The ULTIMATE Guide To New York City
My ULTIMATE guide to New York City including my favourite neighbourhoods; brunch spots and must see's!
Ahhhhh New York; let's be honest... I've written enough blog posts about the Big Apple for you guys to understand just how much I bloody love the city! Having recently come back from a solo trip; I thought I'd put together one big fat juicy guide of my top tips when visiting New York; from my favourite must-visit neighbourhoods to hotel recommendations and brunch spots. Grab a cuppa (and a few biscuits OBV), and let's dive in!...
FOUR NEIGHBOURHOODS IN NEW YORK YOU NEED TO VISIT...
NOLITA
Sometimes written as NoLita and deriving from 'North of Little Italy'; a super cool neighbourhood packed full of Instagram worthy cafes and streets in including the infamous pink Cha Cha Matcha cafe pictured above. You'll spot: fashion bloggers a plenty!
MEATPACKING
Being completely honest; the Meatpacking district is my favourite neighbourhood of New York; I love the wide roads, the uber cool restaurants and the vibe is VERY New York - a must when visiting! You need to visit: The Chelsea Food Market in the Meatpacking district!
SOHO
From Spring Street to Prince Street... Soho is where it's AT! I adore this area of New York and it's a MUST when visiting! From high end boutique clothes stores; to infamous restaurants such as By Chloe, Jacks Wife Freda and Balthazar.
GREENWHICH VILLAGE
Bleecker Street is my favourite street in Greenwich Village and runs from the Meatpacking district all the way to Bowery and I would highly recommend walking the length; make sure you stop off at Carrie Bradshaw's house!
FOUR MUST-VISIT RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS...
BAKER & CO
Found smack bang in the middle of Bleecker Street, I stumbled across this restaurant one day whilst looking for somewhere to eat lunch and boy; I wasn't disappointed! Order: try their Mac n Cheese.. SO good!
WHERE: 259 Bleecker St, New York
CHELSEA MARKET
Even though this isn't technically a restaurant; I would say to anyone visiting New York that you simply HAVE to go to Chelsea Market, it's an incredible hub of delicious food stalls, bars and sweet treats.. HELL YEAH!
WHERE: 75 9th Ave, New York
SHAKE SHACK
I knowwwww that Shake Shack is an obvious choice when it comes to New York/America, BUT I have to say; the Shake Shack in New York.. OMG it's SO much better than here in the UK! Visit the original Shake Shack...
WHERE: Madison Square Park
by chloe.
by CHLOE is a must when visiting New York; the restaurant offers wholesome, plant-based food that fuels and energizes without compromising flavor, taste or satisfaction! Note: it can get super busy so be prepared!
WHERE: 185 Bleecker St, New York
FOUR HOTELS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUR TRIP...
W NEW YORK
I wrote a whole post the other day on why I love the W New York so much (read it here); but in summary - the locations is AMAZING, the decor is super cool/luxe and the vibe is everything you want from a hotel!
WHERE: 541 Lexington Ave
ALOFT BROOKLYN
I stayed at the Aloft hotel in Brooklyn during a work trip last September and loved it! It was my first visit to Brooklyn and the hotel was in a great location; just a 10 minute walk from the bridge! Read my review here!
WHERE: 216 Duffield St, Brooklyn
WESTHOUSE
The WestHouse was the second hotel I stayed at during my recent trip (full post coming soon), but I absolutely adored this hotel; it was the perfect mix of luxe, sophistication and affordability.. it's in a great location too!
WHERE: 201 W 55th St, New York
Wellington
Situated in the very heart of New York City; the Wellington Hotel is just a stones throw from central park and just a few blocks from Times Square - the location couldn't be anymore perfect! Read my full review here!
WHERE: 871 7th Ave, New York
FOUR THINGS TO DO DURING YOUR TRIP TO NEW YORK...
WALK THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge is one of my favourite things to do in New York and I'd honestly recommend it to anyone! If you get the chance, walk it during the day and at night too for a completely different view of the city!
TOP OF THE ROCK
Visiting the Top of the Rock is another favourite of mine whilst in New York; I went up around 5.30pm to catch the sunset and it was just magical! There's just something about seeing such a stunning city from that view! Well worth a visit!
WHERE: 45 Rockefeller Plaza
WALK IN CENTRAL PARK
You can't visit New York and NOT take a walk in Central Park (I simply cannot allow it), it's beautiful and it's FREE. I took a snowy walk around during this trip and in September I'd eat my breakfast there every morning, it was BLISS!
WATCH A SHOW ON BROADWAY
During my trip to New York I went to watch PARAMOUR on broadway; a Cirque du Soleil show and it was truly magical! I don't get to the theatre often but it's become a tradition when I visit my favourite city - a MUST!
WHERE: 213 W 42nd Street
FOUR STORES TO CHECK OUT DURING YOUR VISIT...
AVEDA
During my last two trips to New York I've visited the Aveda; Spoke & Weal salon for a blow dry! My recent trip was a solo adventure; and trust me when I say there's nothing better than a little pamper session followed by some brunch on a Sunday!
WHERE: 147 Grand St, New York
FREE PEOPLE
I was wandering around the Meatpacking district one sunny afternoon and stumbled across this stunning Free People store; I'm a huge fan of Free People but the stores in New York are must if you're visiting! The store layout/design is so stunning!
WHERE: 58 Ninth Avenue
SHU'S FLOWERS
One afternoon I was strolling around and I came across Shu's Flowers.. AKA the most beautiful florist; jam packed full of exotic flowers, succulents and cacti. Pretty much every bloggers dream and definitely your spot for a pretty bouquet!
WHERE: 179 Mulberry Street
ABC HOME
Oh my god.. I could have spent HOURS in ABC Home, I found the store just by Union Square and popped in for a browse. The store stocks the BEST homeware and stationary (I definitely picked up some stationary that I definitely didn't need!).
WHERE: 888 Broadway
FOUR MUST-TRY BRUNCH SPOTS...
JACKS WIFE FREDA
Jacks Wife Freda... AKA 'THE' place to brunch in New York city; a local for any cool kid of the city and super popular amongst tourists! Expect a wait, but I promise it's worth it.. oh, and their hot chocolate is delicious!!
WHERE: 224 Lafayette Street
THE SMITH
You'll be pushed to find anywhere that does brunch quite like The Smith; I ordered french toast which came with maple syrup and I ordered a side of bacon and OHMIGOD it was so good! They have 5 locations in the city!
WHERE: 1900 BROADWAY
CHELSEA MARKET
I knowwwww that I've already mentioned Chelsea Market but it really is a must when visiting - it's such a great all-rounder spot! If you have a sweet tooth head here to pick up some freshly baked waffles or pancakes for brunch!
WHERE: 75 9th Ave, New York
TWO HANDS
Another raved about brunch spot in NYC; situated in uber-cool NoLita, Two Hands is well worth a visit during your next trip! I had the chilli avo on toast and yup, it really was as delicious as it sounds - check this spot out!
WHERE: 164 Mott St, New York
Sooo, there we have it guys.. my HUGE guide to New York City! If you made it to the end of this post then WHOO GO YOU! If you have any tips/recommendations for New York then please leave me a comment as I'm always on the look out for new places to hit up when I go back, ALSO if you need any extra tips/advice then please do let me know - happy to help where I can! <3
Have you been to New York before? Have you been to any of these places? Did you love them as much as I did?
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