Oh my goodness. Guys. Just under a week ago I decided to take a last minute trip to New York City to visit my little sister before she finished her co-op in the Big Apple. Colleen has been in the city since May for a graphic design co-op at American Eagle. Somehow - as always - time slipped away & when I realized I only had one available weekend to make this trip happen, I had to pounce.
Six days later I'm writing this post with exploding taste buds, exciting stories & a full heart. & a whole lotta new clothes...I have so many great things to tell you about NYC - I thought I should write them out in case you, like me, have an exquisite opportunity to travel to the most iconic city in our country & are looking for a few ideas.
Shopping
Everything in fashion starts here, guys. It was totally incredible to see. I'm so pumped to tell you that 1) Hats are totally in. I have three new ones to prove it. 2) Outfits are flowing. Perfect. Theres too much great food here for tight clothes. 3) High waist, or better yet, pant rompers are all the rage. 4) Heels & strappy sandals. Why don't I have either? Time to invest.
Street vendors: bring cash because there are street vendors everywhere. You know me, always wanting to have one-of-a-kind items, there is no better way to accomplish this than to frequent the stands lining Brooklyn & Manhattan.
West Village: Home of NYU's campus. There are adorable boutiques all around West Village sprinkled with coffee shops & cupcakes everywhere you turn. My fave, The Market NYC. Cincinnatians out there - this is essentially The City Flea in an indoor setting. Amazing.
SoHo: Within walking distance of West Village is SoHo. Here the buildings were taller, the crowds were bigger & the brands were more well known. American Eagle, Madewell, Kate Spade Saturday, Zara, Necessary Clothing... there was one after another & man did it feel like we tried them all.
Touring
Colleen said I couldn't leave New York without seeing some of our American icons. So as soon as I arrived I bought a $30 seven day unlimited pass for the trains (also called the subway, but the locals call it a train. Obviously I'm trying to act like a local). This is the same pass that is used for metro. I highly suggest you invest because even though I was only in town for four days, I would have spent WAY more money had I just added to this card as I needed it.
Times Square.Of course.
Central Park is huge. We came from the Upper West Side after brunch at Calle Ocho - headed straight into Strawberry Fields & then wandered over to the Boat House.
Brooklyn Bridge is an architectural beauty. They have a walkway just for pedestrians & an amazing view.
High Line:this is an old railway line in Meatpacking District that, rather than destroying, they made into gardens. It's over a mile long with vendors & incredible views. & I don't mean just a few plants.
BRUNCH ME
Brunch in New York is a thing. It lasts for hours & usually includes bottomless drinks. I'm obsessed. On Saturday we went to Calle Ocho on the Upper West Side & on Sunday we stuck to a local spot (Colleen lives in Brooklyn) literally called The Spot, American Bistro. You HAVE to brunch when long weekend-ing in New York.
Night Life
New York has interesting rules about going out. Some places won't let you in if you're wearing shorts. They can deny you if you don't have a good guy to girl ratio (luckily our ratio was 4 girls to 1 boy) (this is totally preferred). The bars stay open til 4 a.m. There are rooftop gardens. You have to finish the night at Artichoke Pizza. Trust me.
Foodie
At the end of my weekend I realized that we ate out every single meal. I'm not upset about it. I heard somewhere on the course of my trip that if you wanted to try every restaurant in The City & ate out every meal of the day, every day of the week to do so, it would take 200 years. All I know is this is some of the best food I've ever had. I think I developed new taste buds while I was here.
All in all, it was amazing. I flash-backed to Gossip Girl scenes all weekend. & to quote Jay Z + Alicia: Concrete Jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do. Now you're in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you. Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York!!
A trillion thanks to my not-so-little sister & her roommates who made my Long Weekend in New York soooo incredible. Xoxo, guys.
