As most of you know, I (Ashley) just got back from a long weekend in New York City. We had the best time, and as most of my friends predicted, I wanted to stay there forever. We only did about 5% of the things on my to-do list, but that was to be expected. I am so excited to share my photos and my New York story with you.
Day 1
We flew out on a red-eye Thursday night so by the time we got into the city and dropped our bags off, it was breakfast & coffee time. I knew I wanted a New York bagel and my friend recommended Sadelle’s. Sadelle’s is a part of the same restaurant group that owns Parm and Carbone, two spots on my list that we didn’t make it to. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no line when we got there. I got the Everything 2.0 and it did not disappoint. Once I finished my coffee, I felt ready to take on the world.
The one thing that was non-negotiable on the trip was visiting the 9/11 memorial. I wanted to do this right away, just to make sure we made it there. We walked from SoHo down to the memorial. I didn’t know what to expect and still can’t find the words to describe the experience. The pools were gorgeous, yet eerie at the same time. It was all so surreal, but I’m so happy we went.
Next, we headed to lunch at The Spotted Pig. This was the one stop that overlapped on everyone’s lists of recommendations. I mentioned in my Burger Club post that I would be stopping here. They didn’t have the Gnudi on the menu that day 🙁 but I got the grilled cheese and Joe got the burger. Both were amazing and the restaurant was so cool! Unfortunately for us, no Kanye sighting.
After lunch, we were so full, so we walked from the West Village back to SoHo where we were staying. We popped in some of the shops along the way until the hotel called and said we could check in. Of course, we accidentally fell asleep for four hours, but that’s okay because when we woke up it was pouring rain. That night we had dinner at a small neighborhood Italian restaurant, Piccola Cucina Osteria. It was a tiny restaurant that sat no more than 30 people, but the pasta was incredible and the wine was much needed. We spent the rest of the night meeting up with friends and getting acquainted with the city.
Day 2
I woke up early on Saturday morning to meet up with Carina of Her Open Window. We grabbed coffee and she showed me around the neighborhood before we did a shoot. Even though she and I had never “met” before, we have so many mutual friends, grew up in the same place, and have been friends on social media, it really seemed like I was spending the day with one of my besties. She has lived in New York for 5 years so we walked around SoHo and she showed me some of her favorite spots.
After our shoot, we picked up Joe and headed to the West Village for brunch.
You know I had to stop by Carrie Bradshaw’s- it was a bucket list item.
After brunch, we tried to go to Magnolia for a cupcake, but the line was so insanely long that we ended up going into Bookmarc instead. It had such a great selection of eclectic books- I wanted everything, but no room in my suitcase. We said our goodbyes to Carina 🙁 and Joe and I headed to the High Line.
On the walk back to the hotel, we stopped at Dominique Ansel for a cookie shot. But they sold out when there were literally three people in front of me in line. This was the second day that we tried- and failed- to get this. I figured it wasn’t meant to be so I ordered the frozen s’mores instead. Even though it wasn’t a cookie shot, it was still really delicious.
The highlight of my trip was dinner at La Esquina. A few people had recommended it, but we couldn’t get a reservation online so I figured it was hopeless. Carina had said to call and just ask and they had an opening! Last time she went there, she saw Beyonce. And of course, anything Bey does, I will do too. We went here on a double date with Joe’s best friend and girlfriend. It was SO fun!
Day 3
This day was reserved for football so we didn’t do much except for that. We went to Finnerty’s which is the San Francisco sports bar in New York- it felt just like home. Right before the game we went to this really cool speakeasy called The Tippler- it’s underneath Chelsea Market. Cocktails were amazing and it was just what we needed before our long bus ride to MetLife Stadium. Unfortunately, the game didn’t go as we had hoped. But despite the loss, we had a great time.
Last Day
On our last day in the city, we only had one thing left to do: Shake Shack. While it wasn’t as good as In-N-Out, it was still pretty damn great. We took the long way there – through Washington Square Park and up 5th Avenue to soak in all the sight seeing we could before our flight.
Until next time, New York City.
