Travel // New York City

John and I returned to Missouri Monday at the wee hours of the morning (thanks to a flight delay) from a long weekend visit to New York City. As you know from my post last month, we just visited San Diego with the kids, but this trip was way different.

I had completely forgotten how easy it is to take a vacation without kids. To be able to just get up and do whatever hasn’t happened for us in many years (I am not complaining just observing).

This NYC trip was exactly that. We made zero plans (except seeing Hamilton, the reason we went) and through the advice of my cousin Erin, we, “Let the city decide.” She made the train ride from DC to explore with us for two days and she was an amazing tour guide.

To say we packed in a lot in those three days would be a huge understatement, we literally saw and did everything that I would have wanted to plan.

Erin introduced us to some amazing restaurants we would have never known about. Our favorite was this speakeasy hidden in an alley way called, Freeman’s. You don’t even know it’s there. She led us through an unmarked door, through a curtain, and ta-dah we are in a dimly lit restaurant full of people. Check it out if you are in town.

Hamilton was incredible, worth the visit alone. Another random adventure was going on the Today Show. We decided to check it out, not expecting to get on TV, but John decided to camp out by a barricade behind what appeared to be a cooking segment (everyone else went straight to stand behind the windows), and low an behold Martha Stewart comes out to do a Backyard Fish Fry segment. We were right behind Carson and Savannah eating their Martha-made sandwiches. So cool!

We stayed at the Algonquin Hotel, the oldest hotel in Manhattan (opened in 1902) and known for its famous writers including Harpo Marx. It is also where New Yorker magazine was founded (I totally nerded out on that one). Highlights of our trip for me included walking the Brooklyn bridge, visiting Brooklyn Brewery, riding the subway, shopping at a local craft bizarre, strolling Central Park, visiting the 9/11 Memorial, and leisurely taking in the art at the Museum of Modern Arts (MoMa). And those are just a few of the fun things.

14D296A9-BF6B-4057-BB01-64D6545DF5E7 — cool exhibit at MoMa

Here is the full list of sites, eats and drinks if you are planning a visit. There is so much more to do, guess we will just have to go back.

Sites to see

visit Rockefeller Center and The Today Show
visit Grand Central Station and ride the subway
check out Times Square
check out the beautiful art exhibits at MoMa
visit NBC Studios
visit New York Public Library
visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Visiting the 9/11 museum and memorial at One World Trade Center
See the The New York Times building (we tried to walk in but they kicked us out)
Stroll through Central Park
visit Brooklyn Brewery
walk the Brooklyn Bridge
check out Hamilton on Broadway at the Richard Rogers theater
tour the Empire State Building

Food/Drinks to enjoy

Refinery Rooftop Brunch / beautiful view and people watching
Sarabeth’s / classic Central Park brunch spot
Blue Bar at the Algonquin / historical bar with amazing mood lighting
NiteCap / a trendy dive bar with unbelievable crafted cocktails!
Il Melograno / yummy Italian with perfect portions and good prices
Freeman’s / our favorite little hidden speakeasy. The food was decadent
Southwest Porch at Bryant Park / I could sit here all day, great after a long day walking the city
Schiller’s Liquor Bar / as seen on the intro to SNL, great mussels and cocktails
Hudson Hotel Sky Terrace / incredible view at sunset, NYC’s best-kept secret!
The World Famous Little Italy Pizza and Pasta Parlor / holy cow this is delicious and cheap!