Isn’t it incredible that I can stretch one weekend in NYC into 3 separate posts? That’s New York for ya. Sunday morning we woke up and it was clear that fall had truly arrived. The air was cool and there was a crispness in the air. I always thought I wanted to visit NYC at Christmas time, but fall is where it’s at. It’s perfect for wandering and experiencing the city.
I knew I wanted something fresh for breakfast, so we sought out a juice bar.
I walked into Juice Generation and start giggling with excitement. Raw foods in the cooler, a wide variety of juice combos and smoothies to choose from… heaven!
I went with Hail to the Kale, a combo of watermelon, apple, kale and lemon. It was delicious. David added to my sugar high by suggesting we check out the nearby Whole Foods. I was elated.
As expected, it’s incredible. The prepared foods section is unreal and I loved the hustle and bustle of people buying just a bag or two of groceries to carry home with them. So city-sheik! David grabbed a latte and we moved on.
Back to the Gray Line buses, but this time for the uptown loop! We played with the zillow app on my phone, gawking at the real estate prices on the upper west side, home to Jerry Seinfeld and more. 15 million for a 2 bedroom? Sure. Need more space? Get three beautiful stories with a view of Central Park for a mere 95 MILLION. Ridonkulous.
We snapped the obligatory pictures of the museums and enjoyed listening to the stories of Harlem.
As much as I love the history of the city, there was one slight more modern landmark I was looking forward to.
Shake Shack!!! My friend, Maria, warned me they were switching from crinkle fries to shoe string, and alas, this location had already made the swap.
Luckily it didn’t damper my experience. I thought the burger was incredible and had no problems gobbling down the shoestring fries. It was all I hoped it would be. CHECK!
From there we cut across Central Park…
back to the upper west side. A few miles later, we arrived at the Church of St. John the Divine.
This historic church caught David’s eye and we made a point to make it back to peak inside. It’s breathtaking. The ceilings are so high that you could fit the Statue of Liberty inside of it with room to spare.
It’s quite humbling.
From there we cut through a street fair. Apparently they happen quite often in the fall. It brings people watching to a whole new level. Oh, and the food… mmm…
We savored the grilled corn and couldn’t resist a gyro as we perused the booths and I ogled the spices on display. I wanted to smuggle them all back in my suitcase.
Knowing it was nearing our departure time, we made one last stop at the Empire Hotel in a futile attempt for me to track down Chuck Bass.
When he was no where to be found, I decided it was finally time to leave the city.
It really was an incredible weekend. I was surprised that the city felt cleaner and safer and the streets felt wider than I was expecting. It certainly was busy, but I could see how living in certain areas would provide more of a neighborhood feel that was quite pleasant.
It is a different way of life from our current station in the ‘burbs and it was neat to experience. I hope to return one day with the whole family to experience the museums, more food and definitely another show!
What city would you love to visit? Why?
Gcroft says
NYC and Sydney are 2 of my favourite cities, both buzzing, vibrant and great food culture. I’d love to return to both someday soon.
Emily S says
Ditto!! We went to Sydney on our honeymoon. The coolest urban feel – plus the beach! Nothing better!
Parita @ myinnershakti says
Loved your recaps! And loved how you two experienced so much in just a few short days! NYC is def. on our short list of cities to visit, as is San Fran. 🙂
Marjorie says
I love NYC! I have been 3 times, and each trip was a completely different experience.
I have been to San Diego for work, but I would love to go back for fun. I want more time to explore. It was so beautiful.
Lauren says
If you loved NYC you need to visit Chicago. I live in Jersey and have always loved “the city”, then I visited Chicago and fell in love. It’s a great city atmosphere but the people seem nicer and it’s cleaner lol.
katie says
I’ve been to NYC twice, the first time was with my mom when I was 16, which I think is a great first experience if you can swing it for Hailey!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I can only imagine just how amazing that Whole Foods experience was….uber jealous!
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
I love New York! And I love these recaps.
I have yet to visit Boston, so that would probably be a city I’d like to check out. It has so much history, and it always looks like fun in the movies! 😉
Chantal says
What a cool experience! I would love to go there in the fall too. That part of the country is just great then.
Maria says
Aww, reading this makes me wish that we had been able to coordinate our dates of travel. Couples trip next time? With Hailey of course!
Also, you can never have too many travel recaps 🙂
Sara says
I’m so glad you had a fun time in NYC, I loved your re-caps and you hit so many great spots. However, the best line in the recap for me was “we made one last stop at the Empire Hotel in a futile attempt for me to track down Chuck Bass.” That is totally something I would say since I love GG!!
Hanna says
I’d love to visit Seattle because of the scenery. I’ve been to NYC, Chicago and Boston and out of those three my favorite was Boston. The history and the buildings are so old and beautiful.
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says
I’ve been to that whole foods!
Shari says
The reservoir! That’s one of my favorite spots in Central Park!
So glad you had a wonderful time. 🙂
Emily S says
Shake Shack is switching fries??? nooooooo! FYI DC has three Shake Shack locations and is getting two more!
Mer says
Must have been a great trip!
nicole @ making good choices says
I was in the SAME area on Saturday! Hope you had a great time!
bonnie says
I loved hearing about your weekend in NYC ! The weather was wonderful !! I love hearing how “tourists” talk about their visits… I currently live in NJ but have lived in “The City” for a couple years… The street fairs are wonderful !!
I was a nurse working at St Lukes Hospital, I lived in a wonderful old art deco building (it was “hospital housing” & really cheap rent!! I cannot even imagine how much it would cost today !!)
It was across the street from St John the Divine. Its beautiful… I remember when they were doing restoration on it years ago (in the early 80’s…wow time sure does fly by!) with all the scaffolding around it… It was fun to watch the “Blessing of the Animals” parade that goes on the first week of October from my living room window !!!
I had to move out after I had my daughter, she was six weeks old when we moved. I did not want to work full time & hospital housing was only for “full timers”…. we moved to Queens but I loved living in NYC & still love visiting at least once a month !!
Glad you had such a great time !!
Lia says
NYC was really neat to visit…we saw Lion King and it was amazinggg. My husband really liked it also.
Another city that we loved and would go back to in a heart beat is Austin, TX. Such a neat vibe and the food is legit. You should check it out sometime if you’ve never been.
Neil Butterfield says
The burger and fries look awesome. I would love to visit Italy to try out some authentic Italian pizza.