NYC Weekender

On our second day we had brunch at an awesome place in SOHO, which is a popular neighborhood in the lower east side. Theres tons of brunch spots to choose from, for whatever vibe you’re feeling. SOHO is also known for its amazing shopping. When we finished, we headed to Chelsea, a charming village on the west side of manhattan. There, they built what they call the “high-line” which is a pedestrian walkway that is built above the street level, over the neighborhood. You can walk, bike, run it and go through all of Chelsea for about 1.5 miles. It’s really a beautiful walk and there are various points where you can walk down to the street to eat, shop, or explore the museums, the park, and more. At one entrance, the Chelsea Market is also a really fun thing to visit. You could easily spend half a day exploring the high line. Afterwards, we went to an Irish Pub for Irish coffees (it was winter - and freezing!) and then headed to the new 9/11 Memorial and Museum. This is a heavy experience, but so worth it. Get your tickets for the museum in advance to get the time you want. After the museum, we had dinner, and settled in for the night after a long day!

We headed to the Brooklyn Bridge to walk across to Brooklyn. A must do! The sights are stunning and its a pedestrian only bridge. Once in Brooklyn, right near the end of the bridge is the neighborhood of Dumbo with countless restaurants, boutiques, bars and flea markets. It’s a super fun area to spend part of the day to just explore. We spent the morning there and had breakfast. We then hopped on the subway to Coney Island! The famous beachside amusement park actually has some pretty gnarly rides, but also fun games and chiller rides if that is more your vibe. Make sure to grab a Nathan’s Hot Dog while you’re there -they’re famous! As we spent most of the day there, we headed to Williamsburg for the evening. It is one of Brooklyns most popular neighborhoods and has a lively, young feel. Brooklyn’s best eateries, rooftop bars, and clubs (ranging from poetry lounge clubs to dance clubs) are found here. There is something for everyone! We spend the rest of our entire night in Williamsburg before heading back to the lower east side.

We visited Rockefeller Square in the morning, just to see it of course! In the winter, they have the ice rink , the huge tree, and the lights displays nearby. Of course, they also have the FAO Schwartz made famous by many movies in the square too. There’s an underground mall there as well if that's something that suits you. We grabbed coffee and headed towards Times Square to be real tourists. Times Square is really fun to see, but obviously a huge tourist space. It’s always insanely crowded, but there is always so much to do. Multiple Broadway theaters color the side streets off of Times Square and every show day, they sell a limited amount of day-of tickets for a discounted price. But, if you want them for popular shows, get there before the office opens (usually around 10, you can find the best practices on google). DEFINITELY go see a show. If you have one you want to see, buy your tickets in advance. If you don’t really care, pick a box office for the day of tickets!

We ended up seeing Anastasia that night, and it was amazing. Broadway is its own brand of fun and something someone should experience once in their lifetime! For dinner, we went to Double Zero, the BEST pizza place I've ever been to. And its completely vegan and gf! Next to it are sister restaurants by the same guy, Earth Company (sushi) and Sutra (Mexican) all completely plant based. We tried all of them over our 5 days and they were all to die for.