With New York City practically in my backyard, it's an easy weekend option for us.
My dad was in town for a financial conference, so we decided to spend the weekend in the city. While I know New York can be a very expensive place to visit, there are a ton of fun things to do that don't cost a thing.
We took the train into
Grand Central Friday night, which is fun in and of itself. It's still maintains a very old world look and feel to it and is a great place to wander around (
here's a quick little walking tour), grab a bite to
eat,
shop, or even just people watch. All great options if you,
ahem, miss your train on your way back home.
Ever since my friend
Chris introduced me to tapas, my fiance, Neal, and I have been on a tapas kick (especially when we travel). So for dinner Friday night we tried
Las Ramblas in the West Village and it was amazing. I love tiny little restaurants, and with 10 or so tables, a friendly staff, and out of this world food, it was the perfect late night dinner.
Saturday morning my sister and her boyfriend took the train into the city to join us, and we decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge (which I had never done!). Part of the walkway is a little under construction at the moment, but there were still great views to be seen from certain points. Typically the "thing" to do is grab pizza at
Grimaldi's on the Brooklyn side, but we are a more adventurous crowd, so we took a short walk though Neal's old stomping grounds in Brooklyn Heights, and found a Yemenese restaurant on Atlantic Avenue.
After lunch we grabbed a train back to Manhattan and I (selfishly) dragged everyone to the
Warby Parker showroom located in the famous
Puck Building at the corner of Houston and Lafayette. While I wouldn't recommend going on the weekend (if you can avoid it), it is definitely worth a stop if your in the market for some new specs! After elbowing my way to the mirror a few times, I finally decided on the
Ainsworth in walnut tortoise.
Can.not.wait.
Next stop was the
Chelsea Market. While I don't typically describe myself as a foodie, I really do prefer fancy food, and the Chelsea Market is definitely where it's at. First of all, it is in the old Nabisco Factory (where OREO's were invented!) and the building is amazing. We must have spent at least 3 hours just wandering around.
The (surprising) highlight of the entire market was
The Filling Station, which is an oil vinegar, and salt specialty store. I'm not going to lie, this store is out of this world. I don't even know how one could fall in love with vinegar to this extent, but it happened. We spent a minimum of an hour there excitedly offering each other tastes of just about every item they had to offer. We may or may not have come home with 5 (FIVE!) bottles of vinegar (black cherry x2 coconut x2, and peach), and two tubs of salt. Truffle Salt?!! Yes please! While you're at it, you better throw in some Espresso salt and truffle oil (which I have been dying to try!).
We were pretty much exhausted after this, but my sisters boyfriend had never been to Times Square, so we headed back uptown to join in the fun.
After a busy Saturday, Sunday morning was very low key. Neal and I were staying in Soho, so we just wandered up to the West Village and grabbed a bagel and coffee and had low-key breakfast in the park before hoping back on the train back to Connecticut.
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