So as I'm sure you will have seen if you follow me over on Instagram, last week I spent just under a week in NYC and it was SO GOOD! It's only the second time i've ever been, I went about eight years ago with my fam, so I had so much on my list to see and do, including so many great reccies from you guys too! I went with my boyfriend and a group of our friends primarily to visit one of my bezzies who just moved there a few months ago, so it was bloody lovely to be reunited with her and also to have her orgainse so many good things and point us in the right direction of the best places. We stayed in an Airbnb in Brooklyn for five nights and then for our last night my bf Brett and I checked into the Hoxton but I'll share more details on those below. In terms of the length of time I went for - i'd say around a week is a great amount of time to tick off a lot of things. Obviously I could have stayed longer and there was still loads more we could have done, but I feel like I had a really good amount of time there and managed to do a lot. I also preferred Brooklyn over Manhattan and we spent most of our time that side - so many cool places to explore. Anyway, as promised, i'm sharing everything we did with you all below - enjoy!
TO DO:
- Ride bikes over Brooklyn bridge: one of my favourite things we did was get bikes and ride over Brooklyn bridge! We did this on our last day and The Hoxton have bikes that you can lend so we did this (however there are Citi bikes all over similar to London that you can pay to use too) and cycled around 45mins from there to Brooklyn Bridge, stopping off at Dumbo on the way. I'm not sure if its because I haven't rode a bike in SO long, or because the view was just insane, but I basically cheesy grinned the whole way along and had the best time!
- Brooklyn Bowl: A big group of us went bowling here and it was really fun! They offer packages for groups and we had all you can eat and drink for a set amount, and there was also a band on too. Needless to say too much was drank and the following day wasn't my most productive!
- Drinks at The Wythe at sunset: The Wythe is a hotel in Williamsburg and has the most amazing views over Manhattan from their rooftop bar. I mean it's pretty special any time of day but if you go at sunset the view is just beyond.
- Staton Island Ferry: We jumped on the Staten Island Ferry one day from Whitehall Ferry Terminal (also known as South Ferry) in Manhattan over to Staten Island for the views mainly (we got straight back on the other side). You get a great view of The Statue Of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline whilst on board AND it's completely free too!
- Top of the rock: So this was on my list but we actually ran out of time to do this, although I did it the last time I went to NYC and the view is insane - defo worth it.
- Madison Square Garden: We went to see Fleetwood Mac (my faves ever) at Maddison Square Garden and surprised my friend Fran for her birthday! Its the first time id ever been to MSG and tbh I was expecting an open air garden (LOLZ) however it's basically just like the O2... it was such an amazing show though and to experience watching my fave band at Maddison Square Garden is pretty special so i'd defo recommend seeing whats on there when you're in town.
TO EAT:
- The Meatball Shop: Basically every type of meatball you could ever want (even no meat meatballs!) with an excellent selection of sides to add.
- Sweet chick: Chicken and waffles with the lightest, fluffiest waffles ive ever sampled. Also their motto is 'Spead love, its the Brooklyn way' and so I love them even more.
- The Butchers Daughter: A very cool and very delicious veggie restaurant. Usually I love meat however you really don't even miss it here as everything is really tasty. The Mac and cheese was BEYOND!
- Fiveleaves: A very good brunch place, defo worth a visit!
- Joe's Pizza: Basically the best pizza ever. 10/10 would recommend. There is a few dotted around the city so be sure to stop by for a slice.... or five.
- Rubi Rosa: The cutest restaurant located in little Italy and quite frankly one of the best meals ive ever had (yes, i'd go that far). Brett and I shared and ordered the sausage ragu pasta and pepperoni pizza and I honestly couldn't reckoned enough.
- Jack's Wife Freda: I had so many reccomendatons for this place and sadly we didn't manage to go but ive heard its amazing - let me know if you try it! I defo want to check it out next time!
TO STAY:
- The Hoxton, Williamsburg: For our last night we stayed at the Hoxton in Williamsburg and it's amazing! I've stayed in the majority of the Hoxton's now and they never disappoint but the one in Williamsburg was an absolute treat, and i'd go as far as to say possibly my favourite! We had an amazing view of the Manhattan skyline from our window (we paid an extra $20 for it and worth every penny IMO), the interiors are just the dream and they have a teeny tiny 'The worlds smallest cinema' too! Obsessed. The staff were so friendly and couldn't do enough for you, and the banana bread in the cafe was a taste sensation. 10/10 would reccomend.
- Airbnb: So there was a fair few of us on the trip (7 in the airbnb) so the place we stayed at was a good size for a group and had a really lovely roof terrace too! The location was perfect for us and i'd definitely stay there again.
- The Wythe: We popped to the Wythe for drinks and it was amazing so I reckon a stay here would be an absolute delight - on my list for next time!
- The Ludlow: Another place that i've been wanting to stay at for aaaages, the interiors are a dream and I'd say defo worth checking out, even just popping in for drinks.
TO SHOP:
- Soho: Most of the shops I had on my list were in Soho and Glossier was a must visit! It's a super cool pink (obvs) concept store and your order comes down on a conveyor with your name on! Others that i'm a fan of and are worth checking out are:
- The Frankie Shop (Soho)
- Catbird (Brooklyn)
- Everlane (Soho)
- Sezane (Soho)
- Reformation (Soho)
- Outlet Malls: On our first day we headed to the premium outlet malls to snap up some bargains. you get a coach from Manhattan station and it takes around an hour and costs about round trip. It's pretty similar to Bicester village if you've ever been there and has some amazing shops all with discounted prices. Its not cheap cheap but if our in the market fro something then its definitely worth a visit and you can save quite a bit. I picked up the dreamiest ACNE STUDIOS coat for half price!
- Vintage Stores: The vintage shopping in Williamsburg is amazing so i'd defo recommend spending some time hunting for treasures if you love a bit of vintage. Hands down the best one to head to is Beacons Closet - I didn't realise when I was there but they have a few locations too. I found a vintage Dior gingham jacket for $30 (!!) and some Robert Clergerie platform sandals for $25 too! Some other vintage shops to check out are:
- Narnia
- Awoke Vintage
- Arbor Vintage
- Amarcord
Hope this post is useful if you're planning a trip there soon!
Rachael
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