Visiting NYC
welcome!
New York is awesome. But it is also exhausting.
If you're like us, you'll want to eat ALL THE FOODS.
And if you haven't been to NYC you'll want to see ALL THE THINGS.
But there's just too much to eat and drink (and see) in a single weekend!
So here are a few of the best classic sights, a few tips from our favorite NYC bloggers, and a few favorite spots of our own, just get you started.
Things to Know
(like how to fold your pizza)
Joanna Goddard from A Cup of Jo has an awesome archive of her Guide to New York.
It includes places to stay, eat, and drink, things to see or do, and how to blend in with the locals.
Deb Perelman, of (Laura's favorite food blog) Smitten Kitchen, has a nice list of her favorite New York spots.
It's mostly about food, which is just fine with us!
If neither of these seem to suit your style, check out this exhaustive list from TimeOut NY!
BATHROOMS
Not every store has one, or has one they're willing to let you use. and the ones in Starbucks usually come with long lines and look as used as they are.
When needed, pull out your favorite maps app and look for one of these places: they usually have nice facilities, and, if you don't look too obvious about it, you can usually just walk in without question.
Big department stores/malls: Macys, Bloomingdales, Shops at Columbus Circle, Rockefeller Center, etc.
Tiffany's & Co. (Yes, that Tiffanys)
Restoration Hardware (it's on the 2nd floor)
The Ace Hotel Lobby Bar (towards the back, by the bar)
Apple Stores (you can also discreetly charge your phone there as well)
Barnes and Noble (some are better than others, but any will do in a pinch!)
Crate & Barrel
Best Buy
Some Banana Republic/J.Crews
Classic Sights
Upper East to the Upper West Side
The sights: MET Museum/Central Park/Shake Shack
The plan
Start off at the MET Museum. It's huge, so rather than think you'll just walk through all of it, make sure you triage and consider seeing the "other" stuff on your way to the "must see" stuff. Our picks: The Egyptian Stuff (Temple of Dendur), the Armory Stuff, The Medieval Stuff, The 19/20th Centntury European Stuff, and the Contemporary Stuff.
Next, take a break. Buy a hotdog from the stand outside the MET steps if you need to, but save your appetite! Walk down to 79th Street and follow the path through Central Park. About halfway through, you'll find a path for Belvedere Castle. Follow it up and take in the sights of the park from the top of the tiny castle! Then get your way back onto the 79th Street path and head to the West Side for...
Shake Shack. It's at 77th Street & Columbus Avenue. Go ahead and get a Shack Burger, fries, AND a shake. You deserve it!
If you don't feel totally destroyed and ready for a nap afterwards, you can mosey on back through Central Park and try to find the iconic spots like The Mall, Bethesda Terrace, or any number of other spots that you'd probably recognize from movies...
Midtown
The sights: Grand Central, MoMA, Empire State Building, Times Square, Rockefeller Center
Downtown
The sights: Little Italy & China Town, 9/11 Memorial/Wall Street, Ellis Island/Battery Park
Our Favorite Eats
It's hard to list all our favorite places to eat. Especially because we eat a lot, and it's exhausting to write them all out.
But here's our attempt.
K-Town & Grace Street Cafe (Hodduk) & Food Gallery 32
Although it's basically only a block long on 32nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, Ktown is crammed with Korean barbecue, karaoke, beauty shops, and FOOD. Can you get better Korean food elsewhere? Yes. But if you're near Herald Square, you should do yourself a favor and at least take the tiny detour over to this street to get Hodduk (the best fried to order gooey donut you'll ever have) at Grace Street, and to pop into the food court (Food Gallery 32) for a steamed bun. Bonus: Just about everything at the Food Court is under $12 *and* there's a ton of seating throughout it's 3 stories. Downside: You will want more than just one Hodduk once you try it. You will probably also burn your mouth on it's molten brown sugar/cinnamon/walnutty bits.
Mario Batali's ginormous Italian food emporium. Always crowded, but sometimes worth it. There's a lot of small restaurants and counters to get Italian eats. Our go-tos include the Prime Rib panino at 'La Rosticceria' and the sopresatta panini at 'I Panini'. Don't forget to get a scoop of gelato on your way out!
This place offers several super rich miso-based ramen soups. We love the pork chashu.
They have KFC. No, not that Colonel Sanders sh*t - we're talking Korean Fried Chicken. Double fried for ultimate juiciness and crispiness, with an addicting sticky garlic-soy glaze (be careful, the spicy flavor is SPICY). They also have a bunch of other small plates to share, and watermelon soju if you're feeling festive. This place is also just around the corner from Ramen Misoya, in case you need a Plan B (or second dinner).
Part of David Chang's Momofuku empire, Fuku's only entree is a spiced fried chicken sandwich with optional asian slaw (which makes it the Koreano). You can't get a better chicken sandwich in NYC for just $8-$9 a pop. Just a heads up - there's limited seating, so don't expect to be able to sit down with a big group of people.
The best smash burger, period. In-N-Out has nothing on the Shack Burger. So deceptively simple, but it just works. Get the Shack Burger (although their chicken sandwich is darn good, too), with their old school crinkle-cut fries, and a shake. There's multiple locations around the city, so find one, hop on line, and figure out where you're going to nap off your food coma while you wait.
Katz's Deli is controlled chaos at its best. Here's a video on how the ordering/ticketing system works. It's pretty simple once you're in! It can get suuuper busy on weekends and random times of the week/day/night, but if you're looking for a "New York Deli" this won't disappoint. Order a pastrami on rye with mustard and unless you're ravenous, you might want to split it with someone.
Customize your meatball experience! Choose your type of ball, sauce, and what you want them on (slider roll, sandwich, pasta, polenta, etc). Super yummy, and there's several locations around the city!
Whitmans (NYC) and Burnside (Brooklyn)
This is where Laura goes to curb a Jucy Lucy craving. Both places spell it wrong, but we forgive them because their burgers are on point. (Bonus points go to Burnside for also offering fried cheese curds and shuffleboard).
Softserve at it's yummiest! Get the Salty Pimp, make your friend get the Bea Arthur, and then eat them both.
This is hands down, Laura's favorite ice cream in the city. And if you know Laura and her penchant for frozen dairy, that's really saying something. Her favorite is Lavender, although their cookies and cream is a close second. Their scoopers are always super friendly, so try a few flavors before committing to your favorite scoop (or two, or three).
