Weekend in New York City

Hello there! It’s Monday morning and I am back from a wonderful weekend in the Big Apple. We left Friday morning and returned Sunday night at 11 pm. We met up with our friends Friday afternoon and headed to Brooklyn! First we had some bowls from Pret a Manger near our hotel in Chelsea. I had the lobster bowl and fresh pressed juice and it was amazing!

Starting at the Brooklyn Bridge, we enjoyed the views and stopped at a bar called Gran Electrica for some mojitos. We hopped on the ferry to Bay Ridge and then took an Uber to Coney Island. We had some ice cream and then went into Luna Park to ride some roller coasters! We rode the Cyclone, the Thunderbolt and the Wonder Wheel and had a blast. We got hot dogs and cheese fries from Nathan’s and some beer from one of the many beer stands. I absolutely loved the vibes at Coney Island. I do wish I would have brought a bathing suit because the beach was really cool! Maybe one day I’ll go back and make a day out of it.

We took an Uber back from Coney Island to our hotels to shower and get ready for the evening. One we were ready, we walked down to the Empire State Building and got pizza from Little Italy. The pizza was delicious and so so very greasy! We got tickets to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building at 9:30 so we walked through the exhibit and rode the elevator up to the observation deck. The views were overwhelming! Once we stepped outside, I’ll admit I quickly became afraid of heights. It was windy but clear skies and perfect for seeing all the lights and skyscrapers. I definitely recommend!

Got some good sleep that first night and woke up at 8 in the morning to start our second day. We got bacon, egg, cheese and avocado bagels from Ess-a-Bagel and took them to Central Park for a little picnic. This was by far my favorite part of the weekend. Central Park was full of cute doggies, families, music and vendors and beautiful views of the skyline. We took a short ride on the row boats but it was extremely hot so we only did that for about 20 minutes. For only $20, it was definitely worth it! We got some pictures at the Galatia Bridge, got some smoothies and made our way to Hudson Yards.

We ubered to Hudson Yards and were delightfully greeted by The Vessel, a super modern structure outside the shopping center. Inside the shopping center were many luxury stores like Fendi and Dior, but we settled for Zara and H&M for a couple new outfits for the rest of our trip. I was very excited to see a Ladureé cart inside the mall and I got macarons for myself and my family. We had some lunch at Pennsylvania 6 and indulged in mimosas and the best eggs Benedict I’ve ever tasted.

With full bellies, we ubered back to the hotel for a shower and power nap before the evening ahead.

Feeling refreshed after our nap, we got ready for a fancy dinner at Smith & Wollensky. We drank wine, ate amazing filet mignon, mac and cheese and a salted caramel chocolate pot. 10/10! After dinner, we ubered to Times Square and enjoyed all of the lights and billboards. We went to the Hotel Hendricks for some drinks and views on the rooftop. What followed was many more drinks and adventures I will leave out of this blog.

On the third and last day, we slept in until about 10:30 am, checked out of our hotel and left our bags with the attendant so we could do a little more sightseeing before the trip was over. We started with some drip coffee and brunch at Friedman’s. After brunch, we went to the Flat Iron District to see the famous skinny building and relax a bit at Madison Square Park. We got some chicken sandwiches for lunch and walked the streets just enjoying the scenery. Our last stop was Angelina, a famous Parisian cafè with a location in NYC! We had more macarons and decadent hot chocolate in the cutest cups. I always like a little bit of Paris when I can get it.

We ubered back to the hotel, picked up our luggage and headed to the airport. TSA at LaGuardia was surprisingly swift and pain-free. Our flight left at 8:00 pm and we arrived back in Raleigh at 9:30 pm.

Overall I had such an amazing time in New York and I can’t wait to go back. Central Park was definitely the best part for me but all of it was absolutely wonderful! Weekend trips like this are my favorite.

Thanks for reading!