New York City is one of my favourite cities in the world as well as my favourite travel destination in the USA. Ever since my first visit, three years ago, I’ve practically been counting down the days til I could go back, and it felt like my month-long trip to the USA & Canada couldn’t come soon enough! After spending 8 weeks in New York during my first visit in 2015, I knew that 10 days would fly but luckily my to do (and to eat!) list was shorter this time around. I really enjoyed not feeling as much pressure to see the sights as I did on my first trip, and yet somehow we still managed to squeeze so much in.

Entertainment

America entertains like nowhere else on the planet. On my first trip to New York, we saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, the Yankees take on the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and Federer vs Isner at the US Open, in Queens. This time, the entertainment wasn’t on quite such a grand scale, but it was equally as enthralling.

Sleep No More, Chelsea

One of my highlights of the trip was seeing Sleep No More, an immersive theatre experience that is inspired by Shakespeare’s play MacBeth. It’s set in the McKittrick Hotel in Chelsea, and instead of sitting in the audience, guests don a mask and roam around the five-storey hotel. You’re encouraged to follow your curiosity and. This is one of my new favourite things to do in New York City! Before the show started, we got a drink & listened to live music at Gallow Green, the gorgeous rooftop bar on top of the McKittrick Hotel.

Comedy Cellar, West Village

Another thing I now recommend to everyone visiting New York is seeing a show at Comedy Cellar, the most iconic comedy club in the world. It was SO much fun, and also a cheap night out – your entry is covered by the two items per person that you have to buy during the show. We were sharing a booth with another couple, the food they ordered didn’t look very appetising, so I’d recommend sticking to drinks and eating dinner before the show.

We saw a line up of five comedians, which takes the guesswork out of buying tickets. Not surprisingly, all of the comics performing at Comedy Cellar are of a very high calibre, and while I did have favourites, they all made me laugh out loud.

The Village Vanguard, West Village

New York is renowned for its jazz clubs, and The Village Vanguard is the cream of the crop. The West Village icon been running since 1935 and has hosted just about every jazz musician worth knowing, as well as acted as the recording studio for countless jazz albums – the poky, triangular basement has perfect acoustics. We saw the resident Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, which play at the Vanguard every Monday. We could only get tickets to the 10pm show, which was a blessing and a curse – it was convenient in that we could go to Comedy Cellar first, which is just around the corner, and had time to stop in at Fairfax Wine Bar on the way, but it was also really difficult to stay awake during the late show in the dimly-lit basement, since we were both still so jet-lagged.

Sights

One World Trade Center Observation Deck

I was so excited for the views from the One World Tower, AKA Freedom Tower, but it seems it has too much of a good thing. It’s so tall, that it almost feels removed from Manhattan, especially as it’s all the way at the southern tip of the island in the Financial District. I much prefer the views from the Top of the Rock!

9/11 Memorial

The 9/11 Memorial is incredibly moving. The Memorial consists of two one-acre reflecting pools, which are built in the footprints of the former twin towers. The names of every person who died in the terrorist attack is engraved around the edges of the pools, and every year their birthday is marked by a rose which is placed in the engraving of their name. It always awes me how architecture and design can imbue a space with so much soul.

New York Public Library

The ethereal Rose Reading Room is the main drawcard for visiting the New York Public Library. It was closed for restoration works on my first trip to New York, so I was excited to see it this time round. Entry is free!

Grand Central Terminal

I’d visited Grand Central on my first visit to New York, but since we were staying nearby I couldn’t resist going back to gawk at the celestial ceiling. We didn’t get oysters at Grand Central Oyster Bar or cocktails at The Campbell Apartment this time, but a hunt for a good grilled cheese sandwich in midtown led me to the Grand Central Market. The Market is has 13 carefully chosen local vendors. I was there for Murray’s Cheese, the original store of which is in West Village and has the largest cheese selection in New York. Unfortunately the Grand Central outpost only does cheese, not grilled cheese sandwiches, but I had fun browsing the market anyway. Bien Cuit, which is a Brooklyn-based bakery that I visited on my Brooklyn Food Tour and the Upper West Side’s legendary deli, Zabar’s, also have stalls at the market.

Radio City Hall

While I didn’t make it inside for a show, I was still happy to see the iconic Radio City Hall in the flesh on one of my early morning walks around Midtown Manhattan. I was waking up at 4am all week because of jet lag, so as soon as it was daylight I was walking around in the city taking photos, to give me something to do until the the rest of the city woke up and was open for business.

Food Tours

One of the things I want to do more when I travel is take a locally-guided walking tour. Local guides can provide so much insight and a much better understanding of the place you’re visiting. Finding the right tour for you is so important – I’ve always found food walking tours to be way more enjoyable than bus tours or normal historical walking tours.  Last time I was in New York, I took the famous Sex and The City Tour – this time, my tours were bus-free, small groups and food focused! I did two tours with Urban Adventures, which are owned by Intrepid and offer walking tours all over the world. I chose food tours of two areas I didn’t visit on my first trip to New York City – South Brooklyn and the Lower East Side. Full post about each tour coming soon!

Brooklyn Food Tour

The Brooklyn food tour showcased the diversity of the food scene in Brooklyn while also explaining the history of the “BoCoCa” neighbourhoods – Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens. I loved this part of Brooklyn, and the area is definitely somewhere I’d consider living if I ever moved to New York. There was only one other couple on the tour, so it was virtually a private tour!

Lower East Side Walking Tour

The Tenements, Tales & Tastes tour of Lower Manhattan is probably one of the best tours I have been on anywhere, ever. Our guide, Brian, was a total pro and was full of so much fascinating history and insight into the Lower East Side. The tour started near City Hall, and wound its way up through Chinatown, Little Italy and the Lower East Side, with a focus on the immigrant history of the area. I loved learning about the history of the Dutch traders and the Chinese, Italian, Jewish and German immigrants who made the neighbourhood home and shaped New York’s food culture.

Read more: Tenements, Tales & Tastes: A Food Walking Tour of NYC

Eating in New York City

Minetta Tavern

My favourite night out in New York on this trip was celebrating my boyfriend’s birthday in West Village. We started at the Murray’s Cheese Bar, where we had matched wine & cheese flights, before our 10pm reservation at Minetta Tavern. The restaurant is owned by legendary New York restauranteur Keith McNally, who also owns Balthazar, one of my other favourite restaurants on New York, which we dined at last time. The food, service and atmosphere was all perfect.

Healthy Food

On my first trip to the USA, I’d made it my mission to try all the weird and wonderful artery-clogging foods that America offers. This time, I wanted to come back from my holiday feeling better than when I left, so I was mindful of eating healthy foods most of the time. A few veggie-heavy spots I came to rely on, near our hotel in Midtown, were By Chloe, Dr Smood and Joe & The Juice.

Classic NYC Food

Katz Deli is a New York City institution, immortalised on the silver screen by that scene in When Harry Met Sally. Since I didn’t make it to the Lower East Side on my first trip to New York, I made it my mission to get there and check out both Katz and Russ & Daughters on this trip. I’m pescetarian (eat seafood but not other meat), so I didn’t try their world-famous original Reuben Sandwich, but I did get a bagel which was enormous and delicious. I could only eat half of it though! Dave got the Reuben, but we’d just finished our Lower East Side Food Tour, so he wasn’t able to finish his either.

Russ & Daughters was the first business in America to be named after daughters, not sons, which already makes it an institution in my books, but it’s

During my aforementioned hunt for a grilled cheese sandwich, Pickler & Co came recommended for having one of the best in New York. This tiny sandwich shop in Midtown has a permanent queue and has endless options.

Jacks Wife Freda, West Village

There were a few brunch spots I wanted to try in New York this time, but Jack’s Wife Freda was the only one I ended up getting to. It’s very popular, and we were lucky we arrived early – by the time we left, the queue for a table was twenty people deep. New York Magazine described the menu as “South African Israeli Jewish Grandmother cuisine”, reflecting the inspiration that owners Dean and Maya take from their childhoods in South Africa and Israel respectively and Dean’s memories of his grandmother’s hospitality. The menu is fresh, veggie-heavy and delicious and it’s one of my new favourite brunch spots in New York.

Casual Restaurants

Since we didn’t have a kitchen, we ate out a lot during our time in New York. Some of my favourite casual restaurants we tried were The Smith Restaurant in Midtown, which is a casual bistro with a market-driven menu, Thursday Kitchen, which is a “New Korean” restaurant in East Village and Dos Caminos, which we went to with a group of friends before heading out in the Meatpacking, just like we did on our first visit in 2015.

Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream

I’m a tough customer when it comes to ice cream, but I am absolutely obsessed with Morgenstern’s. They describe themselves as a New American ice cream parlour, and have locations on the Lower East Side, which I visited, and also on W Houston Street. The founder, Nicholas Morgenstern, has a background working in some of New York’s best pastry kitchens and is driven by an obsession with flavour.

His passion is obvious with a quick glance of the menu – along the a list of weird and wonderful daily specials, the rest is organised into headings like Chocolates, Caramels, Vanillas, Coffees and Strawberries. Under each heading is a variety of takes on the flavour, for example under caramel there’s Salted Pretzel, Cinnamon Whiskey and Tahini Caramel.

Bars

Rooftop Bars

I practically lived in rooftop bars on my first trip to New York City, but took things a lot slower this time since I was sick the whole time. We returned to Press Lounge in Hell’s Kitchen, which has pretty views over the Hudson River and Midtown.

PHD Rooftop at the Dream Downtown Hotel in Chelsea has spectacular views over the city, and is worth visiting despite the slightly clubby, typical hotel bar decor and atmosphere of the rooftop.

A new favourite is City Vineyard, which overlooks the water near the Chelsea Piers. We were headed for Grand Banks, which is Manhattan’s slickest boat bar (we tried the Lightship Frying Pan and North River Lobster Co on our last trip), but a few in our group were too jelly-legged after brunch at Bagatelle to start drinking on a boat. I’m glad it worked out this way, because I loved City Vineyard – it has beautiful views, a lovely atmosphere and as the name suggests, a sharp wine list.

All American 

I was pleasantly surprised by a few low key bars we found in Midtown, especially along 2nd Avenue. The Horny Ram was a convivial spot for after dinner drinks, with a solid list of wines by the glass. On our last night, David and I sought out the most “American” bars we could find, and indulged in nachos and tater tots. I can’t remember what any of these bars were called, but they’re dime a dozen in Midtown.

Not for me…

We went to Bagatelle, a notoriously pretentious bar, restaurant & club in the Meatpacking for their legendary Brunch Party. I was at peak sickness this day and in hindsight I probably should have stayed home – the crowd at Bagatelle is really hard to stomach when you’re sober. On the upside, the lobster is great.

On a night out with my boyfriend’s colleagues, we decided to go to The Jane in the Meatpacking – a club inside a historic hotel, which is styled like an old mansion. We loved The Jane on our first trip to New York, but it seems like at the tender age of 25 we’ve already aged out of going to The Jane. We stayed for around an hour, before admitting defeat and heading home.

Shopping

I’d already checked out New York’s most famous luxury department stores, Bergdorf’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys, as well as the iconic handbag retailer Henri Bendel’s, on my first trip to the city. This time I was slightly more practical and stuck mostly to Bloomingdale’s and boutiques around Bleeker Street in West Village.

I am a sucker for a bookstore, and found a couple of great ones on this trip – I had to tear myself out of The Strand in Greenwich Village, and could have left with armfuls of new books from Books Are Magic in Cobble Hill, which is owned by author and Brooklyn local Emma Straub.

Some of the best shopping in SoHo can be done along the sidewalk, with artists and designers dotted around the neighbourhood, hawking their wares from a trestle table or two. We met photographer Rob Hann at his table at 113 Prince Street, and I took home a print of one of his photographs. Rob is British, but has lived in the USA for years, as he documents rural and Middle America through his photography. Check out his Instagram for his latest work.

Parks & Gardens

Central Park

We started our first morning in New York in Central Park, with a run around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. It’s such a beautiful spot! Afterwards, we wandered around the gardens, passed the Central Park Boating Lake where we hired boats & had brunch overlooking the water on our first trip, around the fountain and through beautiful Bethesda Terrace, and along the Central Park Mall.

Bryant Park

On the night we landed in New York, the first thing we did was walk down to Bryant Park. I love Bryant Park, which is a tiny pocked of green fringed by some of Manhattan’s most iconic architecture. Check out the Empire State Building and American Radiator Building (one of my favourite buildings in Manhattan) which appear to be side by side from the park. You can also see the Chrysler Building on another side of the park too.

Washington Square Park

We made a quick stop in Washington Square Park again this trip, once again sitting inside the fountain and watching the world go by. Washington Square Park felt noticeably less safe this time, even though on both visits we went in the middle of the day.

Union Square Park

I stumbled across pretty Union Square Park on my way back from The Strand bookstore, which is nearby. I had some time to kill before my Brooklyn food tour, so I hung out here for a bit with my new books. I got to be that person sitting in a park, in the middle of the day, reading a book. Back in Melbourne, when I’m catching Ubers around town for work, I’m always a little bit envious of the people I see who are clearly not working, enjoying the sunshine. It was nice to be one of those people for a change!

Lower East Side Community Garden

On our first afternoon in New York, we had lunch at a bar in East Village, and then wandered around the Lower East Side in an attempt to stay awake past 3pm. We found the M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden, which is such a peaceful spot. There were only a couple of other people there, it is such a beautiful spot to have up your sleeve if you’re wandering Lower Manhattan and want a little break from the city chaos. Unfortunately, it was so relaxing that I found myself falling asleep on the park bench! At this point we gave up fighting jet lag and went back to the hotel for a nap.

Museums

The Guggenheim

On my first visit to New York, most of the Guggenheim was closed for renovations, spare the Kandinski Gallery. I was excited to go back and see more of the collection on this trip, but I have to admit I enjoyed the architecture more than anything else. I prefer The Whitney, the Neue Galerie, The Met and The Frick!

Lower East Side Tenement Museum

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is one of the most unique museums I’ve ever visited. I love learning about the immigrant history of New York. Right after we finished our food walking tour of the Lower East Side, which focused on how immigrant cultures have shaped New York’s food scene, we visited the Tenement Museum. The museum is housed in a couple of old buildings, and consists of a several restored apartments of past residents and business owners. You can only visited the Museum on a guided tour, and there are several tours to choose from.

We chose a new tour, in a new apartment. It was lived in by a Jewish family in the 50s, a Puerto Rican family in the 60s and a Chinese family in the 70s. The bedroom and dining room is restored to how it was during the Epstein’s residency, the kitchen and living room have been restored according to how the Velez family had it and the bedroom is based on how it looked when the Wong family lived there. It was fascinating to hear stories, and audio clips, from these families while standing (or sitting) inside their faithfully restored apartments. It’s a very different museum experience, but it really makes the stories you hear come to life.

The Met

This was my third visit to The Met, but there is always so much more to see. I spent more time in the Egyptian section this time, and also returned to The Met Rooftop, which has otherworldly views over the tree tops of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.

As always, New York was exciting, noisy, peaceful, inspiring, shocking, dirty and so much fun. Every time I leave, I leave with a new list of things to do next time and new favourite places to return to.

Next up: Swapping the concrete jungle for three days of sunshine, South Beach and wishing I knew more Spanish in Miami!

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