Because Caleb had never been to NYC and I was heading there for a Phoenix Sisterhood retreat, we decided to make a trip out of it. Before leaving we made a checklist of the must-dos that we each had (see below). Turned out to be a great idea. Having the list meant we were never sitting around wondering what to do next. The only reason we didn’t complete the list was due to weather. We did as much as we could despite it, though!
Recapping all our activities just makes the trip seem that much more special. Can’t wait to do it again!
Friday Night:
Landed, unloaded our bags at our AirBnB and then had various dumplings & a pancake pork sandwich at Vanessa’s Dumpling House; the best dumplings in NYC.
Caleb and I went to the bar beneath our apartment; Lucky Jacks. I had a vodka soda and Caleb quite possibly may have found his favorite beer ever, an IPA by Other Half Brewing. I liked this bar because we had lots of elbow room and there was a live DJ mixing music. I also loved all of their letter-board and beautifully handwritten menus.
Saturday:
Started the morning with a delicious breakfast at Egg Shop. 5/5 Stars! Customer service was impeccable, interior design was modern and fresh, and they had a bunch of live houseplants.
Stepped in Sill and I got two super neato plant pins!
Made our way to One World Trade Center & the 9-11 Memorial site, making occasional stops through China Town. We stopped at the Central Mall Market and found so many amazing art prints, jewelry, and clothing. I want(ed) to buy all the things, but resisted because we don’t have any room in our bags to bring anything home on the plane.
After shedding some tears and rubbing off the goosebumps at ground zero, we made our way to Pier A Oyster House in Battery Park. I had a vodka soda & Caleb had the Brooklyn Oyster House Lager. We shared an order of Old Bay Fries and watched an IIHF Hockey game and then sat outside by the water. We sipped our drinks, people watched, and admired Lady Liberty in the distance. I can’t remember the last time we just sat and enjoyed each others company without having anywhere to be. This vacation was so needed, and I am so thankful for this time off.
After our refreshments we had the best time riding bikes! We rented CITI Bikes and biked our way to Katz’s Deli. We rode underneath the Brooklyn Bridge and unfortunately I lost my hat. It kept flying off from the wind, so I strapped it to my bike and when we returned the bikes I accidentally forgot it. Oh well, someone amazing is going to love that hat.
We made it to Katz’s! We split a Rueben & a 1/2 Pastrami Sandwich & a Bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup. I loved the experience and it brought back memories from my first time dining here many years ago with my sister. If you haven’t been, it is definitely a New York tourist trap, but well worth it. Their thousand island dressing is incredible!!
On our way back to the Airbnb, we made it to 1st & 1st without knowing how close we were in proximity to our apartment!
We took some hilarious photos on the fire escape (see below); “Who stood there better?â€
We are calling it a night earlier than expected because we were spent. 7.26 miles of walking will do that to you. We are one day into our trip and have done majority of the things on our list.
We have brunch reservations at Comedy Cellar tomorrow, we plan to find a cookie for breakfast, and we will have Pizza for dinner. Good Night!
Sunday:
Breakfast at Doughnut Plant and we tried the Pb & Jelly, Creme Brûlée, Chocolate Hazelnut, and Vanilla Bean. As far as “gourmet topping†doughnuts these are probably the best we’ve had.
It was raining cats & dogs so we decided to pop our heads into The Pickle Guys and see what they are all about. Holy Cow, er… Holy Pickles! There is everything from pickles to pickled chili mangos! We bought Bread & Butter Pickles, Spicy Pickles, and Pickled Mushrooms. We just tried the Bread & Butter ones and they are DELISH!!
After resting for a bit we took a LYFT to the Comedy Cellar for Brunch Stand-Up! The line-up was insane!
Jared Fried as the MC
Gary Vider
Lynne Koplitz
Mike Vecchione
Emmy Blotnick
Des Bishop
AND
Aziz Ansari!!!! What?!?! Even he was surprised he was there!
After the show we went to Brooklyn and checked out Other Half Brewery. While enjoying their beers we looked up pizza places in the area and decided on one, but on our way out the door the doorman suggested we go across the street to Pizza Moto. It was incredible – we ordered a Salsa Verde and a Marinara Pizza.
We are in bed currently counting down the 14 minutes remaining until the 5th Episode of Game of Thrones. Cheers!
Monday:
After watching a video about the history of Kossar’s we had to go visit!
Caleb had a Everything Bagel with Garlic Thyme cream cheese and I had a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese on a Garlic Bagel Sandwich.
It’s another day of constant rain but we wanted make the most of the time we had left in the city together. So we walked around, had a cocktail at citizenM New York Bowery Hotel, and then tried to find a hot dog stand. We were unsuccessful, so we made our way back to the AirBNB and finished our leftovers from Katz’s & indulged in delicious ice cream sandwiches from Melt.
They say there is a New York state of mind. Can’t say for sure that we experienced that, but we definitely felt something. We both said it, and it is true – this was one of if not the best vacations we’ve ever had.
We will be seeing you soon NYC!
Our List for NYC 7/8 Complete!
- Eat at Katz’s Deli [x]
- Stand at 1st & 1st (Seinfeld, duh)Â [x]
- Eat all the dumplings at Vanessa’s Dumpling House [x]
- Stroll Central Park (specifically revisit the area where Vanilla Sky is filmed, shameless plug for one of my favorite movies)Â []
- Have a moment of silence at the One World Trade Center [x]
- Eat a Black & White Cookie [x]
- Eat Pizza [x]
- Laugh uncontrollably at a stand-up comedy show [x]
    