearby spot with raving reviews. There was a hefty crowd of night owls who had a similar craving as we did. To my right along the curb, I noticed a tall man who looked just like the former Bachelor, Peter Weber 🌹 I immediately squeezed Trevor’s arm and asked if that was Pilot Pete. In good old Geoffrey fashion, he started laughing at my pop culture obsessive self. I called “Peter!” not too loudly but enough to get his attention. He looked at me and gave a head nod, confirming my speculation. After a minute, I mustered up the courage to go over and say hi, inserting myself in between his group of 5 girlfriends. I mentioned it was my first visit to New York and I was loving it! He asked where I was from and we also talked about his move from LA to NYC. Before departing, I snagged a photo with him. Thanks Pilot Pete for the extra special memory!
Bleecker Street Pizza
Still on a high of my celebrity encounter, I returned back in the crowded line to share the details of our conversation to Trevor and Geoffrey 🤣 We ordered a few slices of pizza and sat outside enjoying our late night snack, where we argued whether pineapples belong on pizza. The answer is YES! Geoffrey disagreed with us, even though we snagged the very last slice of the pie. Proof the people love it!
Juliette
We made plans to get brunch with Trevor’s cousin Erin, who lives in New York. Given we were headed to Brooklyn, she recommended the perfect brunch spot. Erin spent time living in Brooklyn and was an expert in the area. It was so lovely catching up 💗
Brooklyn Bridge
To get to the Brooklyn Bridge from where we were, Erin recommended we board the nearby ferry. A few dollars a ticket, the boat ride gave us epic views along the way. We even got to go right under the bridge! Fun fact: my parents lived in Brooklyn for 5 years and my brother Danny was born here. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see their old apartment as it was an hour away from this site.
A few minute walk and we were on the Brooklyn Bridge! The scenery was epic and the walk was quite enjoyable. The weather in mid October was absolutely prime. In the mid 70’s, we explored all day without a jacket. Trevor bought me a souvenir baseball hat 🧢 the man selling was on the phone speaking Arabic, so I surprised him by interacting with him in his language.
Black Tap
Our growing appetite from walking around all day led us to a joint well known for its crazy milkshakes. While waiting outside for our table, we witnessed a Fiat trying to parallel park into a spot that seemed impossible to fit in. We observed from the curb as he spent about 15 minutes bumping repeatedly into the two cars he was trying to squish between. I found it highly entertaining and hilarious. Driving in New York looked like a complete nightmare 😵💫 we ordered the cookies and cream milkshake and mozzarella sticks to balance the sweetness.
Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill
After resting up and watching the first episode of You, Season 3 on Netflix, we decided on Japanese for a late dinner. As we walked outside our hotel, we were greeted with pouring rain and a chilly night. Trevor gave me his jacket that had a hoodie while he took my oversized denim one to cover him from the rain 💕🌧 my hero always!
McGee's
As we were walking back towards the hotel after dinner, I looked to my right and saw a huge, lit up green sign that said McGee's. My brother Danny had recommended a visit here, as the bar MacLaren’s from our favorite TV show How I Met Your Mother was based off this one. If you are a huge fan of the show, you will love this experience just as much as I did. There are plenty of tributes, red booths, and drinks to honor this wait for it…legendary show 😉
BagelWorks
On our last morning of the trip, we devoured everything bagels and orange juice to live out our full New Yorker experience. Trevor’s cream cheese flavor was sun dried tomato. Mmm!
The Met
I got to live out my Gossip Girl dreams and sit on the famous steps in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art! 🤩 To skip the long line, purchase your tickets online for $25 a piece.
The museum is divided into several stories and sections, showcasing a diverse selection of art. Make sure to grab a map brochure at the entrance and to give yourself several hours to really enjoy all that the Met has to offer. I felt a strong connection to this colorful, blended piece of art. It was so lovely to look at!
San Matteo Pizza
Following The Met, the plan we should have stuck with was to get back to our hotel, grab our luggage, order an Uber, and get to New Jersey for our flight. Instead, we decided to have one more pizza and took our boxes to Central Park to bid New York farewell. We clearly wanted to squeeze every last minute we had in the beautiful city. We scarfed down our pizza and made our way back to the Sheraton to grab our luggage. By some miracle, we made it on our flight with no time to spare.
NYC is my favorite city that I have ever visited in America. Walking amongst the rush of people made me feel so alive, especially after the previous year we have had due to COVID. There was no shortage of pizza, restaurants, and iconic views to witness. I rode the subway like a true New Yorker, got rained on, ran into a celebrity, and biked through the glorious Central Park. The city reunited me with family, friends, and crowds of people. I will forever remember this trip and already cannot wait for the next time we return 💙
