This post contains affiliate links that can earn this website a small income. They will not cost you anything to use.
When I decided not to continue with one of my jobs, I was afraid I wouldn’t get another chance to go to New York for a while. I talked about coming back every six months, but when it comes time to actually book flights, I wasn’t sure if I could manage.
Thankfully, the opportunity came up to go as a representative for my role in a travel blogging association. I covered my own expenses this time around, which was downright depressing after years of having my boss cover it, but my time was completely my own.
This allowed me to do the things I never had time for on previous trips, including visiting friends, eating at restaurants and visiting museums over the course of a week. So grab a cup of coffee and prepare yourself for lots of photos of my time in the city.
I flew in early on a budget carrier and was blessedly able to check into my room at The Jane Hotel by 10 am. I settled in and unpacked into my tiny but cheap room, which I’ll tell you more about shortly.
I layered up before going out for the afternoon, stopping for a warm bowl of ramen at Momofuku Noodle Bar. Then I went downtown for a behind-the-scenes tour of the brand new Q&A Residential Hotel, a gorgeous property near Wall St.
That evening, I joined some of my colleagues at Travel Massive on a Hornblower Cruises & Events cruise which provided views the city and the Statue of Liberty.
I run the Atlanta chapter so it was nice to catch up with friends from other cities. What started as an early event turned into, as it almost always does, a late night afterparty.
I was struggling the next morning after my night on the town but didn’t have to go far for a meal. I got a free breakfast at Cafe Gitane, a French style cafe at The Jane, for my weeklong stay during the off season. This included a much-needed cup of coffee, orange juice and a croissant.
After seeing the movie The Woman in Gold, I made it a point to visit Neue Galerie New York, an art museum devoted to Austrian and German art on 5th Avenue near The Met and The Guggenheim. I was pleased to see that the day I went was a “pay-what-you-like” day, but this made it very crowded.
A few of the galleries were closed for renovations but I was still able to catch Gustav Klimt’s “The Woman in Gold.” I finally made it to Eataly but was quickly overwhelmed with the options. I couldn’t eat many of the menu items, but I settled at the vegetarian section and had a delicious salad.
Another highlight of the day was an hour long tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, one of the grandest buildings in the city. More on that soon! A much-needed dinner found at Katz’s Delicatessen, the legendary establishment from countless movies. While overwhelming at first, the staff were all so nice that I soon settled into my half pastrami sandwich and bowl of matzo ball soup.
By Friday, it was time for the main event, the reason I had come to New York: The New York Times Travel Show. I’d landed a spot on a panel about working with travel bloggers through my position with the Professional Travel Bloggers Association.
I was joined by fellow blogger Erin from Travel with Bender and Stephen from Walks of Italy (and Turkey…and New York..). I was very anxious about speaking in front of people so I spent most of my day having a light breakfast at Cafe Gitane again and answering emails in my room.
I hopped on a CitiBike to get to the Javits Center and arrived sweaty and winded. Thankfully I had a change of clothes and a few hours before our presentation. It all went smoothly and my worries were for nothing. I spent a few hours answering questions at our booth before venturing out to see the rest of the trade show. I ended my night early after dinner with a friend at nearby Gotham West Market, one of my main NYC hangs.
On a particularly rainy Saturday, I rode the train almost all the way to the top of Manhattan to Washington Heights. I spent a few hours at The Cloisters, an outpost of The Met that focuses on Medieval and Renaissance artwork and architecture, before meeting my friend Lauren, her husband and son for lunch.
We met almost five years ago in Sydney and I always make it a point to see her. We had burgers and sneaky afternoon beers at Buddha Beer Bar. The rest of my afternoon of inclement weather was spent indoors walking the halls of the New York Public Library (except the closed Rose Room) and the new Whitney Museum.
I topped it off with a blogger meetup at The Half King where I hung out with old friends and made new ones. And maybe there were late night meatballs and jello shots…
On my final day in New York, I crossed water to see what the fuss was about in Brooklyn. I’d spent little to no time there on previous trips, apart from two dinners, so I started in Williamsburg. I’d eaten a memorable brunch at the Village outpost of the Mediterranean inspired cafe so I visited Cafe Mogador Williamsburg for spicy eggs, strong coffee and people watching.
Brooklyn Brewery had long been on the itinerary so I gave myself plenty of time to wait in case there was a line. What I didn’t count on was the rain. Thankfully I had an umbrella and a magazine and the time flew by. I took a tour to learn about the history of the craft brewery before having a few samples including a dark sour (!!) that I loved.
I caught the train back for a late afternoon lunch with Kelsi, my Kiwi pal (who just got her American driver’s license!), and her husband Matt at Tacombi Flatiron. I went to the Nolita location with Jackie so I was glad to return for more.
And since I still had more packing to do before an early morning airport run, I grabbed dinner to go from Gansevoort Market, a new food hall in the Meatpacking District. I ate spicy chicken and rice from Bangkok Bar as I watched the Golden Globes in my bathrobe. Perfect last night in New York!
This is only the first of at least a half dozen posts about my recent trip to New York. I hope you enjoy reading them. For local experiences in New York City, check out Urban Adventures tours.
This is an awesome post, Caroline!