One week in New York
New York Public Library, 2023 // 5 minute read
Data points of critical importance regarding my last trip to NY:
Average daily steps: 14,802
Grandma slices consumed: at least 7
Different modes of transportation used: 8
Episodes of Jury Duty watched in a two-day period: 8
Number of times my jaw dropped at the airport as I reacted to actually crazy things Julie does in the movie Julie & Julia: at least 20
Earlier this spring, I traveled to New York with my partner and we spent a week visiting his lovely sister. We primarily spent time in Brooklyn but traveled into Manhattan for roughly half the week. We had the best time, even though it was rainy and chilly and neither of us brought proper rain gear. Whoops!
This was my seventh trip to New York, so I didn’t really do any of the typical, touristy things I would do when I was younger. If you’ve never been to the city, you’ll probably want to spend a lot of time in Manhattan. I suggest going to the Guggenheim and Whitney museums, spending more time in Central Park, and hanging out in my favorite neighborhoods, like the LES, Greenwich, and the West Village.
This trip was one of the first ones where I spent the bulk of my time in Brooklyn, and I’m so glad I finally got to know this borough a little better. The beautiful brownstones reminded me a lot of Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, where I went to college. There’s a ton of delicious food, great little bars, and I already can’t wait to spend more time at the Brooklyn Museum on my next trip!
If you’re looking for recommendations for your next trip to NYC, here are some of my favorite things I did:
Take in the Treasures Exhibit at the NYPL: Literally one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life, and it’s completely free and permanent. The NYPL is already beautiful, but this exhibit includes some of the rarest artifacts you may ever have the chance to lay eyes on. A few personal highlights for me included seeing the original stuffed animals that inspired Winnie the Pooh and seeing Audobon’s Birds of America. Amazing!!
Go to the Noguchi Museum in Queens: I didn’t even know this place existed until my college roommate invited me to visit it with her. This beautiful museum celebrates the works of Isamu Noguchi, one of the twentieth century’s most important and critically acclaimed sculptors. His work is amazing, and the museum is housed in his former studio. If you live in the city, the gardens are a perfect spot to read a book on a sunny afternoon.
Have a beer at the Alligator Lounge: As a person who also loves quietly observing the wild behaviors of other humans, I am a big fan of Nathan Fielder’s work. I hadn’t been to New York since watching the Rehearsal in 2022, so you know I had to make the pilgrimage to the Alligator Lounge in Brooklyn. It’s a fun little dive bar where someone named Kor had to confess that he lied about having a Master’s degree to his trivia teammate and friend. They also have free personal pizzas—super fun!
Savor a lil glass of natty wine: New York is so different from LA because you’re out for the whole day, and when you have downtime, there’s no excuse to not have a little drink because you don’t have to drive anywhere. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect scenario on a sunny vacation afternoon. A couple of drink spots I liked were Loring Place in Greenwich Village and Nat’s on Bank in the West Village, which has the most fun bar bathroom I’ve ever seen—the toilet seat cover has a cow in a green pasture on it. Moo!!!
Peruse the MOMA Design Store: Strangely enough, I didn’t go to the MOMA on this trip but did go to the MOMA Design Store in Soho. This is a place where people in my life tend to order me gifts from, which I am very thankful for. This store is perfect if you’re looking for unique home decor or the perfect present for a loved one. I like finding things from HAY Design, BAGGU, and Dusen Dusen here. It’s also a good place to escape the rain for 20 minutes, which is what we did. ;)
Grab a bite at a cute little spot: I do not need to tell you that this city has literally an endless amount of delicious restaurants. This visit, I ended up at Oxomoco (Michelin-starred Mexican food! Fancy!), Saraghina (delicious Italian), and Chez Oskar (cute French bistro). I loved all of them.
Check out the Brooklyn Museum: I had somehow never been to this museum before, but I loved it. We unfortunately didn’t give ourselves enough time to see the whole museum, because it’s huge. I would dedicate an entire day. A few highlights included the current Thierry Mugler exhibit (for the fashion girlies), their visible storage (so cool!!), seeing one of my favorite Matisse paintings, and exploring the very cute museum shop.
Enjoy an oat milk latte: Lorelai Gilmore vibes :) It’s coffee time! NY has a plethora of great coffee shops and cafes. We have a little tradition of visiting Stumptown every time we’re in the city, and then we go to Goods for the Study, which is a lovely stationery shop down the block. A few new spots I discovered this trip include: Rita and Maria, Little Roy, and Milk and Pull (love their breakfast sandwich!), all in Brooklyn.
Experience my not-groundbreaking but amazing bodega sandwich order: I tried to order a chicken parm sandwich, but there was a miscommunication and I received what’s become my new favorite order that may never be recreated: chicken cutlet on a roll, with low-moisture mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, onion, and the crazy part: some kind of a pink sauce that I think ended up being a combo of red sauce and maybe a tiny bit of mayo? It sounds digusting but was literally so good. You might sound weird ordering it, and for that, I’m sorry.
Spend an afternoon in Greenpoint, BK: If I ever move to New York, I’m living in Greenpoint. There are so many cute shops and restaurants among tree-lined rows of brownstones. The vibes were impeccable. We ended up grabbing a latte and drank it on the waterfront at Transmitter Park—resulting in the perfect afternoon.
