Hey guys! I hope that you guys are doing well. I can’t believe that it’s taken me this long to sit down and actually write a blog post about my trip to New York in October. I’m very excited to share it with you guys!!
So, a couple of my friends and I decided to go to New York for a little long weekend getaway. We flew there on Friday and came back on Monday. Flying in on Monday was so much cheaper than on Sunday, so I’m glad we did that!!
On Friday, we got into the Laguardia around 9:20. We didn’t want to pay for a driver or Uber/taxi. So, before we went on our trip, we looked into taking public transit to our hotel. That option won, and looking back, it was a great experience for us. We took the Q70 bus (it was free) to the subway stop in Queens. From Queens, we took the subway all the way down to the Financial District.
I’ll be the first to say that the hotel we picked was not my first choice, nor was it my favorite. We settled on the Millenium Downtown because of the price. The lobby was very nice, and most of the staff we encountered were amazing! By 11, we had dropped our luggage and were ready to head out into the city!!
The girls and I were hungry and in serious need of coffee, so our first stop was breakfast. We went to Zucker’s Bagels. It was a few blocks from our hotel. The bagels were decent, but I wasn’t a fan of the coffee. All in all, it was a fine place to grab some food. After breakfast, we headed even further downtown to go to the Staten Island Ferry. It is totally free and runs every 30 minutes. If you don’t really care to go to the Statue of Liberty, this is a great way to see it! We spent about an hour and a half going to Staten Island and back, but it was so worth it for the views!!
For lunch, we had already made reservations at a Harry Potter-themed pub called the Cauldron. The drinks were all witchy-themed, so it was perfect for Halloween! The girls and I split appetizers. The drinks and food were pretty good, but I’m not sure that I would go back.
After we ate lunch, we did a little more exploring around the Finacial District. We saw Wall Street, The New York Stock Exchange, and Trinity Church. Trinity Church is where Alexander Hamilton is buried. I’m a Hamilton nerd, so of course, we walked through the graveyard to see his grave. We wanted to go inside the church, but sadly, it was closed for a private event.
Eventually, we got back to the hotel and checked in. It took a while and a few rooms, but we finally got situated in a room with a breathtaking view of the Brooklyn and Washington bridges.
For dinner on Friday, we had reservations at Parm in Battery City Park. It was like 15 minutes from our hotel. If you don’t know, the owners of Carbone (the super expensive Italian restaurant in NYC) also own Parm. Parm is much more affordable. I had an Aperol Spritz and the rigatoni in a spicy vodka sauce. It was so good!
Day 2 was so fun! We got up and took the subway all the way to the Upper West Side. We spent a few hours in the Museum of Natural History. It was a rainy morning, so spending a few hours in a museum was a great idea. Lauren and I did a coffee run before going into the museum. About Coffee was the spot we got lattes at, and they were so good!!
Once we were done at the museum, we headed to El Coco. It’s a taqueria with several locations in NYC. They have happy hour all day, which means $5 margs!! I enjoyed the food here and the vibes.
After the museum, we ventured through Central Park. It was raining and leaves were falling so it was a quintessential fall in New York. Later that night, we headed toward midtown to a Halloween-themed rooftop bar. It was so cute! Magic Hour had incredible views and delicious drinks!
Before the night ended, we stopped by Joe’s Pizza for a slice (or 2). It was so good!! And fairly priced. We took the pizza back to our hotel room and ate and hung out.
Day 3 started with us going to Brooklyn and checking out the romance bookstore, The Ripped Bodice. If you are a romance lover, and are in New York, you have to check this place out. It’s absolutely amazing. Before we went back to the city we got another coffee. This time it was from Beanmongers. I had a pumpkin pie latte that was to die for. Even though I spilled half of it in the subway.
We went back to the city and took a stroll through SoHo. I did no shopping, but window shopping can be fun, too!
After shopping, we decided to head to the Upper East Side, grab lunch, and hang out at the Met. We went to Pick-A-Bagel and my sandwich was so good! Then we headed into the Met. We made the most of the time we had before they closed. The Met is the most amazing thing. I could spend days exploring.
Once we were done at the Met, we went to Levian Bakery. Their cookies are so delicious. Then, it was off to the West Village to explore for a little bit. We saw the apartment from Friends. (And Cornelia Street, for all my swifties out there!)
Day 4 was our last day. We had mostly packed the night before. Coffee that morning was supplied by Gregory’s Coffee (so good!!), and breakfast came from Liberty Bagels (also so good!!). After a quick breakfast, we stopped to check out Charging Bull. Then, we went back to the hotel to get our bags and head to the airport. Everything went smoothly, and we were back home by the end of the day.
I really love New York. I’m so glad I got to spend a couple of days. I’m already planning my next trip. I hope that you guys enjoyed reading this. If you got this far, THANK YOU! (:
