everything I did in new york
This is your official sign to book the trip and go to The Big Apple.
I am just back from a lovely visit to New York. I was itching to get over there again, there was a time where I was back and forth very regularly and planned to move over for a few years (then I met my husband in Brooklyn… on the same visit I went on to view apartments… he is British and doesn’t love NYC… so that sort of put a pin in that plan) and I was getting pangs for all things big-and-apple-like. Even the subway fumes were starting to appeal.
When I voiced the idea my parents’ ears pricked up. My mum had never been to New York and Dad had only been there on business. Long story short, a few clicks and texts later we had booked to go for 4 nights. We’ve done a lot of city breaks as a family over the years. We walk everywhere, we eat a lot and we try and see as much as possible. The agenda was simple; show Mum the city without breaking ourselves. I wanted to give her a mix of…
obvious bucket-list, tourist attractions
less obvious places the family have been before and she’s had to hear about for decades
new places I have bookmarked having avidly stalked the feeds of my New York based friends
We stayed at the Intercontinental Times Square. Ordinarily I’d choose somewhere further downtown, but with Mum wanting to see things in midtown (Empire State, Rockefeller, Central Park, etc) it made sense to be up there. The hotel was great - comfy beds, nice showers, safe, clean. Nothing exceptional but all you need for a city break.
Here is a breakdown of how we spent the time:
Day 1; half a day seeing Manhattan from above, explore Grand Central (the station with the famous ceiling) and dinner at an iconic Midtown steakhouse.
Day 2; whole day (5-6 hours), breakfast in a diner, enjoying the park, Upper East exploring (The Met, Frick, Bloomingdales), 5th Avenue, Rockefeller. Dinner in a Grand Central must-see.
Day 3; whole day (5-6 hours), boat to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, wander around West Village (including lunch at a place I’ve had bookmarked for years) and a little bit of shopping on Bleeker Street. Drinks as a Taylor Swift fave and dinner at a teeny, amazing 45-cap restaurant (kitchen run by a Brit).
Day 4; breakfast at an iconic Lower East Side haunt, the best shopping area, drop down to see Ground Zero, St Paul’s Chapel, NYSE, Wall St and the Bull. Walk past City Hall to my favourite hidden gem of a poster shop.
Day 5; morning stroll on The High Line and views from the Floating Garden, coffee at a lovely little find (home to “New York’s best chocolate cake”), quick pit stop in Brooklyn to have lunch overlooking Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges before the airport.
So lets get down to it…
Day 1 - half day (3 to 4 hours, 4,000 steps)
I’d left this day relatively clear because I was unsure how we’d feel after the flight and how long we’d be stuck at immigration. JFK turned out to be super easy, we caught an Uber from the terminal so Mum could have a bit of a view of the skyline as we came into the city.
Thrilled to find a Los Tacos branch around the corner from our hotel so we grabbed some lunch. Definitely fit these guys in, the main ones are in Times Square and Chelsea Market. You’ll probably queue and stand inside to eat. Mexican Fanta and the chicken quesadillas are my favourites.
We walked over to The Summit at One Vanderbilt. Mum wanted to see the skyline from up high and this seemed to be the best priced. I had never been here before, it’s all very new and very well done. Really, really recommend this - the views were incredible.
As it’s next door we popped in to see Grand Central station’s famous ceiling. Cool fact, all the constellations are painted the wrong way around as it’s a mirror image of the sky, rather than how they actually are. I’d recommend a drink in The Campbell Apartments which you get into by walking through Ciprianis.
After we went back to the hotel to shower and change, we hopped in a cab to Smith and Wollenskys, a 50 year old steakhouse. Dad had been before and wanted to share it with Mum. I knew it would be good but wasn’t expecting it to be as outstanding as it was! Proper New York - great waiters, cool little speakeasy bar as you walk in and then a quintessentially Manhattan vibe. The food was absolutely unreal. Best steak I’ve had in years.
Day 2 - full day (5 to 6 hours, 18,000 steps)
We planned for this day to be a full one and started early because we were up (thank you, time difference). We were super lucky with the weather, it was a lovely Spring day. I’d recommend wearing comfortable shoes (I wore these trainers which are miles comfier than other “fashion” trainers for me and I added these heel pads to my loafers for evening when we were walking to places so my plantar facitis didn’t flare up).
I really wanted to take my parents to Brooklyn Diner. My sister and I have been going there for over ten years. It’s a classic American diner with lovely staff and pancakes the size of a Victoria Sponge. We booked but you can usually walk in. They loved it and it’s conveniently placed by Columbus Circle and Central Park.
After a little visit to the nearby Williams-Sonoma we headed to the park. We walked up to Besthesda Terrace (the fountain where the Friends opening is filmed) and then grabbed a coffee at the Boat House cafe. Really lovely and lots of pretty birds to see (blue jays and woodpeckers).
Sadly the Frick was closed but we walked past it and through a couple of pretty residential blocks towards Lexington Avenue. We stumbled upon Canine Styles, a gorgeous pet and grooming store (making friends with Henry, the store’s cat).
We then popped into Bloomingdales so we could say we’d been - a little disappointing to be honest. Personally I think Selfridges is much, much better.
We walked down 59th, popping into a 70% off designer sale at Saks Off Fifth, seeing the Plaza, Trump Tower, the Louis Vuitton luggage/renovation, Tiffany’s and Saks.
Rockefeller Center was something Mum really wanted to see so we headed there and watching the skaters, popping into FAO Schwarz to see the piano (from Big) and then into J Crew to buy something from the New Yorker collection - I went for this rugby shirt and love the fit of it.
Last stop for the afternoon, I took them to Magnolia Bakery to try the famous banana pudding (we may have also sneaked in a carrot cake and key lime pie).
After a rest, shower and change at the hotel for a few hours we went to Grand Central’s Oyster Bar underneath the station for dinner. This was very much a “box tick” as it’s in so many films and shows (in particular; Mad Men and Girl On The Train). It’s an 110 year old former workers’ kitchen. Beautiful inside, under the station. I had a bowl of New England Clam Chowder and loved it.