New York Minute

I really have got to get better about posting consistently because I was in NYC almost two weeks ago and this is finally getting on the blog. This past Thanksgiving break, my sister and I headed over to the East coast to visit a friend and soak in a real "fall" season. Every time we go here, we do the same thing: eat, shop, and eat more {and occasionally do some sightseeing}, but there is always so much to do - the possibilities are endless. That is probably one of the things I love the most about New York City. Here are the things we did in our short 2 1/2 days in the city.

1. Central Park
I never realized how large this park was. And during fall, oh. my. goodness. that place is gorgeous. Needless to say, choosing that time to break my boots in was definitely a bad idea.

2. Visit Brooklyn
While we were in New York this time, we did a lot of visiting other friends. In doing that, we crossed the bridge over to Brooklyn for a night. Having never been there, I found it exciting and new. It is definitely different {and I wouldn't say the safest} but fun! We obviously visited DUMBO and got the infamous blogger bridge picture, ate at Saraghina's {an Italian eatery}, and visited my friend's place. All in all, a cool new experience and one to check off my list.

3. 5th Avenue {and window shopping}
Saying going through Central Park is almost the same thing as visiting 5th avenue. And yes, emphasis on the window shopping. Typically, I love walking down this street, seeing the gorgeous department stores and the Plaza hotel, except this time it was nightmare-ish. The streets were filled with people trying to see window storefronts and just hell to get around. Tip: don't go during Black Friday.

4. Brooklyn Bridge
Last time I was in NY and we visited the bridge, it was pouring. You can only imagine how miserable it was. So this time, we made it a must on our list to see it again. It was crowded, but it was a weekend so I expected that. This time, the weather was absolute perfection. Lucky us!

5. L'appartement Sezane in SoHo {more window shopping}
This was the top of my list. No, I can't afford anything in the store, but it was on my list to check out. I am a sucker for a cute store and everything on instagram screamed "visit me!". It was everything I expected and more. I only wish my wallet could accommodate. {Scroll down to see photos.}

6. Last but not least, a lot of eating!
I'll give you a list of a couple of things we tried this time around, but everything was so so good. My theory is that all the food trends get to New York before they come to our coast. So naturally, we just have to get to everything first before it gets to us.

{Joe's Shanghai} We've been here before, but I always love getting Chinese in Chinatown.
{Two Hands Cafe} Cute little brunch spot that you've got to try if you're in the area.
{Broken Coconut} I'm going to be honest: we definitely did this only for the gram. The cafe is super gram-worthy, but the coffee, not so much.
{Sweet Moment NYC} Peep the cute coffee cups with the faces below. If that's not enough reason to visit, then I don't know what is.
{Supermoon Bakehouse} If you love Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, you'll LOVE this place. I did.
{Mamann} Cutest little cafe. There are a couple locations, but we went to SoHo.
{La Pecora Bianca} Another cute Italian eatery. There were so many pasta selections and all of them so good. We went to the one in Midtown.
{The Smith} My friend called it the Cheesecake factory of NYC, but I thought it was way cuter. A good place to eat for cozy vibes.
{Halal Guys} I mean.. must I say more?

There are things I have always wanted to do in New York City like order Chinese take-out as SJP would approve of and visit the new Tiffany blue box cafe and have actual Breakfast at Tiffany's, but I guess that will just have to wait for next time.