New York, New York – it’s been 8 years since the last time I was in the city, so of course I was super thrilled when my sister and I finally booked our flights. I am in and out of the States almost ever year, but I usually end up just flying over to Chicago to see my friends, so New York was a nice change. We had fantastic weather most of the times and were able to walk around as much as possible to experience the New York city vibe. I love this city. 

Manhattan Madness

We arrived Friday afternoon and drove to our hostel New York Budget Inn on E 34th Str in Midtown Manhattan (take the E to Penn Station, then walk down to East 34th). The hostel was alright, we stayed in a 4 bed mixed dorm which was very basic and small. Plus is here that you have a sink and a lockers in each room. The employees there were really friendly and help you out if you have any requests. However, this hostel is very basic and really just serves its purpose to spend the nights there, so don’t expect to meet too many people or have a big common area to hang out. The location, however, ist really good, just a short walk to 5th street and the Empire State and approximately a 15 – 20 minute walk to Penn Station.

Because we arrived around 5pm, we didn’t have too much time on our first day, so we decided to stroll around, got some snacks to go and walked to Time Square and Broadway, so that my sister was able to see it at night for the first time. Time Square, what can I say. I get why people go crazy about it, but it’s just not for me. It’s enough to take a picture, look at the lights and acknowledge its existence, but its just too much. Overcrowded, Overwhelming, Overrated (sorry, not sorry). I am not saying you shouldn’t go, but don’t waste too much time there, New York has so much more to offer.

On Saturday, we had the only slightly rainy day, but because we wanted to discover the city anyways, we started by walking to Korea town (of course, as my sister lived in Seoul for two years) and had breakfast at Caffe Bene, where we had Banana Walnut bread with Chai tea latte. This cafe is very americanized, but they have a nice menu and the cakes look amazing.

 Because it was raining during most of the morning, we decided to walk along 5th Avenue up to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa). Its the perfect activity to kill time during the rain and New York City has so many nice Museums to offer. Just be aware that the line is longer on a rainy Saturday afternoon than during the week. The museum has 6 stories, all holding different decades of art and really nicely fragmented. My favorites were definitely the 1960s and 1970s (I am such a hippie) as it was just very colorful, lots of photographs which I especially like, and just fun and interesting to watch.

After the museum, the rain stopped and we were able to continue our stroll to Rockefeller Center and St. Patricks Church all the way up to Central Park. I prefer walking over taking the subway, even though its more comfy. You just see, hear and feel so much more when you walk around, plus its so good for you, especially after a long day of flying. I really loved St. Patrick Church, it feels so out of place in between all the modern skyscrapers, but thats what makes it so special.

Central Park is another of these things – I am still in awe, how you can find such peaceful place in the middle of the city that never sleeps. Even though you see the skyline and you are so close to 5th Avenue and lots of people come to visit, it feels nice and calm to walk around and enjoy a little nature in the middle of the craziness. Kinda feels like a mini vacay.

On Sunday, the sun finally decided to show up, so we drove down to the new World Trade Center and visited Ground Zero. It is still a weird feeling being there, last time I visited it was still a big construction side and you couldn’t really see anything. I feel they did pretty well in building the memorial. However, I am still impressed how some people take happy pictures in front of it, posing with it like it was the Grand Canyon. I mean, you don’t have to break down and cry, but at least have some respect. Anyways, we spent  some time there and decided to walk to the waterfront to see the Statue of Liberty from afar, then through the Financial District along Trinity Church and finally took the subways to Brooklyn (I will write more about Brooklyn in the next part of this blog post, so stay with me).

After walking the Brooklyn Bridge, we continued our journey to China Town and ended up in SoHo, where they also have a bunch of cute restaurants and cafes, no matter what you are looking for, you will definitely find it there. There are a lot of shops, also all the fancy labels, so if you want to shop, this is your place to be. After SoHo, we walked on to the beginning of the neighborhood NoHo and went to find light food at Panera Bread. On our way back home, we made a stop at Buttercup Bake Shop on 33rd Str and Madison. The cupcakes there are so good. If you walk by there, make sure you step in, its amazing (Red Velvet or peanut butter and chocolate).

In the evening, we decided to go for drinks, so we ended up going to the Flying Cock Bar around the corner from out hostel. It was more like a pub/sports bar, but the food looked good and the drinks were alright. However, it was Sunday, and even though its the city that never sleeps, it was empty everywhere. Unfortunately for us, but at least we were able to get a good night sleep and woke up early the next day.

On Monday, our first move was to get breakfast at the Murray Hill Diner in Midtown, a typical American Diner that serves pancakes, eggs, omlettes and everything else you wish for. Afterwards, we walked to Rockefeller Center to go up and enjoy the view. Many people rather go on the Empire State Building, however it’s even better on Top of the Rock as you have an fantastic view over the city, including the Empire State building.

For dinner, we walked back to Korea town to grab some food at the Korean House before going back to the hostel to pack our bags for Chicago. The Korea House has lots of different food options there, so you can pick whatever you like, if you are into Korean food. My sister says the authenticity is ok, for me as an outsider, it tasted really good.

Welcome to Brooklyn

First up, we’ve been to Brooklyn twice during our stay, on Sunday to chill at the waterfront and walk the Brooklyn Bridge and then again on Friday to visit Williamsburg. Do you guys remember the time, when Miranda told her friends in Sex and the City that she had to move to Brooklyn because of her family and all of the girls were shocked by the thought? Manhattan was the real deal back then, but I feel like a lot has changed. Brooklyn has gained in popularity and if I would move to New York, I would most definitely consider moving to Brooklyn. Cute cafes, nice people, good nightlife, amazing shops and boutiques. But I am getting ahead of myself.

So, we visited Williamsburg on Saturday morning,right after we retuned from our trip to Chicago. It was on my bucket list because I heard so much good about it. So we drover over the Williamsburg Bridge via subway and started walking along the area. First thing we did was looking for a breakfast place, as we were starving. We found this place called Little Choc Apothecary, which is a little vegan café on  Havemeyer Str. They offer Vegan Crepe, Acai bowls, smoothies and much more. The breakfast was amazing and the atmosphere was great. It kind of reminded me of Berlin, a little hipster with big glasses of tea on the walls and old fashioned interior, just lovely.

After finishing up, we made our way to the main street, which is Metropolitan Ave. From there you can get to all of the little side streets with bars, cafes, restaurants and different shops. I wish we would have taken a hostel in that neighborhood, but truth is, if you don’t have too much time, its easier to stay in Manhattan to see all the main stuff and visit other neighborhood, rather than the other way around. Anyways, I can only recommend to either stay there in hostel or hotel or to drive over there at least once to walk around and let it all sink in.

We had lunch at Zizi Limona (aka Hummus kitchen), which is one of many restaurants that you can go to (and they all look yummi). The meal was really nice and if you are into hummus, this is your place to go. Again, interior is a little hipster, pretty stylish and the service is really good, so definitely a Yay. BTW I had hummus with meat and veggies and a complimentary side dish and pita. So good.

What else do you do when in Brooklyn? Exactly, walk the Brooklyn Bridge. That’s what we did on Sunday and we were lucky to have such nice weather. I did not really realize, how many people actually walk on that bridge every day. It is super crowded, but we probably came at a peak time around 1pm. We first walked up to the waterfront to look at the bridge and the skyline before we made our way over it. It is a really nice walk with a pretty view, however, it is just way to narrow to walk there with so many people, especially because one lane is reserved for bikes. If you ever get there, check out to what times the bridge is relatively empty. I feel like the walk will be less stressful if you are not cramped in between hundreds of tourists (it doesn’t look like it in the picture, but just because we were waiting for the right moment to not have people running in front of our cameras).

I have to admit, after my first visit in 2008, I was not a big New York fan (I can’t really explain why). BUT, I learned to see New York in a different light this time around. The city is so vibrant, so diverse, offers great variety and it is just very enjoyable to spend some time there. The one thing I have to say before I am done with this: don’t get trapped in a spiral of tourist attractions and stand in line for the bigger part of your vacation. This does not only count for New York City but for any town for that matter. Always try to find a good balance between sight seeing and exploring, be open minded and don’t be afraid to walk around without really knowing what your destination is. Stroll through the different neighborhoods and see what they are all about, try out different restaurants, talk to the people and get to know this great city. I think, that’s what makes this experiences extra special (Amen).

Thanks New York, it’s been a blast. Until next time!