I have always had FOMO when I see people go all out for their spring break trips. So when I was alerted to an opportunity to head to New York City for a few days, I leapt at the opportunity! With the help of a timeshare, the most supportive parents, and a big ol’ dream to visit the greatest city in America, we were off!
Before we begin, I should note that, yes, we absolutely fell for the tourist traps. If you were looking for a local guide on hidden gems, this is NOT IT. We purposely leaned into the tourist-y spots for funsies! If I am going to New York City, I want to know what the buzz is about!
Sunday
Our drive was about 2.5 hours, so we woke up bright and early. We only planned on staying for three full days, and we wanted to make the most of it. As soon as we checked in, I looked at the big list of plans. First stop? Joe’s Pizza.
We got there minutes after opening, and it was still packed inside! I ordered the white pizza, and Boyfriend snagged a classic pepperoni slice. Because it was early in the day, I had to wait around 20 minutes for them to actually make mine. But what followed was a fresh, extra cheesy slice of pizza that I had no problem polishing off, even when it was bigger than my head! With satisfied stomachs, we headed to Central Park.
Here, I got to experience the heart of New York. For my fellow peoplewatchers, this was a field day for me. This city is such a melting pot, I adored studying every walk of life here. It was a gloomy day, but my heart was filled with admiration.
We took the Central Park route to visit The Met! And, wow. The building is massive, and GORGEOUS! We designated a few hours to visit, but it is no joke when people recommend spending the entire day there. We practically sped through every exhibit and couldn’t even make it to the second floor! The exhibits we saw were absolutely stunning; my favorite was the Greek statues, Boyfriend’s, of course, the armor.
After this, we took the subway for the first time. Our destination was the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), located in Queens. Yes, NYC is a grid system. But if you are unfamiliar with subway stations, it is a definite learning hurdle. This is where I have to give the credit to Boyfriend. I probably asked “Are you sure?!” over fifty times the entire trip, but he coolly navigated us to the right areas, every time, without hesitation. Boyfriend 1 NYC 0.
The MOMI was something I was really looking forward to. Here, they had an entire section dedicated to The Sopranos, an exhibit on Jim Henson, and multiple old relics from movies such as The Labrynth. My cinephile brain was spazzing out here.
We took the subway back over to the East Side and hopped in line at the famous Katz’s Delicatessen. Y’ALL. When I say this was the best thing I put in my mouth all trip, I’m serious. The restaurant was filled to the brim, so my job was seat-saver, and his was sandwich-getter. I watched him in pure envy as he watched our pastrami on rye with mustard being made, Justin Bieber’s That Should Be Me playing in my head.
We took our final train of the day back to our hotel- located in the heart of Times Square (we even had a balcony!!). After some rest, we trekked over to M&M World and filled a cup full of every flavor offered. We strolled through the candy store in pure bliss, got some souvenirs, and dipped out for our last activity: trying the viral Salswee fruit desserts. Our night ended in disappointment when we realized just how awful these actually were. No matter! Our next morning started strong when we visited the famous Liberty Bagel.
Monday
Arriving at Liberty Bagels, I was a little overwhelmed. We quickly got in line and ordered The Works (egg, cheese, sausage, and bacon on an everything) and a Rainbow Bagel with birthday cake cream cheese. The sweet cream cheese kiiind of tasted like nothing. The Works, however? Absolutely fire. We each split our bagels, strolled around, and took the subway to the Museum of Ice Cream.
Y’all. I love ice cream. It may even be my favorite food. But if you aren’t the type to take pictures: SAVE YOUR MONEY. It didn’t take us long to figure out that this was a glamorized photoshoot with ice cream decorations and the occasional free scoop. I enjoyed the experience, but a whopping $120 for two people?! Hell no.
Dead-tired from the constant walking, we took a little nap and enjoyed some downtime. The fun ramped right back up as we walked to our first reservation: Din. Tai. Fung.
I was way too excited for this. I have seen the chocolate dumplings with the sea salt foam EVERYWHERE on social media. And I was finally here to try them! We ordered the chicken fried rice, pork potstickers, xiao long bao, and, of course, those chocolate dumplings. I was eating the foam straight, I cannot lie. Everything we tasted here was out of this world. Our biggest surprise? The potstickers. These are a must must must!
Now that M&M World was hit, we needed to see if Hershey’s Chocolate World could hold its own. The answer is a hard no. There weren’t nearly enough cool features, and the candy variation was lackluster. The milkshakes and made-to-order s’mores were a neat touch, but I am not a big enough fan of Hershey’s Chocolate, and the options were boring. They offer a huge Reese’s Stuff Your Cup, which is a giant pound of Peanut Butter Cup that you can choose a variety of toppings to incorporate into. Seeing the price ($25?!), we opted for a mini, pre-made cup stuffed with pretzels. I am a peanut butter slut, so eating spoonfuls of Reese’s peanut butter was heavenly.
Afterwards, Boyfriend and I wanted to immerse ourselves in Midtown. The aimless walking at 9 PM on a weekday was surprisingly relaxing and pleasant. We walked to the beloved HMart for some unique foods to bring home, and landed on taking the Staten Island Ferry after our stroll.
It was a lengthy subway trip to our port, and we couldn’t figure out which area to be in. After we boarded the ferry, we set our eyes on the glowing waters of the fading city, and saw Lady Liberty (“she’s smaller than I imagined,” Boyfriend remarked). After realizing we needed to exit the boat- it was getting docked- I freaked out a bit. Which ferry do we go on? Are we going to be stuck in Staten Island?! Thankfully, Boyfriend came to the rescue and led us on the right path. Boyfriend 2 NYC 0.
It was around midnight when we got back to Times Square. I was craving one of those over-the-top fancy milkshakes…but everything was closed? Literally everything within a mile, in Times Square, was shut down by midnight. “City that Never Sleeps,” my ass. Upset, we settled on Shake Shack. I was also eyeing the NY Bakery and Desserts place by our hotel, and was elated to find out it was open 24/7. We tried a Ferrero Rocher mini cake and a slice of chocolate mousse cake. Both meh. Definitely skippable.
Tuesday
I woke up bright and early to the sound of the Times Square hustle and bustle. By now, this trip felt like a movie. I was so stereotypically in love with New York that I felt like Carrie from Sex and the City. It felt so magical and opportunistic, I could have seen a tweaker and been elated. And we aren’t done yet!
As a Political Science major, I would be remiss if I didn’t visit the 9/11 Memorial. I could write an entirely separate article just on my appreciation of the monument. We took the subway straight into the World Trade Center and emerged in a beautiful little park. Viewing the hollow waterfall and reading the names of the victims was incredibly humbling. The sun shone brightly on the area, and we took a few moments to appreciate the scene.
Near the Financial District, we took a quick stroll around the Land of Wall Street Bros and headed to the Brooklyn Bridge. This was a beautiful walk! The further into the Bridge, the more stunning it became. We could point out every iconic building, and we also learned about the history of the Bridge itself (shoutout Plaque-maxxing).
All this walking built up our appetites, so we popped into Chinatown for our second reservation: Golden Diner. I am genuinely proud of myself for snagging this one, as it’s known to sell out in minutes. We sat down in the crammed diner and ordered the Korean fried wings, chicken katsu club, and their iconic honey butter pancakes. Everything was delicious! I loved how fresh the club sandwich tasted, combined with the density of the wings and pancakes. I would have called it a perfect pancake, but there was just a tad too much lemon for me.
Ordering three dishes and subsequently walking around Chinatown was not the move. We spotted so many shops that we would have loved to visit, had we not just eaten. After perusing the cute trinket stores, I refused to leave Chinatown empty-handed. I have heard much about Mei Lai Wah, so we bought a single Pineapple Pork Bun. Boyfriend and I unfortunately couldn’t vibe with this sweet/savory combo, so we appreciated each ingredient separately. The bun was flaky, buttery, and perfectly steamed, and the pork was incredibly tender!
Unfortunately, our trip was coming to a close. While we waited to pick up our car, I decided to pick up one last sweet treat for home: Magnolia Bakery. I was so excited to try the iconic Carrie Cupcake and Banana Pudding. However, my teeth sank into stale and grainy frosting, combined with an overbaked base. My heart sank. I tried the pudding in hopes of lifting my spirits, only to be crushed more. The pudding was too bland, almost forgettable. Curse you, private equity!
TakeawayS
One: I need to go back immediately. Writing this article brought me immense feelings of longing. I have never experienced an environment quite like this one, and I want more! My belief that I belong in a big city has never been so unshaken. Feeling romantic in this congested, gritty, and frankly dirty environment could be seen by some as insane, but I felt like a true sewer princess.
Two: If you are visiting, it is a non-negotiable to visit three of these areas. Central Park is a no-brainer, the Brooklyn Bridge is simply too stunning to skip, and for the love of Mamdani, TAKE YOUR TIME AT THE MET!
Three: The slogan is true. Folks, I <3 NY.