My first time to New York was in 2019 on a work trip to Nike NYHQ. I’m eternally grateful for that work trip, because before that I was never that interested in visiting the Big Apple. But that trip completely changed my perspective on the city.
WOW I LOVE NEW YORK CITY. I WANT TO COME BACK AGAIN AND AGAIN!!
I never expected to fall in love with the city as much as I did. And ever since September 2019, I was dying to go back. So when I was still in the planning phase of my move abroad, and Lanfranco invited me to check out his restaurant in NYC, of course I was down. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to make a stop in NY on the way to Europe. I get to visit NYC again, and flights are cheaper and shorter from NY. Why wouldn’t I go to NY?
After booking my flight and accommodation, I was so busy with preparing for my move that I had absolutely no time to even think about my NY trip. I literally arrived to NYC with nothing planned except for the dinner reservation at Sant Ambroeus. Because I had been to the city before it didn’t feel too overwhelming to go without a plan, and I knew there was plenty to do.
I would’ve loved to see more new places, but I was happy to show my friend Ashley some of the places that made me fall in love with the city, and I still got to do some things I didn’t have time for last time, like go to Central Park and walk the Brooklyn Bridge, and I ate at some new food spots. I will never not enjoy my time in this amazing city.
MY FIRST NIGHT
Reunion with Chef Lanfranco and dinner at Sant Ambroeus.
Read about my first night here.
QUEENS DAY
We ventured to Jackson Heights, a neighborhood in Queens, because I wanted to show Ashley one of my favorite places in the city. I love this neighborhood because you can travel the world just by going to NYC – you don’t even need a passport!
It’s a completely different world, with so many languages spoken, and sometimes hard to find English speakers, with such diversity in food and cultures, it feels like you’re transported to another part of the world. Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Mexico, etc.
We walked around the Bangladeshi neigborhood, checking out the Bangladeshi snacks and beverages in the supermarket.
We had sel roti (a traditional ring-shaped sweet rice bread from Nepal) and some momos (Nepalese dumplings).
It was hot, so walking around wasn’t ideal and we weren’t very hungry so we went back to our hotel to shower.
Later we ventured back out and had pizza and garlic knots at Two Boots Pizza, then ice cream at Van Leeuwen — again.
After a day and a half of walking in hot and sunny NY, my feet were beat up! I had blisters on my toes and cuts on the back of my heels – on both sides. It was painful to walk, and I still had a few more days in NYC and a week in Iceland to look forward to — there was no time for these to heal.
How TF am I supposed to travel the world when I have bitch ass feet like mine? Perspirant hands and feet have always been an issue for me, so I was anticipating this, but it was still a bummer because who wants this to happen, ever?
But I got places to go, I’m in NYC! So what’s a girl to do? I picked up some powder to absorb the sweat, pads to cushion my blisters, and thick gel band aids for my heels. My heels still hurt every step I took, but the pads did wonders for my blisters!
Oh, what a glamorous life!
BROOKLYN DAY
On our way to Brooklyn we obsessed over how cute the Chelsea neighborhood is, and picked up a passionfruit mango smoothie.
We started our Brooklyn day at the famous Coney Island. We walked along the beach, working our way to Brighton Beach before walking the streets of Little Odessa.
Little Odessa is a Russian neighborhood in the south of Brooklyn. It’s filled with Russian, Turkish, and Georgian restaurants, cafes, stores, and supermarkets.
I wanted to show Ashley the deli inside Brighton Bazaar, a Russian supermarket, because I loved it so much the first time I went there. I’ll probably want to go every time I visit NYC.
I love this deli because of the sheer size and number of options. You’ll find a large variety of prepared foods, from meats to salads; from pastries to pickled foods; you don’t need to cook if you live near here.
Outside the supermarket, I found the same Russian lady selling doughnuts from two years ago. I picked up an egg & scallion donut. I liked the pork doughnut I had the first time, but the egg & scallion one was OK. I’ll try something else next time.
We got a bunch of different items from the deli and had a picnic in a park.
We went to Grand Army Plaza, strolled through Prospect Park, made our way to Williamsburg, and had lunch at The Meatball Shop.
We ate Pizza at Screamer’s and got ice cream at Van Leeuwen — a third time.
We went to Dumbo and took photos at the famous bridge sight.
Then we walked back to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset. WOW! Words cannot describe this grand marvel.
MANHATTAN DAY
On Ashley’s last day, we got Baz Bagels delivered to Alexa’s then took it to Central Park for a picnic.
I was so mesmerized by how beautiful and grand the park is! We saw maybe 1/3 of it, which is a lot, but wow I wish I could see all of it one day!
We went back to the hotel for Ashley to freshen up and pack her bag. We met her friends from abroad at this cute Italian shop and hung out before we said our goodbyes and all went our separate ways.
I walked around in the *muggy* rain and had lunch at Farina, an Uzbeki restaurant.
Later I had dinner with Veronica at BoCaphe and walked around taking photos of NY things.
Veronica and I met two years before on my first visit to NYC. On a food tour, of course.
MY LAST DAY
I started my day at Morandi per Sarah’s recommendation. Then I checked out the FRIENDS apartment building, because I love that show.
I went to the Chelsea Market to try MokBar, a Korean restaurant by Chef Esther Choi. Then I checked out Kopitiam, a Malaysian restaurant, and picked up some knish’s from Yonah Schimmel per Veronica’s recommendations.
Then I barely made it to the airport in time for my flight to Iceland.
I waited over an hour for my Uber to arrive during rush hour traffic, and it costed me $93 to get to the airport.
The lady scolded me for being late and I almost couldn’t get my bags checked.
Talk about stressful. I hate traveling like this.
BUT I made it on the plane, as well as my bag, and I arrived to Iceland safely.
