New York City Travel Guide
New York City Travel Guide
Two weeks ago, I accompanied my bestie to NYC to assist her at the Curve Expo and also to have the most fun ever! Elise is the owner and bra slinger of Naughty Bettie. During our trip, we got to see some incredible lingerie and had enough time to explore all that the streets of Manhattan have to offer.
Before I give you the breakdown of our adventure, I’d like to say that my favorite part was getting to see Elise behind the scenes and in her element. She was the true definition of a boss at the expo. Heeding the advice of her retail consultant, she tried hard not to explore too many new vendors and was very firm when working with any of the sales associates. She was unapologetic and very much “thank you, next” when she didn’t like something and very enthusiastic when she did. Just when I thought I couldn’t admire her more, she impressed me with her knowledge of the complicated industry that is retail, and it was a really fun experience to be a part of it!
The main tourist spots that I wanted to see where Grand Central Terminal, the NY Public Library, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Highline, Chelsea Market, the neighborhoods in the LES, DUMBO, the Occulus and Memorial, and Central Park. Besides for the last three, we were able to check all of the locations off my list! This is my second time to NYC and I know it won’t be my last. The energy is contagious! During my next visit, I’ll explore the locations that we didn’t have time for this time around as well as go back to some of my favorites.
I would highly recommend visiting all of the places that we were able to see. If you love architecture and old buildings, you have to go see the Grand Central Terminal and NY Public Library. The library is worth walking around the interior and exterior. We also hung out at Bryant Park for a bit and thought it was very beautiful. There was an ice festival happening and while my travel companion was a bit under the weather (due to kidney stones), she was up for getting hot chocolates in cups made out of churros. They were delicious! The terminal has multiple food vendors including a very cool, upscale and also very tiny bar inside as well as some exhibits so you can definitely spend half a day here.
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge can get crowded and if we didn’t have the expo to work around, we would have went in the morning, but we ended up timing it perfectly to walk it during sunset. Not only was the weather uncharacteristically warm, (it was 53 degrees in early February!), it was a sunny, clear day, which made the sunset and view pretty spectacular. If we had more time, we would have walked the entire thing and explored DUMBO, but we only had time to walk midway and turn around which was still worth it!
We also walked the Highline which is an old railway system that has been converted into an elevated park. It really is spectacular and it ends at the Chelsea Market which is one of my favorite places that we visited during our time in NYC.
Chelsea Market is claimed to be one of the greatest indoor food halls in the world. It also houses a shopping mall, a grocery store, offices, and a TV production facility. We had brunch here and walked through all of the stops and the entire market. It was so cool, very unique and would definitely visit again!
We also explored Chinatown, Little Italy, SoHo, and Tribecca by foot and this was probably my favorite part of the trip. We stumbled upon the cutest shops, best restaurants, amazing live music and got to really feel the city this way. I would highly recommend Cafe Clover for dinner, and Le Song for brunch in the Chelsea Market, as well as seeing a show, whether that’s a Broadway show, comedy or local artist, you won’t be disappointed!
Planning a trip to New York City? Let me know if you need help planning!
Images by Personal Branding Maven Elise Kutt at Mod Bettie Portraits
My name is Anna VanAgtmael, and I am a certified yoga instructor with a passion for yoga, travel, and connecting with others.
I believe in trying everything once. My values lie in collecting memories over things. Though we desire adventure and authentic experiences, naturally our fear holds us back.
My ambition is to inspire and encourage you to unmask your fears and jump into the unknown.
Anna VanAgtmael | Yoga Enthusiast | Travel Designer