I Run Like A Girl

Following the wonderful surprise of Joe’s proposal 2 weeks ago, Joe & I decided to add one more stop to our holiday travels — a trip to New York City! We wanted to do something special to celebrate our engagement, and a trip to the city sounded like the perfect idea. I loved visiting our families over the holidays, but it was nice to carve out some time for just the two of us.

If you’re a longtime reader of this blog, you’ll know that I lived in NYC for 6 years before moving to San Francisco in 2017. During that time, I lived in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. It was nostalgic being back after several years — I absolutely loved playing tour guide and revisiting some of my favorite places with Joe. 

We had two marvelous days in the city — we ate amazing food, explored different neighborhoods (along with indoor activities as it was COLD), and caught up with close friends. We packed so much in 2 days, and Joe and I agreed this trip turned out to be a huge success.

Day 1: Exploring East Village + dinner with my sister

We left Poughkeepsie in the morning and took a train down to NYC. My hometown is a 2-hour train ride from the city, which was convenient for us. I love this train ride as it has beautiful views of the Hudson River the whole way. We arrived at Grand Central and took in the beautiful, historic architecture. This truly never gets old.  

We stayed at the Moxy Hotel by Union Square in East Village. I booked this hotel because of the location. East Village is my #1 favorite neighborhood in NYC — I remember hanging out here all the time during my NYC days, and I was so excited to show Joe around. The hotel had a trendy vibe with beautiful views of the city.

We arrived around lunchtime, and we set out for food first thing. We had brunch at The Smith, a popular brunch spot in the neighborhood. The food was your typical brunch food, but it was very good. We took our time at this spot as we had a few hours to kill before check-in; as much as we wanted to get out and explore, we knew patience was important in order to stay warm…winter vacations take more strategizing. 😉

Our afternoon activity was exploring the immediate neighborhood. East Village is a hip, artsy neighborhood with a vibrant university scene and poppin’ nightlife. It used to be the center of the punk scene which is seen through the tattoo parlors, music venues, and old-school bars lining the treats. There’s always something going on, and I used to gravitate towards this neighborhood during my NYC days. We walked through the streets, visited a coffee shop, and passed through New York University. Joe really enjoyed it too, as he visited NYC a few times before but never came down here. 

We visited Washington Square Park, one of my favorite spots in the city. I remember my very last day living in NYC before moving to SF, I walked to Washington Square Park alone late at night and just took in those last moments. Even for a cold winter day, there were plenty of people out enjoying the fresh air. 

After exploring the neighborhood, we went back to the hotel to rest. Then, we headed right back out for a late-afternoon snack at a sports bar. We shared a plate of mozzarella sticks and chatted away. 

For dinner, we met up with my sister and her partner. We had similar ideas as they also spent a few days in NYC before heading back to their home in Pittsburgh. They were staying at a hotel uptown, and we were all eager to meet up! Also, I was very excited to meet my sister’s partner as we had not met yet. We ate at Palapa, a Mexican restaurant in St. Marks (a 2-block subset of East Village). We had such a great time on this double date; as much as I love spending time with my sister when we’re both back home, I loved seeing her more in her element as I feel like NYC really fits her creative soul.

Day 2: Natural History Museum + Central Park + Upper West Side + besties reunion

The next day was our only full day of this tirp, and you bet we made the most of it. We woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel, and then we headed out for our morning activity: the Natural History Museum. When Joe suggested this activity, it sounded like the perfect indoor option — plus, I had never gone before. 

It took around 30 minutes by subway to reach the museum, and we emerged into the beautiful, pristine Upper West Side neighborhood. The Upper West Side is my second favorite neighborhood in NYC — it has a totally different vibe from East Village as it’s home to grand apartment buildings, cute brownstones lining quiet side streets, and culturally iconic performing-arts institutions like the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Ballet. I spent a lot of time here in college when I lived nearby. 

The Museum of Natural History was HUGE, and we knew we needed to prioritize. We headed to the dinosaur exhibits first thing, as that was the main attraction we wanted to see. I have to say, they were very impressive. I couldn’t believe how many artifacts they collected — it felt like an endless display of dinosaurs of all types. 

After the dinosaurs, we visited the gem and minerals exhibit which was my favorite. This was the best collection I’ve ever seen. 

We walked through a few more exhibits before calling it and grabbing lunch at Shake Shack, a classic. After lunch, we took a walk in Central Park. We were both excited to take a break from the concrete jungle and get some quiet time in the park. We walked around a small lake until the cold got to us.

I saw we were near Levain Bakery, a famous NYC bakery known for its massive, scrumptious cookies. I couldn’t visit the neighborhood without a stop! There was a decent line, but it was worth the wait. We shared their original chocolate chip cookie, and it was perfection. Several days later, Joe even brought up how memorable that cookie was… 🙂

We headed back to the hotel for some rest, and then we headed out for the evening fun. We started off with drinks downstairs at the hotel. Then, we headed back to St. Marks as Joe found an arcade bar. I have to admit, I’ve become quite a fan of arcade games as it seems like we’ve been going to a lot of “barcades” recently. We stayed here for a few hours and had a blast.  

Finally, it was time for dinner. You might remember my best friend from San Francisco, Anna, who moved to NYC a few years ago. She came down to East Village to meet up for dinner! It was such a wonderful reunion. Every time I see Anna, it feels like no time passed. We ate at Han Dynasty, a family-style Szechuan restaurant. The food was incredible, and we chatted nonstop while eating the spicy food.

For dessert, we went to Milk Bar, another NYC icon. We ordered the popular cereal milk ice cream and took it back to the hotel where we stayed a little longer. Seeing Anna and my sister were such highlights of this trip. As much as Joe and I liked our alone time, there’s nothing like making memories with good friends.

What a phenomenal trip to NYC and an amazing start to the year. I’m so glad we made the spontaneous trip (well, spontaneous for me as it was decided on less than a week in advance 😉 ). Thanks for reading along, and see you next week!