NYC has been a city full of surprises. For starters, I wasn’t even supposed to come here! I thought that I’d have to save this city for another time, but an unexpected change in circumstances has allowed me to spend (almost) two full days here. It’s really limited time, but we did our best to cover as much ground as we could (without over-exhausting ourselves) and the little that I’ve seen is already enough to warrant a second visit.
[Brooklyn Bridge]
The day we visited the Brooklyn Bridge, there were cloudy skies (with some fog) and choppy waters, so it wasn’t the best day to be taking pictures here. However, it also meant that there weren’t many people around (apparently it is almost always really crowded, especially if the weather is good), so we could stay in a particular spot for quite long, without having to worry that we were in other people’s way.
[Glossier]
This is a makeup/skin care store, located near/in Chinatown so we decided to pop by and have a look. Its interior is beautifully decorated and the lighting was perfect, so we had to take photos in here. Surprisingly, most of the girls didn’t buy anything, because we were busy trying makeup on the boys, and they were actually convinced to buy them! One of them bought brow mascara and the other one bought concealer- we all felt like the best salespeople after that!!
[Times Square]
As I stood in the middle of Times Square, everything felt so surreal – the big screens with advertisements, the lights, the hustle and bustle all around. I thought that I would be overwhelmed, but I actually enjoyed soaking in the atmosphere. Perhaps I’ve been away from the city for too long.
[King Spa]
This Korean bathhouse is located in Koreatown (in Jersey) and we spent hours in here after dinner. We started with the indoor hot tubs (and cold tubs), before moving onto the various sauna rooms. There was a ‘spice’ room, ‘salt’ room and even a ‘gold’ room (plus an ice room for you to cool off afterward). Each ticket entitles you to a free drink as well, so all of us sipped on our juice while we sat at the back-warming area together. We ended the night in the ‘oxygen’ room, which is essentially a room full of reclining chairs, that was enriched with (extra?) oxygen. It was such a relaxing experience and we were all falling asleep (this was also because it was getting really late), so we had to bid the bathhouse goodbye and head home for the night.
[Chelsea Market]
We visited the Chelsea Market on our last day in NYC. It felt like an indoor version of Borough Market (in London) and we were thoroughly impressed by the variety and freshness of the seafood offered- unfortunately we had such a big brunch before that we couldn’t eat anything else, otherwise we would have definitely tried something here!
[The High Line]
This was our last stop before we had to catch our flight out of NYC, and we were really lucky to have caught the sunset as we walked down this route. The High Line was originally a railway track, but then it got turned into a public park (apparently many civil servants were sent here to do research for the Bukit Timah Rail Corridor in Singapore).
[Food & Drinks!]
The full day we had in NYC was essentially a food tour around some of the famous spots- we were so stuffed from all the food and drinks so it was a good thing that we shared almost everything that we ordered.
Max Soha
We went to this Italian restaurant for dinner/supper on the first night, when we had just arrived in NYC. We ordered a few dishes to share (pastas, lasagna, risotto) and it was so authentic, it felt like I was in Italy again!
Magnolia Bakery
This place is apparently where cupcakes got famous, but the item that everyone loved was their Banana Pudding. We first tried it at our friend’s place, where he had a frozen tub of it and then the second time was when we went to buy it at the shop. With the frozen one, it changed the texture of the pudding because it was frozen and thawed before we ate it (which meant that it wasn’t as fluffy as it should be). However, with the other one, we carried it around for so long that it wasn’t cold enough, so everything was a tad squelchy.
Absolute Bagels
This bagel shop is owned by Thais (which was quite unexpected), but they make their own bagels and cream cheese. With the bagels, I enjoyed the ‘egg’ flavour one, because it was essentially an enriched dough made into the bagel. They also have interesting cream cheese flavours (that I presume they whip up on their own in the kitchen). For example, you can find tiny smoked salmon bits in their smoked salmon cream cheese.
Shake Shack
There are Shake Shack outlets in the UK, but it (supposedly) tastes better in the US (where it originated) so we gave their Shack Stack a try. I really liked the mushroom and cheese combination (in the patty) but it certainly isn’t something that you should have everyday. The amount of calories in each item is staggering and I seriously wonder how people actually eat this regularly.
Boba Guys
I have heard about the Boba Guys from Buzzfeed so it was really exciting to see this store in person. I tried the matcha strawberry latte- it looked pretty, but it was honestly too sweet for me. You couldn’t change the sugar level in this drink, because the sweetness came from the strawberry jam, and I normally have 0% sugar in my bubble tea, so I really should have expected this. The normal matcha latte (without the strawberry) was at the right sweetness level for me, so I probably should have ordered that instead (but it was not as aesthetic hehe).
La Colombe Coffee Roasters
This place specializes in draft latte, which means that they put the coffee through the keg and it comes out from a tap, thus resulting in a light yet creamy cup of latte. It does get quite heavy after awhile though, so it’s not the first thing I would go for on the menu. My personal favorite is the ‘Pure Black & Tan’, because it is a mix of the draft latte and the cold brew, which helps to cut through the thickness of the milk.
Artichoke Pizza
Artichoke Pizza has so many outlets now, but we went to visit the original one, because their pizzas are made on-site and so it has the best tasting pizzas. Unlike the typical ones you get at other chains, their pizzas are very cheesy and saucy (so they are quite messy to eat) but so so good! We ordered a slice of the Artichoke one and the crab one to share (because their slices are HUGE). Their interior also makes for great photos, so we spent some time posing at the counter seats too.
Jing Fong
This is a dimsum restaurant in Chinatown that still operates using pushcarts, just like how they did in Hong Kong in the olden days. The restaurant’s atmosphere really makes you feel like you are transported to another place and time. The quality of the food satisfied our Asian food cravings, so this is a 10/10 would recommend!
Levain Bakery
We didn’t have time to visit this bakery in person, but one of our friends very kindly bought their cookies for us to take to the airport. Their cookies are so thick that their texture resemble brownies more, but they are really good nonetheless! Like most of the other American food that we have had, it is not something that you would or should have everyday, but it is nice to indulge in once in a while.
adventuresofxmm 