Outfit deets: hat | sunglasses | tee | coat | leggings | shoes | bag
I am currently on a plane home from Boston and I can’t wait to see my two boys-but damn, what a fun trip Britt and I had. We spent three nights in NYC and three nights in Boston and it was glorious. We haven’t traveled together since before Jackson was born and it was such a good reminder why we chose each other in the first place. We have so much fun traveling together. But don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to squeeze those babies!
I wanted to do a recap of our stay in New York because lucky for us, we have friends who reside in the city and gave us the inside scoop on restaurants, neighborhoods and activities – and basically showed us how to live like a local. This city is SO overwhelming and you can get a million recommendations on things to do, places to eat, where to stay, etc but when it comes from a good friend who also lives here, I knew I had to hit up some of the spots.
First and foremost, I really don’t think it matters where you stay although, we stayed at a Marriott right smack dab in the middle of the city near the Empire State Building and it was nice to be able to walk everywhere. But taxis and ubers are plentiful (albeit expensive AF) and it’s fairly easy to get around minus the crazy traffic.
We arrived in New York at 4 pm on Tuesday, took an uber to our hotel and immediately got ready because we were heading to HAMILTON! We legit had 20 minutes to freshen up and head out the door. Ok, Hamilton. Dude. It’s worth the hype. Before our trip, I decided to read the synopsis of the musical because the entire thing is sung or rapped (no real dialogue).. really easy to miss something and also, I’m not exactly a history buff who knows the life of Alexander Hamilton. So if you’re going to see Hamilton, in any city, read up.
After the play, we had dinner at a restaurant in Times Square called Carmine’s. Super famous Italian joint and at 10:30 pm, it was HOPPIN. Super large portions and way too much food but after a day of travel and basically snacking on almonds, a huge plate of pasta never sounded so good.
The next day, we slept in and made our way to Tribeca for brunch. Sarabeth’s has a number of locations but the one in Tribeca is STUNNING. It’s a gorgeous little spot and frequented by the Real Housewives of NY so I obviously had to check it out (bad news: I didn’t spot Ramona or Sonja). Be sure to get the avocado toast and burrata.. and a mimosa #duh.
After brunch, we went to The 9/11 Memorial and Museum. As we move farther and farther away from 2001, I just feel like it’s so important to remember that day and the people we lost. This museum is historic and it is tragically beautiful. There were so many people inside the museum but it was quiet and very somber. The artifacts that were collected from Ground Zero hold such a powerful significance and standing at the base of the towers transports you right back to September 11th. I’m glad we went and paid our respects.
Later that day, we met our friends at The Garret for a drink before dinner. The Garret has two locations, one in the West Village and one just east of Greenwich Village. The one in the West Village is a speak easy – you walk through a Five Guys burger joint, past the dudes in the kitchen, up a flight of stairs and you’re whisked into a gorgeous, intimate cocktail lounge. SO. COOL. But the one in the East Village is equally as charming. Worth a stop if you’re in the neighborhood.
We headed to Beauty and Essex on the lower East Side for dinner and it’s also a place you don’t want to skip. It has a club-like atmosphere playing old school 90’s rap- so definitely for the younger generation, although there was a 60 year old dude dancing on a table while we were there so YOLO. The women’s restroom also serves as a champagne lounge – um YES. Oh and the food.. unique and beyond tasty. I didn’t get any pictures from that meal because we were engulfed in conversation and drowning ourselves in cocktails with our close friends Joey and Zach (shout out to Jo for the majority of these recs!). But take my word, Beauty and Essex is a must for dinner.
The next day, we had zero plans – just roam the city and hit up some of the joints recommended to us. We grabbed coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee, (probably the best latte I’ve ever had), walked through the upper East Side and had lunch across from Central Park in The Plaza Food Hall. It’s an underground, high end food court that tourists don’t know about so you’re definitely mingling with the locals down there. And it has countless wine/dessert bars, restaurants, bakeries and bites. We hit up a sushi spot and it was a perfect start to the day. Grab yourself a pastry from one of the bakeries on your way out – worth it.
We walked through Cental Park, stopped for coffee at The Boathouse Cafe and made our way to the Upper West Side for more window shopping. Before dinner, we went to the top of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Time’s Square to their rooftop bar St. Cloud. It’s a great way to see Times Square without getting stuck in the tourist mess and if you’re going to see a show on Broadway, this is a great spot to hit beforehand.
For dinner that night, we went to Del Friscoes and even though it’s a “chain” it didn’t feel like it. Our server told us it’s one of the busiest restaurants in the country – if not THE busiest and I believe it. On a Thursday night at 8 pm this place was body to body. Every table taken with business men and women recapping their work day. Sounds overwhelming but it was great people watching with better food.
On our last day, we headed to NOHO near NYU and hit up Broken Coconut for matcha lattes and let me tell you, every inch of this place is Insta worthy 😉 And the avo toast.. next level. Can you tell I’m a little obsessed with avocado toast these days?
Now for the places we didn’t get to on this trip but came highly recommended and we will definitely hit up in the future.. here is our wish list:
Great Jones Spa: Located in NOHO/Astor Place, this is a beautiful loft spa with soaking tubs, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and beautiful treatment rooms if you want some self care and a day of pampering.
Spin: A ping pong bar that the guy in your life would be obsessed with 😉 A social club, ping pong joint with rad music – sounds pretty cool to me. One just opened in downtown Seattle too so that’s next for date night.
The Standard Hotel: This place has a killer top floor lounge and bar with stunning views of the Hudson.
Pure Yoga: Even on vacation, I love working out and this place is a spa like yoga studio. YUP where do I sign up?
If there are any places you’ve heard about or been to that you think we need to see, comment below! Until next time, NYC.. you magical city 🙂
Happy you had a great time. I recognize some spots from your post, but most of them are new to me. So thanks for sharing your experience 😉
This is awesome! It’s so worth traveling somewhere when you have referrals on the best places to go. We are heading to Boston next month for the marathon..any recommendations for restaurants there? Thanks!