Andrew and I just got back from our New York City trip celebrating one of my best college friend getting married! Andrew had never been to NYC before, and my one and only time was back in 2005. Needless to say, we were pretty clueless on what to do and what to expect. I did a ton of research in my attempt to plan the best NYC vacation ever. We had a wonderful time!
Where to Stay
While planning, I knew I wanted to stay in or near Central Park. I found so many beautiful hotels, but definitely didn’t want to spend a ton of money on just a place to stay. We ended up booking Dream Midtown, which is a Hyatt hotel. It was such a good hotel and such an amazing location. We were able to walk to Times Square, which made seeing a Broadway show so easy to walk to. We were also easily able to walk to Central Park, Madison Avenue, and even all the way to West Village (2 mile walk, roughly an hour… but really easy). There is also a subway station right next door, so if you want to travel via subway…again super easy.
The hotel had 2 bars/lounges, a rooftop bar (PHD Terrace) and was even connected to an amazing Italian restaurant called Serafina. This made it super convenient! Across the street was a Starbucks that we went to almost every morning!
How to Get There
We were deciding between flying into JFK or LGA and ended up doing LGA. It was recently renovated so not only was it super clean, but it also had so many great restaurants. LGA is typically an under 30 minute drive to downtown NYC (Central Park, Times Square, etc), allowing you to start your vacation quickly. JFK is over an hour, so we went with LGA. I would budget around $75-100 for the uber/taxi ride from LGA.
Getting Around NYC
Uber/Taxi rides are so expensive. You could drive .5 miles down the road and it is easily $35-45! Because of this, we did mostly walking, which I loved. We even took the subway, which I thought was such an iconic experience and not bad at all! We definitely felt like we were the clueless tourists trying to navigate the subway station for the first time, but it was so fun looking back!
Subway: Map out which subway line you want to take. We looked at our phone map and then clicked the transportation icon to find the different stations, how long the walk would be from the station your destination, etc. We paid for a single ride that was valid for 2 hours when going to the rehearsal for my friend’s wedding which cost us about $7 together. Taking an uber would have been $35, so we saved a lot!! Tip: They don’t announce the stops you are at, so I had the directions on my phone with how many stops we had until our stop. Then, when the subway doors open, you can see the street name on the wall. Look for that and you’ll feel like a pro!
Walking: walking is obviously the cheapest way to get around. It can be exhausting though, so wear easy to walk in shoes. We all know that I love wearing heels, so I would actually wear tennis shoes and bring my heels in a shopping back. Highly recommend…and there was absolutely no shame in my game!
Where to Eat
DIG IN: Super healthy chain restaurant around NYC that is great for on the go (and very cost effective). Super good if you have any food allergies, too because they list all of the ingredients. There was a location around the corner from where Wicked was playing, so this was super nice before the show!
Vanguard Wine Bar: We stopped here for a glass of wine before seeing Wicked. Is is directly next to the theater, making it EASY. Super cute, french themed vintage wine bar. They have a few beer selections as well as water and sparkling water.
Cafeteria: We didn’t end up eating here, but we did walk by on our way back to the hotel! If you are a Sex and the City fan, this is the restaurant where the 4 girls always had breakfast at! ICONIC.
Sant Ambroeus: We ate at the West Village location, which was across the street from the SJP store. SUPER cute Italian vibes and good food. We had a salad and a glass of wine. They are also known for their breakfast pastries and coffee. Lots of locations around the city!
Dante: Martini Hour is weekdays 3-5pm! We stopped here for a drink and appetizers before dinner during our time in West Village. Andrew got the “Martini with a twist” (super good) and I got an off-happy hour menu item, the Cosmo Spritz, which was a hybrid of a cosmopolitan and aperol spritz. Highly recommend!
Loeb Boathouse: Again, if you’ve seen Sex and the City, this is the boathouse/restaurant where Carrie and her Dior bag fell in the lake and Big jumped in to save them! Lots of other movies have been filmed here too and it is right in Central Park. We had a drink at the bar to experience the fun!
Le Pain Quotidien: Lots of locations in NYC! We went to the one in Central Park for an affordable lunch and then one near our hotel for a good breakfast before our flight back home. Nutritious, yummy, and not as expensive haha.
Serafina: Lots of locations, but we went to the one attached to our hotel. Really good Italian food. I had the spaghetti squash that was literally so good!!!
Tony’s Di Napoli: A few locations, but we went to the one on Third Avenue. SO Italian and SO good. Felt like we were going back in time. They also are super accommodating to those with food sensitives/allergies, so if you want to experience quality Italian food but have restrictions, try Tony’s!
Ground Central Coffee: Hell’s Kitchen theming and super good coffee!
Overall, NYC was such a fun time. We definitely would go back… but probably during Christmas time to experience something different. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!
