Travel Tuesdays: New York City Edition

Back in November I went to visit one of my most favorite places in the world, really. I love New York City so much. Although I had been to NYC a few times prior to this, there were lots of firsts on this trip. It was my first time traveling by train (also traveling completely alone), it was my first time staying in an apartment in Brooklyn (Park Slope neighborhood - so adorbs) instead of a hotel in the city, and the first time I ate at some amazing restaurants and spent time in Brooklyn with some of my best friends from middle school. I fell even more in love. There is so much I truly love about that city - getting off the train and seeing a mass of yellow taxis around me and hearing them honking for no reason at all, immediately feeling independent as I traipse around the city with my suitcase waiting for my friend to meet me, herding through the streets with masses of people all around, street vendors, the lights at night, etc. etc. I could seriously go on and on. Going to NYC never gets old for me, and luckily I have some great friends that live there now and it makes it that much easier to visit! Here are some highlights from my trip this past November...

1. Tida and I went to Café Habana for brunch before picking up our friend Fatima at the train station. They're know for their huevos rancheros which I had never tried before - I am now a fan for life. Yum!

2. We went shopping around SoHo - yes, please. We were on a little mission to find the Kardashian's store, Dash, and we conveniently ran into it and took a little walk around inside. Not gonna lie - I was pretty excited.

3. Dinner at Bianca in East Village. This was one of the most charming little Italian restaurants I have ever been to. Not only was the food ah-mazing and the pasta homemade, but the actual place was a gorgeous, rustic, little hole in the wall. With classic white china, linen napkins, exposed brick, and rustic wooden tables, I was smitten. Check out the menu.

4. Touring Brooklyn! Basically our trip revolved around amazing food in NYC, but we did explore Brooklyn Park, visit the Williamsburg neighborhood to do some thrift store shopping at Beacon's Closet (so awesome and totally hipster of us, haha), and met up with another great friend Hannah at the Brooklyn Brewery for the afternoon. Spending so much time in Brooklyn was really a highlight of my trip because that's a place I had never been before on previous trips. I've seen broadway shoes, been through times square, and done all the sightseeing, but I truly enjoyed taking the time to enjoy another part of the city.

5. And...more amazing food. We went to Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Brooklyn for brick-oven deliciousness. It  is known as a pizza institution, and it was founded in 1905. Best.pizza.ever. (and well worth the nearly 2 hour wait) We were told ordering cheese pizza is the best, because it's so amazing as it is, you don't want to ruin the authentic flavor with tons of toppings. I have to agree, it was perfect and needed nothing more. Later that day, we got ice cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. On Saturday night for late night drinks and a snack, we stopped by Cafeteria in Chelsea. It was so neat, (read their story here, such a cool concept) an avant-garde diner experience with upscale comfort food open 24 hours. Only in NYC.

With all the amazing food we ate, it's a good thing we walked a ton! I absolutely cannot wait to go back and visit again. If you ever get to visit, definitely take the time to explore Brooklyn, it's fantastic.