I am so excited to share a recap of our NYC trip with you all today! This was our second time in the city together, and let me tell you we did so much better the second time around. The first time we were there, we hit all the tourist landmarks [which are must-sees if you have never been!], but this time we were able to relax and find little gems that we didn’t have time for the last go-around.
We stayed at The New York EDITION hotel while we were there and the second we got there, I knew we had made a huge step up from the last time we visited the city. I’m not sure if I will ever be able to go back to NYC and not stay at the Edition.
It’s located in the Flatiron District which is pretty central to all the things you will want to see in Manhattan, and the second you turn the corner of the block the hotel is on you can smell it immediately! The whole hotel has the best scent. I know that’s such a weird thing to say, but it’s true. You know you’re “home” by the smell. The lobby, the rooms, the soaps and shampoos…everything has the same amazing scent.
Our room had the cutest little seating area which what perfect since Daniel had to work a little while we were there. You could see the Empire State Building out the windows when you were sitting on the couch! Amazing.
I could go on and on about what I loved about the hotel, but I’ll just give you my absolute favorites: the robes [omg heaven 🙌] , the rain shower, the TV that pulls out from the wall in front of your bed, and the housekeeping twice a day. Totally thought housekeeping twice a day was overkill, until I experienced it. It was so nice to have, considering the fact that it was so humid out and we would come back from being out all day and shower before dinner. When we came back to the room for the night, everything was all clean again and the towels were replaced.
The staff at the hotel was so extremely friendly and willing to give you recommendations at any moment. Even the housekeeping staff was so friendly (which I don’t feel is typical of most hotels) and wanted to know about your day. I can’t tell you how much Daniel and I enjoyed them all!
So, onto what we did while we were there! We flew on a red-eye flight Thursday night and arrived into the city around 11am on Friday. Our room wasn’t quite ready, so we dropped our luggage off and headed straight to Daniel’s absolute favorite restaurant in all of New York, Shake Shack 😉. The rest of the day we explored the city, stopped to get our favorite cookies at Levain Bakery, walked through Central Park, stopped in at the Plaza Hotel. We had dinner that night near our hotel at Hillstone, which has the best prime rib french dip sandwiches!
Dress | Sneakers (wore these every day!) | Bag | Sunglasses
The next morning we slept in since we were so tired from our overnight flight the previous night, and headed to SoHo for the afternoon to do some shopping. We ate lunch at sweetgreen, which is like a Chipotle, but with salads. It is so yummy and was the perfect light lunch for the hot day. After some major shopping, we stopped for a treat before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
Tee | Shorts | Bag | Sunglasses
We stumbled upon Kith Treats randomly, and Daniel and I both agree it was our favorite sweet we had while we were there…and we had a lot. 😉 You get to pick one cereal and one topping, and they create an ice cream or milkshake for you. It kind of reminded me of a McFlurry, but the pieces were ground much finer if that makes sense? I chose Fruit Loops as my cereal and Lucky Charms Marshmallows as my topping…and oh my goodness, yum!
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If I could recommend one view of the city for you to not miss while you’re there, it would be the view from The Press Lounge. Daniel and I love this rooftop bar so much that we went back this time, and the views are insane. You are on one edge of the city, and can see everything from the Empire State Building to One World Trade all lit up. It’s absolutely stunning, and the drinks are just as good!
Here’s a photo of the view from my Snapchat!
The next few days, were spent exploring more, working a little, and eating a lot. As far as restaurants go, we only did breakfast once, but Sarabeth’s was recommended by a reader and was so yummy! We had it as we headed out of town on our last day since we knew that it would be a while until we were home! Our favorite dinner was at Balthazar, a cute little French restaurant where we ordered a steak and chicken dish. The food was good, but the atmosphere was even more fun; it was the perfect date night spot!
We headed over to 10 Below after dinner which is the coolest ice cream experience. They mix your ice cream kind of like Cold Stone, but then flatten it out and “roll it up.” Honestly you just have to see photos because it’s too hard to explain! Definitely a must-do if you’re nearby.
Dress | Shoes | Bag | Sunglasses
We aren’t big museum people, but I had to stop at the MET while we were exploring the Upper East Side to take a photo on the steps. I shared on Instagram that I felt like Blair Waldorf the entire time we were walking around there, and kept telling Daniel that if we ever moved to NYC that that’s where I would want to live 😉
For not being “museum people,” it’s kind of ironic that one of our favorite places in the city is the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Whenever I tell people about it, they assume I am talking about the memorial which are the two pits that stand where the two towers did (which is amazing in itself), but there is actually a museum underground the memorial.
It is absolutely incredible and something you must experience! It was one of the only things Daniel and I did both the last time we visited, and this time. Last time we spent 4 hours in there, and this time we spent 2.5 (but only because they were closing and kicking us out!). Coming from someone who was pretty young on 9/11, the impact of seeing everything at the museum is incredible. And it’s interactive, so if you aren’t a big museum buff like us, you will love it!
Dress | Shoes | Bag | Sunglasses
We went to the museum on our last night in the city, and since we shut the place down we were super hungry for dinner. Daniel was really in the mood for pizza, so we headed to John’s of Bleeker Street. It’s a super no-frills pizza spot with graffiti all over the walls, and the perfect place to go if you are just not into a fancy dinner that night.
For dessert we stopped at Ample Hills Creamery and had the Butter Cake Ice Cream I had heard so much about. It ended up being right down the street from The Press Lounge, so we were wishing we would have known and gone there that night. Just a heads up if you check it out!
Dress | Shoes | Bag
We had the best time just getting away and exploring together! The weather was extremely hot and humid, so if I planned the trip again, I would probably schedule it about a month later, per the local recommendations!
The only other thing I would say to make sure you do is make dinner reservations for each night you are there. We didn’t do this last time, so we learned, but it was so nice to just show up to dinner and not have to think about it after you have been out all day. And, if you feel like ditching your reservation and just getting pizza or room service, you totally can!
Let me know if you have any questions about where we went or what we did. I would be more than happy to chat!
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