Recently, I (Chloe) returned from a trip New York City with my friend Lucy. Iman had school during the week I was traveling, and was hence unable to join, but don’t worry, she’ll still be hitting you up in all the future posts to come. New York has always been one of my favorite cities, and particularly during the springtime, the city never fails to amaze. After having such an incredible week, I thought it might be nice to write a little recap that highlights my favorite things to do in what I will always consider to be one of the best places on Earth.
Also, if you like any of the outfits in this post, I’m working on a lookbook from the trip that will include more complete outfit photos, as well as where everything is from, so stay tuned for that.
Day One:
Lucy and I took a bus both to and from New York, which I would highly recommend, as parking in New York is both insanely expensive, and difficult to find. We arrived at noon, which gave us plenty of time to both learn how to navigate the subway (we struggled more than you would think) and explore the city.
After a quick lunch at an amazing little Italian place, we decided to take a walk through Central Park, because honestly, is there anything more beautiful than Central Park in the springtime? The flowers were in full bloom, and even though I’ve pretty much visited the park every year since I was born, I still found hidden treasures around every corner, each more beautiful than the next. I’m not going to give recommendations for what to do in the park, because the real beauty of it is just wandering around, and seeing what you stumble upon.
Eventually, we came out of the park on 5th avenue, right by the MET. We didn’t actually go inside the museum, because the lines were long and it seemed like a little bit more of a hassle then it was worth. However, for the art enthusiasts, the MET is cool in that, while on the signs it may say entry is $20, the fine print specifies that the entry fee is really just a voluntary donation, and you can get in for free if you so choose. The museum is really worth a visit if only for the outside, and lets be real; did you even go to New York if you don’t pretend to be Blair Waldorf on the steps of the MET?
Right near the MET is Madison Ave, which is 100% worth the visit. Lucy and I spent hours wandering down the street, window shopping at stores we could never afford, and of course, eating way too many macaroons. My personal favorite shops were Ralph Lauren and Kate Spade. Even if you don’t usually shop at Ralph Lauren, you should consider stepping into the store just to look at the four floors of marble, and admire the $4000 dresses. In terms of food, there’s really no other way to go than Laudreé, and I would say that you have to choose the rose macaroon, except that I really consider it to be more of a necessity than a choice.
At the end of Madison Ave. is the Plaza Hotel, the famous Apple store, the horse drawn carriages, a beautiful sculpture and fountain, and some bomb af picture ops. We took the time to chill out for an hour, and just soak up the beautiful weather and beautiful place.
We were staying with family in the city, and so for dinner we just ordered pizza from Caesars’ Palace. Caesar’s Palace is a pizza place, and is great if your looking for a classic meal that also happens to be the best pizza you’ve ever tasted.
Day Two:
We started the day in Times Square, which, while worth the trip if it’s your first time in the city, wasn’t exactly the highlight of the trip. It’s crowded, loud, and the shopping options include the M&M and the Disney store, but not much else. It was still cool to check out the lights and the huge billboards however, and if you feel like people watching, there’s really no better place than the crossroads of the world.
After Times Square, and a bit of a struggle finding the subway, we made it to Soho. Soho was absolutely one of the highlights of the trip, with unique little stores, open air cafes, gorgeous flowers, and countless small side streets that make for great exploring. We walked down Prince street and then up Spring street, talking detours at all the cute little stops we found along the way, but really any route in Soho is nice. While in Soho, we also wandered over towards Little Italy, which was super cute, and very much worth the detour.
At around 5, we arrived back at the apartment, ready to eat some pizza and watch some Netflix. However, when offered the opportunity to bike along the Hudson towards the Little Red Lighthouse, we couldn’t decline. This is something that you probably won’t find in tour books, but I couldn’t recommend more. We rented bikes somewhere in the Upper West Side (around Broadway and 95th I believe) although rentals are everywhere around the city. The ride was absolutely stunning, with perfect wind, gorgeous water, and more flowers than you can believe. When we reached the lighthouse itself, we were the only people there, and besides the towering bridge above us, and skyline to our left, we could just as easily have been on some empty beach in New England.
We ended the day with pizza (of course)
Day Three:
We started our final full day with breakfast at a super cute cafe on the the Upper West Side called Fillcori Zecchini. Hit it up for insane Nutella croissants if your in the area. You also get free dark chocolates with every purchase, so that basically seals the deal.
Following breakfast, we took the subway to the 9/11 memorial. The memorial is beautifully done, very powerful, and completely worth the stop. The area is still under construction, but one project that was recently finished is the One World Trade Center. This is a building of the same dimensions as one of the fallen towers, with an insane observation deck at the top. It’s not very well known yet, but the tower is higher than the Empire State Building, and offers more 360 degree views. The elevator to the top is also the fastest in the world, and the walls show movies as you make your ascent and descent.
The 9/11 memorial is only a few blocks away from the High Line and Whitney Museum, so we decided to finish our day with a visit to these locations. The Whitney was a really cool museum with incredible views of the city, although we came at a time when they were between exhibits so we didn’t get the full experience. The High Line, for those who don’t know, is an abandoned elevated train track converted into a park with amazing street food (yes it lives up to the reputation), gorgeous gardens, and views beyond belief. We walked the entire line, and it seemed that at every turn there was another hidden treasure to be found.
On the way back to dinner with family we were visiting, we decided to stop by Lincoln Center, and hang out by the beautiful fountain for a while. This was a really nice place to just chill out, and also right next to the Empire Hotel, for the Gossip Girl fans out there.
Thank you for reading, and we hoped this helped anyone planning a trip to NYC, or just inspired your Wanderlust. You can expect a look book with full outfit pictures as well as where everything is from by saturday, so if you feel like checking back for that, it would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Iman & Chloe 