The perfect 5/6 day NYC itinerary.
When my good friend Ida called me to tell me she was single again, I think the first thing I said was; “Do you want to go to New York to celebrate New Years Eve?” Her immediate response was: “Yes.” 3 minutes later, we had booked the tickets and hotel. We were good to go.
So, this would be my eighth time visiting the city that never sleeps. A couple of times for business, and a couple of times for pleasure. I’ve had so much fun each and every single time I’ve visited and wanted to finally start writing my best picks. So here we go. The perfect 5/6 day NYC itinerary.
We stayed at Hotel Indigo Lower East Side. Location is outstanding within walking distance of Brooklyn Bridge, Ground Zero, Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, Greenwich, Chelsea and other must do’s in the city. It’s also situated perfectly on the F line that takes you directly to The Rock, MOMA, Fifth av., Central Park etc. The Uber fare to Williamsburg is also good, so again; PERFECT location. I think you get the picture.... After checking in, you should head straight up to the hotel rooftop, Mr. Purple, for drinks and guac. You need a good rooftop bar in the city. Any season. Fueled with two very strong Margheritas we zoomed to the chosen restaurant for the night, Beauty&Essex. With a 3 minute walk from the hotel, it was absolutely perfect for the first night. The design, the drinks, the atmosphere and the food is to die for. The scene is so vibrant you just want to stay there forever. They played old 90′s R’n’B classics ALL night - you HAVE to go.
I am huge a breakfast person. And luckily my friend knows my blood sugar levels needs refueling. Day 2 breakfast was consumed at Ludlow Coffee Supply, just across the street from our hotel. Filled on coffee and avo toast (obviously) we headed for the underground and the F train to Rockefeller Center. Always and always pre-purchase tickets for Top of the Rock. It is my favorite view of New York and I love coming here in the morning. It’s less crowded and again, the view is one of the best in the city. Coming down from the Rock, you are at a great spot for the shops on Fifth. We ended up having lunch at Sarabeth’s with my good friend Christoffer who was in town with his BF visiting his cousins. A couple of Bellinis later and we were more than ready for more shopping....The evening on day 2 was reserved for my all time favorite in the city, Hakkasan. Although it’s been there forever and draws a lot of tourists, I still love it. After a 7 course meal you feel stuffed, and a stroll around Times Square is just the rigth cure to walk off some calories.
Breakfast again. It was snowing hard, so we decided to splurge on breakie and head for the ever classic Balthazar and their lovely mimosas. More giggles later and heavy snowfall, we headed to Chinatown. After an hours walk we were a bit fed up with the fake bag sellers and viola, we stumbled on a piece of heaven. Stepping through the thick velvet curtains at the entrance of La Mercerie at Roman and Williams you are met with the most beautiful design and feel. It’s so gorgeous. Even the staff speaks in a hushed voice as not to disturb the serene vibe. Feeling yet again refueled we took on Soho for some shopping. Walking back to the hotel in the snow, we were excited for the upcoming night out. And what a night it was. Drinks at The Standard - it’s an incredible place, like stepping into a scene from The Great Gatsby. Dinner at Catch and party all night at Bagatelle and Gansevoort rooftop. The highlight of the evening/morning was however, the pastrami feast at Katz delicatessen. Oh my...I’m going to leave it with that. What happens in NYC, stays in NYC.... ;)
After three solid hours of sleep, and the coldest NYE in NYC in 100 years, we feasted on breakfast at Spritzer. You have to try their buttermilk pancakes. YUM! With take out coffee in gloved hands, we headed for Brooklyn Bridge. May I remind you it was cold. Very cold. However, experienced winter people and knowing how to dress for -20C, we hooded up like a couple of Norwegian explorers and conquered Brooklyn Bridge. If you like us, do a return march like we did on such a cold day, I can only recommend celebrating with the hot chocolate at The Beekman. Ground Zero is a short walk away from The Beekman and in the icing cold we walked down to see the Fearless Girl (how we felt in the cold that day. Come to think of it. How we feel every day), and after a quick stroll around Battery Park, we hailed a cab and headed back to LES. On Ludlow Street you will find Black Tap Burgers & Beer. Their burgers are voted some of the best in the city and their Crazy Shakes are, well, crazy. We ended up having a quiet dinner at Marta in the evening, before mutually deciding that it was too cold for anything else than the hotel rooftop.
We opted for a light breakfast at local diner. Having had an fairly early night the night before, we were feeling energized and headed for American Natural History Museum, followed by a cold, but sunny and wonderful stroll in Central Park. We decided to walk from Central Park down Broadway as far as we could take the cold. After an hours walk, the low winer sun disappeared behind a building and we jumped on the Subway to Chelsea market to defrost. Feeling the Bellini clock ticking we were close to The Standard Grill - amazingness. Warmed by great food and service we decided to do a bar run and hit some of the great bars on and around Bleecker Street. Oh, and a quick stop at Magnolia. Because, Cupcakes....
Another cold morning in the city and we decided to head to Williamsburg on our final day. We ubered to EGG, the best breakfast in Brooklyn, and wandered the streets with several coffee and hot chocolate stops, before ending the fantastic stay with amazing vintage shopping at Amarcord. An uber later to pick up our suitcases, we were on our way to Newark and home. Needless to say we both agreed it was a vacation exceeding expectations.
