I flew in on Friday. I was supposed to have landed at 4:30 but with a few delays before taking off from DFW - I did not make it to NYC until about 6:30 p.m. Metro card in hand, I headed to my train stop, I had downloaded two metro apps before heading to NYC - All Subway Universal and NYC Subway - both came in very handy. 

I arrived at my destination about 7:45 and promptly headed out for dinner with my friend, we dined at Ariba Ariba a Mexican restaurant in the Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood. I ordered the Crepa de Camarones and it was seriously delish. I passed out from a full stomach as soon as we returned. Saturday was very laid back with a very late start. I picked up a chai tea latte and croissant from Kahve - a lovely coffee shop on 9th Avenue.

I planned to take the Staten Island ferry to check out lady liberty and governor Island, but the metro line to get me to the ferry was closed for the day and I rode about 2 hours going in circles on the metro before a MTA personnel came my rescue. I finally made it to the Ferry shortly after 3 p.m. The 45 minute ride was lovely and it was picturesque to see the Island of Manhattan. As far as lady liberty goes, you get a nice view, but not a worthy view, so I do think it is worth it to splurge the $18 on boat ride to get up close to the lady (this ticket also gets you a tour of Ellis Island).

Tip. if you in the city on a weekend , pay close attention to the metro signs and make sure the line you are supposed to get on is operating. 

Day 2 (Sunday) was fantastic - I went up to Brooklyn to worship at Liberty Church, followed a stroll around the Brooklyn heights neighborhood with intentions to head over to DUMBO, but a slight wrinkle in our plans meant DUMBO was put on hold. We settled for Brunch at Clark’s restaurant where I had a fantastic Strawberry Lemonade and a dish of chicken (grilled) and eggs with a side of ah.mazing sweet potato fries. I rounded off the day with a visit to JINSOON Nail spa for much needed pedi session. The service was fantastic and very affordable. I went to the location on W-34th and Bleecker.

Day 3 kicked off with a trip to Brooklyn and the morning at a lovely coffee shop on Pineapple avenue called Vineapple (vineapple on pineapple, get it ?). I had to catch up on some work (yes - sometimes, you can’t help it). After four hours of work, it was time to get to proper vacation. Kicked things off at the promenade which offers a fantastic view of Manhantthan then a walk over to DUMBO. I stopped in at a lovely bakery One Girl Cookies which had these amazing looking pies and spike cakes. I chose the tea cookies which was fab. Then over to check out Tom Furin’s glass house and Jane’s carousel before beginning the mile and half long trek of the Brooklyn bridge - this is a must do if you are New York.

The end of the bridge got us to the financial districts and we headed off to 9-11 memorial. The memorial fountain is a beaut. There is also a 9-11 museum, right next to the fountain. Then we headed off to the financial district to see the Bull and the NYSE - on the way, I spotted the Trinity church which is spectacular architecture (I have this thing for buildings and architecture). Picked up a late lunch / early dinner from the Halal guys which was followed up with short nap and then a trip to Buffalo exchange to pick up this white dress.

Day 4 was quite chill. I had an early start to get some work out of the way, then I headed over to the Flatiron district. Like I said, I have an obsession with architecture and seeing the Flatiron building has been on my bucket list of ages - It was spectacular. After taking what seemed like hundreds of pictures of the Flatiron building from every angle possible. I walked over to Eataly for a late breakfast / early lunch. This was my happy place - so much good food, I could not contain myself. I ended up at the Nutella bar. I ordered the Waffle with gelato and drizzle of nutella (I was in foodie heaven) - After that meal, I could have gladly hopped on the plane to head back home (Uhm, no).

Next stop was the ABC Carpet and Home store. I wanted everything in the store. I spent a lot of time in the lower level exploring the cookbooks (all the cookbooks). Then off to the furniture floor where I found my next bedroom set (I wish ! But seriously, if you are thinking of something to get me for Christmas - this is it). I had to get out before I made a major purchase.

I walked over to Dough on W 19th - the donuts looked yum, but I was still stuffed from the Waffle/gelato/nutella combo. Instead of a donut, I stopped by the Muji store to build my wishlist. I ended up at Toby's Estate coffee - flatiron - probably the cutest coffee shop ever - it was connected to the Club Monaco and there was a bookstore filled with more fab cookbooks. I sipped on excellent latte and watched the city pass by.

After a blissful hour of people watching and latte sipping - it was time to check out Time Square - this is one of the best spots to people watch and observe the good, the bad, the random etc that NYC has to offer. In the middle of my random people watching, I got a call to meet up with a friend at Grand Central station. I made a quick stop at Grey Papayas on 72nd Street - I heard it has one of the best hot dogs in the city and It did not dissapoint. I eventually made it to Grand Central station which is a beaut - we walked around a bit before heading over to the NY Public Library (fantastic architecture). The sun had gone down by now and we decided to head over to battery park for more people watching. Rounded out the evening at a lecture at the Business library.

More NYC post coming up in this space next week.