new york city. the city of lights. the city of dreams. the city that never sleeps. the city that was the backdrop for a thousand movies. the city that was my home for the past nine months.
its been about two weeks since i moved back to my hometown and i’ve been (mostly) busy non-stop so i haven't had them much time to miss new york. but i do. quite a lot. so this is me reminiscing on all my favorite things.
there’s a thousand things to do in new york city, that’s what makes it so fabulous. but if people ask about the best thing i did while i was there this is what i would say. no surprise, they all have to do with just walking around, people watching, and taking in the city.
walk manhattan- one of best ways to see the city; took approximately four hours; started at columbia, 116th street and walked down broadway until around 44th street where we switched to 6th ave all the way down to battery park; 11 miles total
walk brooklyn bridge- this is so quintessential new york you just have to do it; grab ice cream or coffee and bagels once you finish; be a tourist and take a thousand pictures; bonus points if you can wake up early enough to do it during sunrise
central park- i think i went to central park at least once a month sometimes more than that and its easily the best place to watch the seasons change, saw the leaves turn, then everything covered in snow, then the flowers bloomed and it became picnic season
bonus: Roosevelt island tram- had to include this because it has some of the best views of the city and it’s a little hidden gem
my first semester i went to a new coffee shop every friday after 8am but by second semester i’d found a favorite (the first on this list obviously). still, i’m a coffee addict so of course there’s multiple spots i've tried and loved
plantshed (2nd ave, 11th street)- mostly went here for the ambiance and fantastic almond croissants
poetic coffee (2nd ave, saint marks place)
maman (university place)- the first and last coffee shop i went to
everyone wants to know the best bagels in the city and i honestly think i failed at finding them. bagels are genuinely too heavy to eat at 7am before class then i always felt bad not using my meal swipes to buy them for lunch. still, here are my top three:
bagel pub (12th street, university place)- spent nearly eight hours here one day during finals; they have a fantastic playlist
brooklyn bagels (W 4th street)
tompkins bagels (2nd ave)
i had a much easier time finding the best pizza places because i forced my roommates to try a new place every wednesday with me. the top contenders:
unregular pizza (4th ave, E 13th st)- this is NOT new york pizza but it was surprisingly delicious
marinara pizza (2nd ave, E 10th st)
rays (saint marks place)- only good by the slice; i think this spot was in the elf movie?
restaurants aka sit down, get dressed up, have your parents pay(hopefully)
leon’s (broadway)- possible bias because i got a kitchen tour (and i won’t shut up about it!)
pete’s tavern (E 18th st, irving place)- this is the oldest pub in the city! get the shepherd's pie!
travelers poets and friends (6th ave)
cheap eats/fast food (this section is just an excuse to add more restaurants to this list)
sushi counter (christopher street)- they only hire australian people and i think that makes it better?
thisbowl (bleeker street)- also an australian establishment and i will be comparing this one to one in sydney next semester
dundus (E 41st st)
who doesn’t love a sweet lil treat? mostly i have this section because i needed to put caffe panna somewhere on this list because it’s my favorite thing and i'm actually going to cry about not having it for the next several months
caffe panna (irving place, 19th st)- the love of my life
hanis (cooper square)- possibly the best chocolate chip cookie in the city
levain bakery (lafayette st)- cookies must be warmed up
gonna include broadway shows because I think they are fabulous and so it doesn’t look like i just ate my way through the city
sunset boulevard- nicole scherzinger is remarkable but everything about this show had me on the edge of my seat, grinning like a fool
the outsiders- a classic story; the set was so cool, they had gravel on the stage(!); and i cried so that must count for something
mj: the musical- this was so fun and fabulous if you love michael jackson; perfect ratio of story to music
moral of this list: i love new york. go follow me on beli (@ciara_lang17) if you want to stay up to date on my favorite (food) spots.
xx Ciara