New York Anniversary

James and I celebrated our one year anniversary June of 2019 and decided to celebrate with a getaway to New York City! The bustle, the energy, and the quick-paced life of big cities are just some of the reasons my husband loves city life. He always jokes around that if he hadn’t met me, he would’ve never left San Francisco to live in SoCal suburbia haha. Me, on the other hand? I am definitely more of a small-town girl. I loved visiting the countryside of France and England during our honeymoon and the serene calmness of a slow-paced life. So since we didn’t visit any cities like NYC on our honeymoon, we decided to head off to the east coast on our one-year anniversary. 

James wanted to stay in the heart of Manhattan so we decided to search for an Airbnb in the city. On our search for a place to stay, we stumbled across WeLive and were immediately intrigued! We had heard of the communal workspace called WeWork and have stopped by a few of their locations here in Los Angeles, but had never heard of WeLive! Basically the building consists of a few floors of communal workspaces, and the floors above consist of living quarters. There are studio apartments available for short term or long term rental. They have huge communal kitchens and dining areas, laundry services, and of course, we can’t forget the free espresso on the weekdays (this was a huge plus for James). Staying there kind of felt like staying at an adult dorm (in the very best way!). Plus, every Thursday evening, they have a networking happy hour downstairs where they serve free food and drinks (we got free sushi!).  We love the culture of WeWork and WeLive and how they encourage networking and the sharing of ideas and life overall. Staying at WeLive was a definite highlight of the trip!

Here’s our itinerary overview for our 5-day trip to New York City!

DAY 1 — 9/11 Memorial, Oculus, Central Park

We flew in from Los Angeles on a red-eye flight and arrived at JFK airport around 8am. The airport is about one hour away from Manhattan so we had to use the subway to get into the city. The metro system is the easiest (and cheapest) way to get around the city, so definitely get a pass while you’re there! After unloading at WeLive, we changed and got ready for the day! 

Our first stop was the 9/11 Memorial. I had visited the 9/11 Memorial waterfall before with my family, but this was my first time visiting the museum. We bought our tickets online before-hand so we wouldn’t have to wait in line. James and I were so amazed at how well they put together a museum that truly honored all those who had lost their lives in the tragic event. Walking through the different exhibits, we felt like we were re-living September 11 all over again. It wasn’t easy seeing and hearing all the stories from that horrific day, but it reminded us of all those who lost and sacrificed their lives. Through that day, we saw our country rise together again in unity.

Across the street from the museum was the Oculus, which serves as a centerpiece of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub. We learned that the unique architecture of the building was meant to represent a dove to represent peace. The building is both a shopping center and a metro station.

After getting a quick bite to eat, we made our way north to Central Park! One of the main things I wanted to do in New York was row boats at the lake. Next to the Loeb Boathouse, you can rent small boats for $15/hour. They also have gondolas, which are a little more pricey. We spent about an hour rowing across the lake, taking in the park views as well as the surrounding city skylines. We started close to sunset which was perfect since the weather cooled down a bit. One tip we do have to share though -- don’t row your boat too closely to the trees and bushes. We were near a tree and a bird suddenly came out and pecked my head! (James was laughing while I was completely freaked out haha!) Other than that unpleasant occurrence, it was a lovely way to the end day!

DAY 2 — Grand Central Station, Halal Guys, Flat Iron Building, Empire State Building, Madison Square Park, Bar 65, Magnolia Bakery

Day two was an adventurous one! We visited a bunch of different places. On our metro stops, we stopped by the beautiful Grand Central Station which was bustling as always! We couldn’t go to New York City without eating Halal Guys! We got the beef gyro bowls with lots of white sauce (yum!). 

We stopped by the Flat Iron Building near Madison Square Park. It’s such an iconic building! Madison Square Park was a nice spot to take a break from all the walking. They had a Shake Shack and a couple other restaurants there as well. You could also get a clear view of the Empire State Building from the park! 

We ended off the day with dinner at Bar SixtyFive atop Rockefeller Plaza. The dinner views were amazing. While waiting for our table we were able to go out onto the patio deck and take pictures of the NYC skyline. We didn’t enjoy the food as much as we did the view, but it’s definitely a nice dinner spot.

Our original plan for that night was to watch sunset from Top of the Rock (which was in the same building as Bar 65), but unfortunately due to rain, we had to reschedule to Saturday. They were very kind about rescheduling our tickets due to the weather. So instead we got some dessert at Magnolia Bakery! Their banana pudding is the best ever. The pudding is layers of vanilla wafers, fresh bananas and creamy vanilla pudding – it’s heavenly! The bakery was started in New York City, but I’m so glad we have a location here in Los Angeles too now!

DAY 3 — Le Cou Cou, Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Pizza, Carnegie Hall 

We started off our Friday morning with brunch at Le Cou Cou in Soho. This restaurant is so beautiful and the food was exquisite! I love how New York blends so many different cultures in one city. James had an avocado toast and I ordered their french blueberry pancake. Both dishes were so delicious. I would definitely plan on going there next time to try their dinner menu!

After our scrumptious brunch, we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a lot of walking to the start of the bridge, but the views from the top of the bridge were so nice! You can see the cityscape along the waters and get great pictures of the skyline. After crossing the bridge, we stopped at our very first NYC pizza spot, Julianna’s. It was close to the end of the bridge which was perfect because we were hungry! The place didn’t disappoint! It was around 3pm but the place was packed.

After pizza we decided to walk towards the Brooklyn Bridge Park. We got some ice cream at Ample Hills Creamery and then found a bench near the water to eat our ice cream and look out at the city view. WeLive is right at the edge of Wall Street near the ferry docks so once we finished, we hopped onto the ferry, crossed the water, and got off right by our hotel. 

We ended off the day with one of my favorite trip moments, a concert at Carnegie Hall! When planning our trip, we were debating whether or not we wanted to see a Broadway musical while we were there. After weighing costs, we decided to catch a concert instead. Our tickets were less than $60 each so we were happy with our decision. That night we got to see the Met Orchestra play. I used to be in concert band from middle school through high school, so orchestra music has always been so special to me. The first segment of the night was the orchestra plus an opera singer. This was my first time hearing live opera and it was so beautiful! After the intermission, the orchestra started the main score of the night. I loved every minute of it. Hearing the music resound throughout the auditorium and watching the conductor conduct the entire piece without a score (wow!), it was definitely a moving experience. I love enjoying the arts and being surrounded by people who appreciate the beauty of classical music. It was a night to remember!

DAY 4 — Central Park, Prince Street Pizza, LeVain Bakery, Soho, Top of the Rock

Saturday was our last full day in the city. We wanted to try one more pizza spot before we left so we headed back to SoHo and tried Prince Street Pizza. Walking to the restaurant we already so a long line outside. We waited for quite a while, but the pizza was SO GOOD. We liked it even better than the pizza we tried in Brooklyn. James and I ordered the spicy pepperoni pizza and a cheese pizza. Both were so delicious! I don’t know what it is about New York pizza, but they definitely know how to make the best!

We decided to head out to Central Park one more time since we didn’t get to walk around the other parts of the park on Wednesday (it’s a huge park!) We got to relax on the grass and watch a small jazz ensemble play some music as people picnicked, rode bikes, and enjoyed their Saturday afternoons. 

One of our friends recommended LeVain Bakery’s cookies so we made our way back to Soho in search of these famous desserts! When we ordered the cookies, we were surprised at how big they were! They were more like scones haha! They were freshly baked and so delicious. Definitely not your average cookie! Our favorites were the dark chocolate peanut butter (so good…) and oatmeal raisin. 

With cookies in hand, we walked around Soho for a bit, admiring all the row buildings and city architecture that we don’t get to see back home (fun fact - I almost majored in architecture, so anytime we’re in a new city you’ll always find me admiring the buildings. I just love it!)

Nearing our reservation for Top of the Rock, we hopped on the Subway to freshen up at our hotel and head back out to Rockefeller Center. We were sad the weather was still gloomy that night so we didn’t get to see a full sunset atop the Rockefeller Center, but at least it wasn’t raining this time! Top of the Rock is 70 floors high, with a full 360 view of the city and three-level observation deck. If you want to fully take in the entire city view, this is the best place to see it. James loves seeing vibrant city scapes so this was a trip highlight for him.

DAY 5 — Russ and Daughters, Fly out to Nantucket

Our last day was quite the adventure. Our flight was in the afternoon so we wanted to grab a quick brunch before taking off. We couldn’t go to New York City without getting bagels, so we took the metro back to SoHo to try Russ and Daughters. It was then that we had the realization that our flight was sooner than we had thought haha. Still being ambitious, we still went for the bagels. We had wanted to eat at the Russ and Daughters Cafe, but it had a two-hour wait list so we decided to go to the original Russ and Daughters storefront where they still sold bagel sandwiches. When we got there, the place was crammed full. Since it was the weekend, everyone was there ordering bagel sandwiches. We waited for about an hour and finally got our smoked salmon bagels. Call us crazy, but we were adamant about trying these renowned bagels! We rushed out as fast as we could and raced to the metro with our bagels in one hand, and luggage in the other. JFK airport was still an hour and a half out so we were panicking that we would miss our flight. Stressed and frazzled, we ran as fast as we could (praying the whole way there that we’d make it!). Long story short, we made it to the airport in the nick of time. Lesson learned: Russ & Daughters bagels are very delicious, but probably not worth missing a flight haha 

That Sunday was actually our anniversary date! We ended our New York trip that day and continued on a couple more days at Nantucket! We had a lovely anniversary dinner there and had a few more adventures that you can read about in our Nantucket Anniversary post!

I hope this itinerary serves as a helpful guide for any of you planning a trip to NYC!