If there is one thing I love in equal amounts to throwing a party, it’s definitely traveling and New York City is a favorite. Exploring new places, trying new foods, and seeing how others live is one of the things that brings me a lot of joy, not to mention endless amounts of inspiration for events and interiors. New York City is one of those places you can go over and over again and never do the exact same thing. I try to spend at least one weekend every year in NYC, and here are the things I constantly find myself going back to time and time again. Consider this your cheat sheet for a weekend well-spent, you know, once we can travel again.
- Levain Bakery: Holy moly, these are truly the best cookies in the ENTIRE world. This tiny shop always has a line a mile long, so just plan to wait. It is more than worth it. You must eat a cookie straight from the oven and warm, but you must also bring a box home on the plane (and straight to my door).
- Maison Premiere: This cocktail bar is one of the best we have ever found. Known for absinthe and oysters, it feels like a lazy, slow, New Orleans oasis in the middle of Brooklyn. The hospitality is unbelievable, the cocktails are perfection, the absinthe list is impressive, and every detail down to what the staff wears is on point. Head here on your first day because you might want to go again on the same trip. While you are in this neighborhood, buy yourself something nice at Catbird Jewelry and after your half-dozen oysters, grab a half dozen (fried) dumplings nearby at Vanessa’s Dumpling House.
- If you don’t stay at The Beekman (which we highly suggest you do even though it’s kind of in a weird spot) you most definitely must head there to marvel at the design and complete perfection of the interiors. Sit at the bar and order a Hemingway Daiquiri. I dream about these.
- The McKittrick Hotel’s interactive theatre “Sleep No More.” It’s weird, wild, and wonderful and something you should definitely do as it’s an experience you can’t have many places. An old hotel that’s been transformed into a playhouse where the play happens all around you. You will not have the same experience as anyone you go with, but if you are anything like me, you’ll spend most of the evening marveling at the intricate and incredibly immersive design around every corner.
- Very Fresh Noodles: I clearly did not discover this tiny spot in Chelsea Market, but it feels like I did. I slurped the shit of these noodles and the next time I was there, they had more than doubled their footprint in the market. This is the best bowl of noodles and broth I have found. It’s a totally unassuming stall in the bustling Chelsea Market but get.you.some. (I love the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup) get you a beer from the stall across the way, and then stand, slurp, and watch these artists hand-pull noodles while you eat. It’s mesmerizing.
- The Tenement Museum: it’s one of our favorite museums—totally interactive, and small group tours walk through the old tenement buildings of the lower east side, one of my very favorite neighborhoods. And it seems you should do something while you are there besides eat.
- Okay but back to eating. Scarr’s Pizza is cheap and divey and delicious. Don’t sleep on the salad. It’s divine. A hidden gem in Chinatown is Apotheke, worth the hunt with an insane drink list (that honestly, has taken us forever to get a drink every time we are there, but has also produced my favorite ever cocktail.)
- Stop in C.W. Pencil Enterprise for the cutest store, even if you are not pencil obsessed, which it turns out, plenty of people are.
New York City truly never sleeps and since sleep is one of my most favorite things, I never want to live there, but I’m always gonna love her. Check out our favorite places in Cape Town, and some honeymoon destinations to consider.
Love,
ET
Photo Credit: Elizabeth, Team AE
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