islandgirljam asked: Going to be in NYC next week friday for the first time for 4 days and 3 nights (with my husband and his best friend), staying on west 35th street, any suggestions on fun things to do, must see places, great places to eat, and best places to shop?
I love answering this question, though a complete answer is nearly impossible (I inevitably forget something I would’ve like to include). So, here are the things that pop into my head right now:
While W. 35th is certainly a convenient location (center of Manhattan), my advice would be to leave it as often as possible. That’s just about the start of midtown, where things tend to appeal to either the tourists or overworked city dwellers, and prices go up but quality goes down. That begin said, there are several subways that are super convenient to W. 35th, and buses/cabs are also easy to get.
Things to Do:
- Walk the Highline (you’re very close to the start, which was newly opened this summer).
- Explore Chelsea Market.
- The MET and MOMA are amazing, but try some smaller museums, like the FIT Museum, The Museum of the City of New York, or The Museum of Jewish Heritage (heavy, but fantastic)
- Walk around Lincoln Center at night.
- Allow yourself to get lost in Central Park.
Places to Shop:
- Soho (Broadway can get hectic, but it has a ton of shops.)
- The Lower East Side is fun to walk around and explore. There are lots of smaller, hipper shops - and even some fun art galleries to stop in.
- I also love Columbus Circle, but it’s not a Must Do.
Places to Eat (oy, as if I could list them all…):
- If you find yourselves wanting a drink/bite to eat at off-hours (between 2 - 5), try scoring bar seats at The Spotted Pig. It can be quite busy, but if you can get seats at the bar, it’s a great spot to spend a few hours. Get the negroni.
- Any of these are good go-tos: Otto, Co., Corsino, Frankie’s, Inoteca, Spice.
- You’ll definitely need to get a good NYC brunch (and in proper NYC fashion, try to let it last for a few hours, then take an afternoon nap). Any of the above are good for brunch, but I’d also add Essex, Prune, Freeman’s, and many people adore Locanda Verde, though it wasn’t my favorite.
- If you like Asian noodles, try to get to Momofuku Noodle or Ippudo. Both, again, are hard to get seats at, but if you can, do!
- Chelsea Market is a great place to grab a more informal bite.
- Eataly is an amazing market place to explore. It can be a bit overwhelming, but it’s very unique.
- Ooh! And I just recently tried Parm for lunch, and it was fantastic.
