New York: 3 Days, GO!

Hello Heroes!

It’s been a while since I’ve a got a word in here. Filipa has been hogging the blog. So I managed to sneak this post in undercover. Shhh!

So a few weeks ago was my 30th Birthday!!! Yeah I know, you old fart! I am feeling it. My knees ache, have acid reflex, trouble peeing, and complain about millennial’s all the time HAHA! I KID, I KID! Anyways, Filipa planned this epic getaway for the celebrations and boy was it a blast. Here is my 3 day guide to visiting the BIG APPLE!

Although we love driving from Toronto to New York, we opted to fly because we only had 3 days and I love spending my points. We landed into LaGuardia, boy is the construction well under way. That airport is going to be something when it’s done. After a 40 minute cab ride, we arrived at our hotel, Moxy Downtown. It was our first time staying here and it was pretty cool. Although, the rooms were small and compact, they had everything you needed. The lobby was the seller, it had arcade games and a basketball court. JEEZ! The bar was also very aesthetically pleasing lol.

Day ONE

Waking up at the Moxy Downtown was amazing, the floor to ceiling windows definitely get you feeling like you’re in the big city. Seeing as it was my birthday weekend, Filipa of course got me up at 6:30am to walk over to the Brooklyn Bridge to get some shots. I quickly loved her for it, it was breathtaking at that time. Talk about private visit, nobody was there, it was perfect!

Whenever we visit a large city we opt for the Hop on Hop off buses. They are a little expensive but we use them as taxi’s. Plus, they stop off at most tourist destinations and several of Manhattans must see neighbourhoods. But the best thing about the tour bus is the detailed information you hear along the way, there is so much history behind things you wouldn’t even look at twice.

After a loop on the bus, we got off at Rockefeller Centre, where we booked our time slot for the Top of the Rock. Now, this is a must, 70 floors up, you get the most unbelievable views of the city. Pro-tip: Always book ahead, sometimes the lines are crazy long.

And for the undercover kids within us all, be sure to check out FAO Schwarz. It’s on the main floor of the Rockefeller Centre, and has SO MANY TOYS!!!! I personally love the stuffed animals, some of them are huge and so realistic. Be sure to grab a funny boomerang with the guards out front. Want to bet Filipa did!

We hopped back onto the bus and headed to SOHO. This neighbourhood has, you guessed it, SHOPPING and lots of it! Filipa got our credit card a little warmed up for the rest of our visit. Only 20 minute walk from our hotel, we ordered Shake Shack delivery, and headed back to freshen up for our evening festivities.

After putting on our grown up clothes, we were off to Broadway! No visit to NYC is complete without getting a show in. Our poison, Means Girls! Yep! Believe it or not, it was actually pretty great. I enjoyed every second. Peed my pants a little.

Day one over…

Day TWO

After our fun filled evening of Mean Girl references, I needed food! We headed over to Epistrophy for brunch. This cute little Italian place, serves up some delicious breakfast fare. Definitely give them a visit.

Hopped on the bus once again (see we used it), and headed up town. So it is now officially my birthday (thank you!), and Filipa has planned a little surprise pit stop. Turns out, for one day only, there is a FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL! WTF! How did they know it was my birthday? I love food trucks, the whole idea, I am smiling as I write this! What is better then being able to try all sorts of crazy food concoctions all in one place.

After stuffing our faces with tacos, pizza, pastries, and cookies, we took a short walk over to Central Park. Have you even been to NYC if you haven’t been to Central Park. Lucky for us the weather was amazing. We grabbed our pizza and found our happy spot near The Lake, watching the row boats and enjoying the sunshine.

So my birthday dinner, where are we going Filipa? After laying my clothes out, I headed blindly into an Uber and arrived at NoMo Kitchen. This place was beautiful. It was not only inside but felt like it was outside, it’s hard to explain. But it worked! The food and service was amazing. Good choice Filipa!

Day Two done…

Day THREE

I started this day officially 30.003 years old. Day three over…

I’m just kidding, our day began at the Vessel at Hudson Yards. This extraordinary centrepiece is breathtaking. Its spiral staircase has me in awe, still! After taking it all in, we walked the High Line, an old railway track converted into a nature walk through the city. Ending our walk at brunch, we ate at the Butcher’s Daughter in Chelsea. We love this place, the food and service was exceptional. Not to mention it has an all plant based menu.

Faces stuffed, we hoped on the Subway and were Central Park bound, again. This time we walked through Bethesda Terrace, here you can find some pretty amazing vocal talents. The acoustics are almost concert like. After listening to some incredible singing, we sat near Kerbs Boathouse and watched some park goers sail toy boats.

Hungry once again, jeez we ate a lot, we headed to Jack’s Wife Frieda. Always a classic, Filipa orders the Rose Water Waffles and I opt for the Chicken Kebab (I know I am vegetarian most of the time). You’re also bound to see at least one celebrity here! Eyes peeled guys.

So after 5000000000 steps over these few days, we had to put our feet up. We decided to book some seats at the iPic Theatre at Fulton Market. This movie theatre is so cool. A little pricey, but totally worth it. You arrive to totally reclining seats and full service restaurant. Cocktails, entrees, and bottomless popcorn, what more could you ask for! We saw Shazam by the way, not bad (6.7/10) HAHA!

Day THREE over…

Well Filipa, you did it once again! You always know how to please, this was one of the best birthdays I have ever had. Thank you so much! Love you lots!

Gushing over, if you have 3 days in NYC and don’t know what to do, we hope you take some of our itinerary into consideration.

Share some of your favourite places in NYC.

Always a pleasure guys!

Instahusband out,

Sameer @playingwithapparelmen