5th Time's the Charm - New York, New York
I write this guide as a person who's managed to weasel her way into New York City for five consecutive years, and who hopes to one-day call one of the smelliest cities on earth... home. Every time I get to New York I wonder why I'd ever want to live in such a busy place, but after a few days, the energy becomes addicting, the smell intoxicating, and the noise almost movie like.
My trip lasted about four days at the beginning of July, and as usual New York was hot af during that time. Now I get why most self-respecting New Yorkers try to leave the city in the summer. I also took this trip with my brother, so some of the girly things I always like to do were slightly out of the program. Anyway, I've listed most of what we did below, so if you’re ever visiting New York for the second, third, or seventh time you'll know what to do (if it's more than seven you shouldn't really be reading this because how much could I really know).
WHAT TO SEE?
Dumbo, Brooklyn/ Brooklyn Bridge + Brighton Beach (if you're from the former USSR)
We started off in Brighton Beach, which for those of you who don't know, is the closest you can get to Russia without having to take an Air Russia flight. There, we met my cousin who showed us around the neighborhood and we witnessed the magic of the boardwalk and Russian restaurants. The next day we headed to North Brooklyn, the nicest part was the area under the Brooklyn Bridge; it's filled with posh cafés, and tourists trying to get pictures under the bridge.
Times Square and Central Park
Going to New York and not going to Times Square is like eating an entire cake in front of someone and not offering them a piece—you just have to share, or see it in this case. Nothing really changes, Times Square is always filled with sweaty people trying to get by and those bus tour guides yelling at everyone to buy tickets while you look at the billboards.
Central Park is always a charming place to buy overpriced ice cream, and for taking pictures in the city's largest green spot. We also went to the MET, mainly to see the Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons exhibit.
Greenwich Village and Little Italy
Honestly, I don't have that much to say about Greenwich Village other than it's really cool. It's bohemian, the buildings are eclectic, the food's very 2017 and it's just an overall dope place. I'd want to live there.
A lot of people say that Little Italy is overrated, which it probably is, but I can never get enough of the gelato, The Godfather like atmosphere, and the sign at the entrance that says Little Italy. This would be a really cute place for a date with a gentleman caller.
WHERE TO SHOP?
5Th Avenue (expensive things)
I just rolled my eyes writing 5th Avenue because I've never bought anything here, and if I had all the money in the world I don't know if I would... okay I probably would. Anyway, it's just a bunch of designer stores selling very pretty but very expensive things. It's good to see when you're on the way to Central Park.
SOHO (cool things)
SOHO is my favorite place to shop in New York because it has lots of cool stores that sell things at prices that the average person can pay. As a Canadian, I headed to the stores we don't have here: Madewell, Reformation, and the Glossier showroom, which is a lot smaller than I imagined.
China Town (fake things)
I've never really been mesmerized by fake designer goods, but if you're into that, Canal Street is the place to go. I think I bought a phone case here one time, and it was cheap, cheap, cheap, but of decent quality.
WHERE TO EAT?
My favorite places from this trip:
Bubby's (for dinner) - 120 Hudson St, New York, NY
Westville (for breakfast) - there are a few locations - 333 Hudson St, New York, NY
Gelso & Grand (for lunch or dinner) - 186 Grand St, New York, NY
