I spent the past weekend in New York City with my best friend Lauren. We had the most perfectly planned weekend and if you have three days in NYC and want to see the sights. Follow our itinerary...It was perfect!
I loved seeing all the touristy parts of New York...seeing as it was my first time there I am really glad we made the rounds. I wore this outfit exploring the city on Saturday. It was perfect with a light jacket...and I swear by these
+Lysse leggings, they are so comfy!
Friday; DAY ONE
We arrived in New York at noon...absolutely starving. We headed to Shake Shack in Time Square for lunch. I had been to Shake Shack in Chicago but if you have never been..go go go. Super Yummy place for lunch! We shopped around a bit after lunch and then decided it was time for a rooftop and a cocktail. We headed to the rooftop at the
+The Knickerbocker in Time Square and has such yummy cocktails. This place is super cute and a great rooftop if you are looking for one! After a cocktail we headed back to our hotel The W in Midtown
+whotelsnyc. This was a great location for everything we wanted to do and the rooms are super nice and clean!
We got ready for the night...our plans included seeing An American In Paris on Broadway. If you have to pick one show to go to...I highly suggest An American in Paris! Everything from the costumes, to the singing to the dancing was absolutely perfect. My favorite Broadway show to date. We headed to a late dinner after the show at Spice Market. I absolutely love Asian food and this restaurant is decorated so incredibly beautifully! I loved the entire experience!
Here's the one and only mistake we made the entire trip. We went to Tao Nightclub next to continue our night. We wanted to celebrate with a shot....we ordered two shots and two drinks for the alarming total of $78. OOPS. Our champagne at the Plaza was cheaper...and classier by far.
Don't worry...it won't happen again.
On that note, we headed to bed.
Saturday; DAY TWO
We woke up and headed out to grab a New York City Bagel. We stood in the line at Essa Bagel and believe me it did not disappoint. I am craving one now. From there we headed to the
+Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises where we would take a tour to see Manhattan, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty by boat. It was the perfect sunny day and this is really a great way to see the city from a different angle. Seeing the Statue of Liberty was so surreal. She is so much more beautiful in real life! We had discounted ticket rates from Circle Line to visit the Empire State Building next. After several lines (they move quickly) and two elevator rides we made it to the 86th floor observation deck. All I could think of was Elf references the entire way up! We took some amazing pictures here and I realized a slight fear of heights. EEK!
We then walked to the Upper East side for Sushi, we paused at the New York Public Library to take these pictures. We ate at a little sushi place called Amber. We had a super yummy roll called the Pink Lady! Next on our list was The Met! We walked around some amazing exhibits here and then continued on to Central Park.
Central park was one of my favorite parts of New York City. It is so beautiful and so much bigger than I ever had known! We walked through central park until we hit
+The Plaza Hotel. We each had a glass of Prosecco....listened to Frank Sinatra and were absolutely in heaven. Absolutely a highlight of the trip!
The next restaurant is a must have for any visitor. I promise you will fall in love. Beauty and Essex is now one of my favorite restaurants...OF ALL TIME. Tapas style, beautifully decorated...killer cocktails. JUST GO. We had the tuna wonton tacos, thai style shrimp, Grilled Cheese tortellini with tomato soup, and the chicken meatballs with truffle cheese. They were all fantastic and I would eat the same meal over and over again for all of eternity if I could! My Basil cocktail (I had 3) were also out of this world.
Sunday; DAY THREE
Do you think it is possible to pack anything else into a weekend? We did it. There still wasn't enough time to see everything...but I'll be back.
On Sunday we woke up and headed to Wall Street to see the finical district. Saw the New York Stock exchange, the bull and then we headed to the September 11th Memorial.
We were having such an amazing time, running around New York...laughing, and exploring. It didn't hit me until I was standing directly in front of the memorial that I was not witnessing just another tourist attraction. This was a very sad place where a very terrible and tragic thing happened to my country. It was very heavy and I felt myself getting very emotional without a moments notice. The memorial is beautiful and amazing...but it is hard to prepare yourself for something that is so incredibly sad. I saw countless names of those who lost their lives and couldn't stop thinking about their families.
We headed to soho afterwards...I loved this neighborhood and think it is where I would just HAVE to live if I were to move to New York...It is absolutely adorable and charming. We grabbed lunch at Dos Caminos (they had amazing guac + margs of course!).
Writing about the trip makes me realize how much we packed into a weekend. It was so amazing!
What city do I need to visit next?
XOXO, CAIT
