I’ve spent a lot of time in NYC for work recently, but last week Cole flew in and we stayed the weekend in New York. Keep scrolling for our favorite places and some new highlights!
Also, f you’re looking for some unique spots to grab a drink in the city, make sure to check out my 5 downtown NYC bars you need to try!
Friday
Brunch at Hole in the Wall
Every long weekend in New York needs to start with brunch. Being I was staying in the financial district, we stopped at Hole in the Wall to start our day. This place is such an escape from the craziness of downtown NYC and has food to die for. Make sure to try the power bowl! Hole in the Wall also has a location in Midtown if you’re staying in that area.
Spend the afternoon at Central Park
A visit to Central Park is a must do when in the city! Even if you’ve been there before, it’s always so fun to walk around and people watch, especially when it’s nice out. If you want to see it all, rent some bikes and ride around the park. We did this last time and had so much fun!
Hang out on a rooftop
Any other Gossip Girl fans out there?? I had to stop by the Empire Hotel rooftop after our time in Central Park and pretend like I was going to run into Chuck Bass 🙂 The rooftop is small, but the views are great! Just enter through the lobby of the Empire Hotel. We also stopped by Blue Ribbon Hi Bar, which is another cozy rooftop bar near Central Park with great sushi!
Catch a broadway show
Cole and I love musicals and see them whenever we can! Loin King has been on our list for years, and we finally bit the bullet and bought tickets! It was SO AMAZING we couldn’t stop singing the songs the entire trip! We bought our tickets in advance, but we also have used TKTS to get tickets day of. If you’re not super picky about which show you see, this would be the way to go. Simply stop by a TKTS location the day you want to see a show and you usually get GREAT seats for half the price! My two favorites that are usually available on TKTS now are Waitress (so funny – and Sara Bareilles wrote the music!) and Jersey Boys (A classic with such good music!).
Saturday
Eat your way through Smorgasburg
Being we’ve both spent time in NYC previously, we decided to spend Saturday in Brooklyn being we’ve never been. We took an Uber in the morning to start our day at Smorgasburg. This place is a foodie’s paradise!! Smorgasburg is an outdoor food market that takes place in Brooklyn (Saturdays at Williamsburg, and Sundays in Prospect Park from 11 am – 6 pm). With so many options to choose from, we had to pick our food wisely. We tried donuts from Dough, pan fried pork buns from Mao’s Bao, a ramen burger, and an ice cream cone with homemade brownie cookie dough ice cream topped with toasted marshmallow from Bona Bona Ice Cream. OMG. IT WAS ALL SO GOOD. GO HERE.
Take a walk around Empire Fulton Ferry State Park
We were going to visit Brooklyn Brewery while in Williamsburg, but it was unfortunately closed for renovations. Instead, we took another Uber back to DUMBO to walk off our Smorgasburg food coma. Here, we took a ride on Jane’s Carousel, a nearly 100 year old carousel with great views of lower Manhattan, and took in the scenic views from Empire Fulton Ferry State Park. We grabbed some coffee from Feed, located in the old warehouse on Old Dock St and Water St. and took the stairs to the top of the building for even better views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge.
Eat more food at Dekalb Market Hall
As if one food market during the day wasn’t enough, we also stumbled into Dekalb Market Hall. This indoor food market is another foodie’s paradise with a variety of all kinds of cuisine from around the city – you could spend hours here! We got a beer and shared some paella from Paella Shack. This was some of the best paella I’ve ever had!
Sip a beer at Threes Brewing
We were recommended to try Threes Brewing from some friends (their brewer is from MN!). Threes is made up of a coffee shop, restaurant, and brewery and has beers made with the craziest things! Like big league chew, Capri Sun, orange push pops, Gushers, etc, etc. I loved the Logical Conclusion and Touchy Subject.
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
One of the most iconic walks out there! We chose to walk the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. It started to rain on us, but that just meant less people and better pictures! Warning: Do not sit on edge of bridge without holding on tight.
Get dinner in Chinatown
As I’m writing this, I’m realizing how much food we eat on vacation…but that’s what it’s for, right?! If you want some good Dim Sum in Chinatown, look no further than Nom Wah Tea Parlor. This place usually has a wait but it’s for a good reason. Share with the table and make sure to order the pork buns, pan fried noodles, and shrimp & snow pea leaf dumplings.
Catch some free music at Rockwood Music Hall
Located in Nolita, Rockwood Music Hall is a great place to stop late night after dinner. We love seeing live music when we have a weekend in New York. There are a few different stages, but stage 1 usually has free live music. The space is intimate, and the acts change every hour or so, so it’s a fun spot to watch a few different groups!
Sunday
Get a bagel for breakfast
Everything bagels are my jam, and they don’t make them in Minnesota like the do in New York City, so getting a bagel is a must every time in in town. We stopped by Bagel Express, but depending on where you are, I also love Ess-a-Bagel (Midtown) and Leo’s Bagels (Financial District)!
Walk the highline
The highline is an old second story train track that has been converted into a park. It gets pretty busy on weekends, but is such a unique thing to do that offers great views of Chelsea. Make sure you make it to the end where there are art and food vendors to explore!
Shop at Chelsea Market
There always seems to be something new at Chelsea Market (located right under the highline) and it’s also a great place to escape the rain (which it was doing a lot of the day we were in the area!). Eat at one of the many restaurants and shop around at all the cute shops! And don’t miss the Aritsts and Fleas portion of the market that offers goods from all local makers!
Visit a museum
It was such a rainy day on Sunday, so we took the subway up to the Upper East Side to spend some time at the Museum of Natural History. We spent a few hours getting lost in the exhibits, but spent the most time looking in amazement at the dinosaurs!
Get some New York Pizza
You can’t have a weekend in New York without some pizza. We stopped into Lombardi’s which was established in 1905 and claims to be America’s first pizzeria. The coal-fire pizza was so yummy! We ordered a large margarita with pepperoni and ate the whole thing! Another favorite spot of mine is Adrienne’s Pizzabar 🙂
See a comedy show in the Village
After we ate pizza at Lombardi’s we walked to Comedy Cellar to catch a show, but they were unfortunately sold out! I’ve heard great things about this place, so if you want to go, buy your tickets in advance! Instead, we stumbled into the Lantern which offered free stand-up comedy and was hilarious! Plus, they had $5 margaritas 🙂
Looking for more? Read all about the 5 downtown NYC bars you need to try!
