NYC Part Three

This is the last instalment of my adventures in NYC. On the Saturday we headed out to Williamsburg to eat ourselves silly at Smorgasburg. If you're ever in NYC on a Saturday (during warmer months) I would definitely recommend checking it out (that's if you like eating). The Smorgasburg markets are part of the Brooklyn Flea, which is on every Sunday at the same place. The choice of food is quite amazing and you'll see things you've probably never heard of before. My sister and I started by sharing a passionfruit doughnut from Dough. Isn't there some kind of saying about eating dessert first? Anyway, next I had a vegetarian hot dog from Asia Dogs. They have so many interesting varities of hot dogs with all sorts of toppings. Mine had a mango coleslaw and peanuts! Next I had some eggplant dumplings - also great. I would have liked to stay the whole day and eat but I'll probably have to do that another time. 

We walked around Williamsburg for a little while until it started to rain. We found a coffee shop/bar on Wythe Avenue (I think it was called Kinfolk) and huddled there to try and wait out the rain. The rain stuck around but we realised we were right near Brooklyn Bowl. Can't think of many better rainy day activities than bowling! Brooklyn Bowl is a really cool music venue and bar and has about 15 or so bowling lanes. We played one game (I came second last - thanks to my sister for being worse than me hehe) before heading back to Manhattan.

On the Sunday morning I met my friend Amy for brunch in SoHo. Amy was also visiting from Australia and fortunately our itineraries just overlapped. We had brunch at Balthazar which is a really popular French restaurant and bakery. If you go on a weekend you can expect a wait - it was about half an hour for us. It's a beautiful old restaurant and the food is excellent. I had the most amazing waffles! After brunch we had a look around some of the shops in SoHo and met up with Amy's friend. As I was super broke by that stage I left them to do their shopping and headed back to the hotel.

That afternoon I got to catch up with a couple more of my NYC friends. I met one friend at The Smith which is a bar and restaurant near the hotel where we stayed. I wish I'd discovered it sooner at it was very cool. They also have a restaurant in the East Village. That night, Ben and I went for dinner with two other friends on the Upper West Side. It was awesome to be able to introduce Ben to my friends and also see their new, beautiful apartment. They invited us back for a drink and a round of a board game called Blokus. It was a perfect way to spend our last night in NYC!

On our last morning there we made a spontaneous decision to visit Top of the Rock. I'm glad we did this as even though I've done it a few times now it's always so amazing to see the city from above. Before long we were headed back to the airport to make our way to Chicago. As you can probably guess, I had an amazing time in NYC and I'm glad I got to share it with my siblings, Al and Benny. 

NYC Part Two

Next on our itinerary was to catch the (free) Staten Island Ferry for a view of the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan. Seeing the new World Trade Center from the water really put things into perspective. That thing is massive! It was a pretty grey and cold day and we weren't too sure what to do next. In the end we caught the 1 train up town to the Upper West Side and had lunch at one of my old favourite haunts, Peace Food Vegan Cafe. I wish I'd had more time to spend up there - definitely one of my favourite neighbourhoods. 

That afternoon we found ourselves back in Times Square (I can't really remember why) and the boys (Ben and Al) ended up getting hassled into buying tickets to a comedy show while Sam, Sophie and I managed to escape. They had a great time, thankfully, but it was a very frustrating experience. Being heckled is one of the not-so-fun parts about being a recognisable tourist. That afternoon, the boys went off to see a movie (it was a pretty miserable day) while Soph and I did some girl things like visit the Mac makeup store and eat Magnolia cupcakes. 

While Al and Ben went to the comedy show that night, Sam, Soph and I headed back down to the East Village to another old favourite of mine, S'mac. This place specialises in Macaroni and Cheese. You can choose from lots of different combinations and toppings. They even do gluten-free and vegan! We eventually rolled ourselves out of there and while Sam headed back to the hotel, Soph and I went for a couple of drinks at a rooftop bar in midtown called 230 Fifth. You can see the spectacular view of the Empire State Building above!

Ben and Al had a little too much fun at the Comedy Show so the next day we all did our own thing while they slept it off. Okay, that was just Ben haha. It was a lovely day and I decided to head out by myself to the Upper East side where I spent a few hours strolling around Madison, Park and Fifth Avenues admiring the amazing apartments and thinking about the entirely different world some of those people live in. 

I had heard about the Dean and Deluca store in SoHo so was really excited to find they have a smaller one on the UES. I spent a good half hour or so salivating over all the cakes and bread before eventually settling on some sushi to take to Central Park for lunch. It was really peaceful sitting in the park with my lunch. There were a heap of people sun baking because it was so warm that day. I then spent a little time window shopping along Madison Avenue and convincing myself that every well-dressed person was famous. I stopped at the Aesop store and bought some moisturiser and scored a few samples from the lovely sales assistant. Before heading back to the hotel I decided to treat myself to a manicure. 

That night was the baseball! Ben had been looking forward to this the whole trip and we had so much fun. My brother Sam came with us too. Ben managed to pick really good seats and we were only a few rows back from the field. I was actually kinda paranoid about being hit in the face by a ball! We drank a few beers, ate some terrible food and had a great time. Unfortunately the Yankees lost, but it was a close game!

We made the most of the good weather the next day and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. The highlight of course was eating pizza at Grimaldi's on the other side! Ben's face above says it all.

That night was a highlight for me. Some Australian friends of mine who live in NYC invited Ben and I to a competitive story-telling event in a bookstore in SoHo. The event was called 'The Moth' and happens regularly around the country. Storytellers are given a theme and the opportunity to put their names down on the night. They are then called up to tell a five minute true story which they are then scored on. It was so much fun and felt like such a 'only in New York' thing to do (even though it happens elsewhere hehe). The theme that night was 'envy'. Some of the stories were hilarious while others were quite serious and powerful.

Following that our friends took us to the West Village for dinner where we crammed into a hole-in-the-wall Indian joint for some delicious Kati Rolls. Because we weren't quite bursting at the seems yet, we walked a little further to a gelato shop to seal the deal. It was great to see my friends again and a perfect night of laughs and food.

I've just got a few more days to write about but I'll do that in another post as this is long enough!

Photos by me.

NYC Part One

Despite scoring the worst taxi driver in the world for our very slow journey from JFK to Manhattan, I couldn't contain my excitement as that familiar skyline came into view. We spent eight nights in NYC and stayed at the The Pod Hotel on 51st Street. It's a pretty hip hotel with basic modern rooms and an awesome rooftop (first pic). 

Ever since I left NYC after my short stint living there a few years ago, I've been wanting to take Ben with me to show him why I love it so much. To be honest I think he was a bit overwhelmed to begin with and couldn't quite get his bearings but by the end of the trip he was feeling more comfortable and starting to know his way around (or at least the difference between Uptown and Downtown hehe). We both agreed that the next time we go we'll stay in an apartment and not worry about doing the touristy things.

The afternoon we arrived we took a walk from our hotel to 42nd Street, past my old office and into Grand Central Terminal to watch the comings and goings for a little while. From there we made a mandatory visit to Times Square (never again! haha) and had dessert at Ellen's Stardust Diner where the waiters and waitresses are aspiring Broadway stars and sing to you while they serve. Lotsa fun!

The next morning we had breakfast around the corner from our hotel at a diner called the Morningstar Cafe. It's just your standard American diner but it has a special place in my heart as I stayed at the same hotel when I first moved to NYC and my Dad (who accompanied me for the first week or so) and I would go there every morning. The food is cheap and the servings are huge.

From there we walked up 5th Avenue to Central Park and spent a few hours wandering around and admiring the Spring blooms (okay, maybe that was just me). Exiting the park we walked down Central Park West to Columbus Circle and had lunch at Whole Foods. Oh how I miss that place! We then took the subway to the Meatpacking District and walked the High Line. It was super chilly that day so we were stoked to find a Blue Bottle Coffee stand along the way. I've now experienced the High Line in Winter, Summer and Spring with the latter being my favourite for sure.

There's me navigating the busy NYC streets and a family of tracksuit enthusiasts. 

The next day Ben and my brother and I went down to the East Village in search of pizza and pizza we found. I enjoyed being back in the East Village as that's where my friend Jess and I stayed when we visited last year. We wound up at Artichoke where we grabbed a slice (or two in Ben's case) and ate it out the front. SO GOOD. After wandering the leafy East Village streets for a little while we decided to head further downtown to the World Trade Center memorial. I hadn't done this before and I'm glad I did. The memorial is really beautiful and standing underneath the new One World Trader Center building is just awe inspiring. That evening we had dinner near out hotel then grabbed a few beverages to enjoy on the rooftop.

More to come!

Photos by me, my brother and my sister.

I'll Always Love You, New York

I've just spent a few hours reminiscing while looking through the photos from the time I was lucky enough to call New York home. I still can't believe how this little country girl from Australia ended up working in the Big Apple (albeit without pay). But somehow it did happen and these photos are just a small snippet of the adventures I had, the change of seasons (and the rude shock of a New York Winter), the many blocks I walked, the amazing food I ate (pretty excited about that pizza there) and the incredible sights I got to see.

I don't know how to explain what it is about New York that I love so much. It just seems to have this contagious energy about it. It's the vibe, man. I mean, I like Sydney but it's...different. New York is such a vibrant, eclectic, culturally diverse and accepting city. It doesn't matter who you are or where you've come from, you'll find something you like. You gotta believe me! You want to go to a restaurant that only sells things made with peanut butter? Well kid, you're in luck.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't always peachy. When I arrived in NYC I was scared out of my wits. I couldn't sleep for days from sheer nervousness/excitement/jet-lag and I had no idea what I had got myself into or whether it was really for me. There were some really really tough days - some of the worst I've had so far, and through no fault of my own. But at the same time, there were some absolutely amazing days, amazing people and amazing experiences. This is all sounding incredibly cliche, but I'm getting all nostalgic and I can't help it.

Lucky for me I've been able to go back once already and have another trip next month, which is probably why I'm getting so nostalgic right now. And this time, I finally get to take Ben and let him see what I've been talking about all these years. I sometimes get worried that he won't like New York as much as me, but then I remember how much he likes pizza. That boy just doesn't know what he is in for!

Eat Your Way Through NYC

It is no secret that I am absolutely obsessed with New York City. I was fortunate enough to spend around five months living there from October 2010 - March 2011 while I completed an internship. I fell head over heels in love with the city and I don't think there's been a day where I haven't thought about it since. Yep, it got me real bad. Thankfully, I was able to go back in August 2012 which sated my hunger (literally, I ate a lot) for a little while. I now have my third trip booked for May 2013 so as you can imagine I'm counting down the days (104 in case you were wondering).

Since I've spent a bit of time in NYC, I often get friends or friends of friends asking me for my recommendations for things to do or places to eat. I'm no expert but I have some favourites that I like to share. I've started compiling a Google map with many of my favourite places. Being the hungry caterpillar that I am, they're mainly restaurants, cafes and bars. I hope you enjoy my obsessively organised map and that one day you will get to try some of these places out. It truly is a magical city!

Photo by me.