A New York Minute

This city never ceases to amaze, no matter how many times I visit. New York is impossible to “see” in one trip. Lizzy has lived here for two years and has only scratched the surface! Despite our limited time together, we managed to squeeze quite a bit into our 48 hours. I vlogged most of this weekend on my Youtube channel, but wanted to share a blog post highlighting our itinerary for you all as well. Here is my suggested two day tour of New York City!

Day 1

9:00 am Breakfast at Joe & The Juice, Financial District

This cafe is interior design goals through and through. We stopped in before starting out day to grab a smoothie. Lizzy ordered the Açaí Bowl and I got the Choco Smoothie. The decor is right on trend, with chic glass walls and plush leather chairs. I particularly loved the industrial feel, with exposed ceilings and natural woods throughout. This was the perfect pit stop before beginning our day, and my smoothie was absolutely delicious. From there we walked over to our first destination, the 9/11 Museum.

10:15 am 9/11 Memorial & Museum

This museum had been on my list of to-do’s for quite some time, and this trip I checked it off. I was in third grade when the twin towers fell, so my memory of that day is fairly hazy. My most vivid memory is standing in the hallway looking into my parents bedroom where they were watching the news on the TV. My mom had heard me outside and shut the door so that I couldn’t see the footage they were showing, but I have seen most of it in documentaries over the years. Nothing can really prepare you though, for the overwhelming emotions you feel when standing on the site.

The museum itself is beautifully done. We spent over three hours wandering around inside, taking time to read every card, look at every photo, and pieces from the site. Some of the sections were incredibly emotional to listen to or look at, but I am so glad we went. As such an important part of our countries recent history, I think everyone should try to get there at least once and experience it for themselves. I promise you will not be disappointed!

After our tour we made our way across the street to visit the Oculus, an enormous glass and steel building designed to look like a bird in flight. Inside there is a mall and access to the subway, connecting New York cities subways and New Jersey’s PATH trains. We hopped onto the subway following our Museum tour and headed to Soho for lunch.

1:00 pm Brunch at Cafe Select, Soho

Our original plan was to get food at Jack’s Wife Frida, but there was an hour and a half wait by the time we arrived. Just a few doors down is Cafe Select, a tiny restaurant with globe string lights draped across the ceiling. We sat in a back booth and ordered from their brunch menu. I chose the Museli Pancakes with macerated berries and sugar butter, and Lizzy ordered one of the specials; fresh mozzarella, a poached egg, avocado and prosciutto served over a fried potato pancake. Service was fast and the food was excellent!

3:00 pm Soloman R. Guggenheim Museum, 5th Ave

After studying Art History in college I made it a goal to visit the many museums found in New York City. The Guggenheim is home to some of the worlds most famous modern and contemporary art. The museum itself is a 20th century architectural icon. It was built by Frank Loyd Wright and opened to the public in October of 1959. The unique spiraled structure is the perfect backdrop for the art it showcases, and we had so much fun wandering around inside.

From February to May, the Guggenheim is showcasing the work of Danh Vo, Constantine Bancusi, and the impressive Thannhauser Collection. The later was my favorite because it featured many of the French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists I studied in school (Kandinsky, Picasso, etc). We had contemplated a visit to the Met Museum as well, but settled for walking by it on our way through Central Park.

5:00 pm Central Park at Dusk

As our day began to wind down, we made our way back through Central Park towards Park Plaza. The sun was beginning to set over the skyline and a lot of the plants are starting to bloom. It was really beautiful, and we definitely lucked out in terms of weather. Lizzy’s family had come to visit her the week before and were able to skate at the ice rink, but it was closed when we were there.

One of my favorite views in the park is from The Pond. When the sun is starting to set behind the skyline there really is nothing like it. We made a quick pit stop at the Plaza Food Hall for a cupcake from Billy’s cupcakes and then made our way down 5th Ave!

6:00 pm 5th Avenue Stroll

Thankfully we’ve reached the time of year where the sun is still out at 6pm. 5th Ave is always a fun destination, and since Lizzy works in the fashion industry we felt obligated to visit.

We stopped into Gucci and window shopped until we reached the subway to head back to Lizzy’s apartment. At that point we had already walked 7 miles and couldn’t wait to sit down for dinner! If you haven’t noticed by now, we ate a lot on this trip. Just the way I like it!

7:00 pm Dinner at Mad Dog & Beans Mexican Cantina

Lizzy and her roommates have been going to Mad Dog since they moved in, so I knew it must be good. We were seated right away and ordered chips and guac to start (a must, their guac is fantastic). The two of us both decided on chicken Burrito Bowls for our meals, which were absolutely delicious. Lizzy got a pomegranate Margarita to end the day and we rested our legs at the table. It was the perfect way to close out day 1, and a great meal for the price!

Day 2

9:00 am Breakfast at La Mercerie Cafe, Soho

Before my trip into the city, I had asked Lizzy if we could have brunch at this beautiful cafe in Soho called La Mercerie. It opened in December and has been finding its way onto my Instagram feed ever since. The cafe itself shares space with the Roman and Williams Guild furniture and design store, and is a part of the latest retail restaurant trend. Everything inside is for sale, even the table you sit at. It was safe to say all of my food and design dreams came true here. The space is romanic, airy and beautiful. I wrote a full review on the restaurant here, which you are welcome to check out!

Their breakfast menu celebrates French cuisine in a thoughtful and delicious way, offering plenty of pastries and savory entrees. I paired a Pain Au Chocolat pastry with my latte, and we both ordered the Crêpes Complète for our main. I would highly recommend this dish, one bite and you’ll know why. Filled with ham, Comté cheese and a sunny side up egg, this crepe was absolute perfection. Crispy on the outside and topped with fresh green onion, it was my favorite meal of the entire weekend.

While you’re there, be sure to take a stroll through Roman and Williams Guild and admire their unique selection of furniture and accessories. There is also a library space in the basement that is worth a visit as well!

11:00 am Stroll Through Soho

From La Mercerie, we ventured out onto the streets of Soho. While neither of us made any purchases, we stopped in a few of our favorite stores and enjoyed the sunshine. It was a beautiful but fairly cool weekend, and it felt great to be outside. Soho is fairly dead at 11am on a Sunday, and it felt nice to walk around without the crowds.

12:30 pm Brooklyn Bridge Walk

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of my favorite spots in the city, and on this day it was a must. The sun was shining off the water and the bridge was fairly empty, so Lizzy and I decided to walk the entire distance to Brooklyn. I had never been to Brooklyn before and was excited to see the views of the city from across the water. The wind was whipping and the air was cool, but the views were second to none.

I would have loved to spend the whole day exploring Brooklyn, but I planned to leave by 4pm to head home. We made our way back across the water and walked through the Seaport back towards the Financial District where Lizzy lives. Both of us were craving Mexican again, so we made the easy decision to head back to Mad Dog for lunch!

2:30 pm Lunch at Mad Dog & Beans Cantina

I was so happy with our decision to go back to Mad Dog. I had been craving their chips and guac all day (seriously, it’s that good). This time I ordered the Grilled Pineapple and Avocado salad with a spicy vinaigrette and Lizzy stuck with her Burrito Bowl from the night before. My salad was absolutely delicious and extremely filling, which was perfect before my four hour drive home. The grilled pineapple and tangy dressing were incredible. So much so that I plan on trying to recreate that recipe for myself.

Both days we managed to walk over 8 miles. Needless to say I left exhausted but so happy with my visit. We squeezed everything we could out of those 48 hours, and checked all of the boxes off our list. And be sure to watch my NYC vlog here as well!

New York, I will be back again soon for more adventures. A big thank you to Lizzy for a great weekend, as always!

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