DREAM DESTINATIONS: FIVE NIGHTS IN NEW YORK CITY

Back in February I headed back to NYC with my sister, Aunt and family friend Mandy for five nights of fun and serious shopping.

In true crazy Izzie organisational style we started planning months in advance everything we wanted to do, see and where to eat. Of course this all went into a spreadsheet with activities allocated to every morning, afternoon and evening.
When you've got a list as extensive as ours, planning is key if you want to get everything (or as much as you can) ticked off your bucket list!

We booked our trip to NYC almost a year ago now in the Virgin Holidays Sale and got a fab bargain - flights and accommodation for just £500. It definitely pays to be organised and book in advance.
Our flights flew out from Heathrow straight to JFK around lunchtime (GMT) so we landed in NYC late evening. I have to admit the flight out wasn't as relaxing as I'd hoped. Virgin had some serious issues with the entertainment screens meaning half the plane didn't have in flight entertainment for the whole 8 hours! Not an ideal situation at all...
Nonetheless we made it safely to NYC and all the travel stress was all forgotten driving into the city. There really are no words to describe the feeling as you head over the Queensborough Bridge and the city skyline comes into that first full view in the evening sunset...

With Day 1 mainly spent travelling, getting comfortable in the hotel and working out our surroundings Day 2 started off with a rather brisk -4 walk down the High Line to Chelsea Market.
My sister has previously been at the end of the summer when all the trees and plants were in full bloom and you can take a moment to relax on the outdoor loungers and soak in the views (as opposed to dashing past to the nearest coffee shop to warm up!).

Breakfast at Chelsea Market was a dream.
We stopped here to warm up before taking a further stroll around Greenwich Village, checking out the Friends Apartment and of course while we were in the area Carrie Bradshaw's Apartment from SATC!


The afternoon took us up to Macy's but before this the first mandatory stop at Sephora was made. Els and I just couldn't stop filling up our baskets. I was like a woman on a mission. I knew what I wanted and needed but my magpie eyes soon got the better of me and before I knew it my basket was full of lots of lovely little extras.

We continued our city exploring on Day 2 walking past the New York Public Library, over to Grand Central Station (for a serious shopping haul in Bath & Body Works) and then on to Times Square for dinner at The Olive Garden.
I highly recommend The Olive Garden for a big easy bite to eat. For those that aren't gluten intolerant the breadsticks you get complimentary with their house salad are TO DIE FOR.
For those suffering with the dreaded coeliac disease, have no fear, the dreamy salad dressing is GF!!! + They do a great range of GF pasta and other mains! You're always safe at an Olive Garden!

A couple of months before flying out we pre-booked tickets to go Ice Skating at The Rockefeller Center with a pre-skating breakfast included at the Rock Center Cafe on Day 3. This was by far the best experience of the whole trip. I loved every second. The tickets were approximately $45 and included an hour and a half on the rink, breakfast with tea/coffee and your skate hire.
It was an early start with you having to be down at the rink for 7.45am but so worth it as we had pretty much the whole rink to ourselves!
One little tip for anyone planning a future skate - bring a pair of fluffy socks or two! The skates weren't the comfiest I have to say!

After this we headed up the Top of the Rock for the first of our 'Sun and Stars' ticket experience we had pre-purchased. As you can see from the photo below on the left the snow clouds were slowly but surely creeping in over the city. We made it up and down from the top just in time as it wasn't long after this that the snow came falling down!


On a mission to get our bucket list ticked off next up on the afternoons itinerary was a horse and carriage ride around Central Park. By the time we got there the snow was coming down like crazy but I can't explain how magical it was and how lucky we were to have such a gorgeous afternoon.
An hours carriage ride to see all the main spots in the park was $120, so just $30 each. So very worth it. We snuggled under the big fur blankets to keep warm and moderately dry!

After this it was time to warm up in Bloomies, get some more shopping underway and a quick sugar stop at Magnolia Bakery. Incredible cakes but I have to say not great for GF. Their flourless cake that 'takes just like a brownie', does in fact NOT 'TASTE JUST LIKE A BROWNIE. (Don't waste your $$$...)

After a GF cake fail at Magnolia Bakery we popped round the corner to Sprinkles where they had GF choc chip cookies, GF Lemon and Blueberry and GF Red Velvet cupcakes.
I don't know if you've picked up yet on my bakery obsession and GF food mission but this was a big thing for my NYC trip. Having been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease and with the amount of incredible food in New York, I wasn't going to let being coealiac stop me from overindulging as you should on holiday or missing out on all the goodies!

For our Day 3 Dinner we queued like crazy people for an hour and a half in -2 and snowy conditions for a table at Ellen's Stardust Diner. I've seen so many posts about eating here and how the vibe is so incredible so naturally we had to check it out for ourselves.
I have to say though the wait wasn't exactly worth it... the only GF options for me were 3 different salads and the restaurant was so unbelievably packed, you were pretty much touching elbows with the guests on the table either side of you.
On the other hand the performances and singing was incredible but I couldn't help get a little grossed out about how dirty the floor was, covered with food, dropped cutlery and confetti. With it being so crazy busy in there and performances going on every other minute they definitely don't get time to run round with a good brush and mop in between seatings!
So if you've been to NYC recently and are feeling at all disheartened about not having had a chance to check this out or don't fancy the 2 hour queue, don't worry... you're not missing out on much.


Day 4 started off on the other side of the river with a trip to Brooklyn. We trudged through the snow to Pebble Beach, wandered round DUMBO and went for the classic photoshoot by the Gossip Girl Apartment building...
With the snow slowly clearly we made our way back over the Brooklyn Bridge for a wander around Little Italy and Soho.

We seemed to do a bit of an impromptu sweet treat walking tour with stop offs at Eileen's Special Cheesecake, Milk & Cream Cereal Bar and then Georgetown Cupcake - where the GF Chocolate Lava Fudge Cake is just a dream come true!

While on a bit of a sugar high we continued walking down to the 9/11 Memorial site.
I am so grateful we had the opportunity to spend the afternoon here. The museum really was completely eyeopening and moving. It's hard to imagine what it must've been like being in the city on that day or living there in the years following but you get a real feel of the impact it had. It really is a must-do/must-see.

On Day 4 we were also desperately hoping to squeeze in a trip to New Jersey, check out another Mall and eat at The Cheesecake Factory. We've previously eaten at The Cheesecake Factory on other trips to states and it's safe to say I bloody LOVE it! It's a real shame they don't have one in New York City itself!
However limited for time before our evenings outings we grabbed a light bite to eat at Fresh&Co.

There seems to be a Fresh&Co every few blocks in NY. We popped in the one on Broadway twice for breakfast. They had some great grab and go options, incredible fresh fruit, hot pancakes, bagels freshly made with whatever filling and oatmeal. You name it they had it, ranges of Vegan, Veggie and GF too! I was in my element!
Throughout the day they also offer soups, panini's and salads. It's reasonably priced and I highly recommend checking one out!


Day 4 was a whirlwind day. I'm not sure how I still had the energy but after a freshen up in the hotel, we were back in a cab at 6pm heading back down to Washington Square Park for a cookie dough workshop at Cookie Do Confections.

My sister and I love baking and love trying out a new skills and classes together, so doing a class while out in a states was a real special experience for us. We learnt how to make safe-to-eat raw cookie dough that stays fresh for 3 weeks! Oh and a good batch of cookies to go too! The girls at Cookie Do were great and made me feel super at ease with my gluten intolerance sorting me out gluten free specific ingredients and a separate workstation away from others.

If you get the chance, I highly recommend getting down to Cookie Do for some Do itself and if you can be sure to sign yourself up to a class and try something a little different!

After MORE SUGAR believe it or not we were desperate for a proper, SAVOURY, meal.
Recommended by the girls at CDC we walked up into the West Village to The Meatball Shop. I devoured GF chicken meatballs and cheesy broccoli risotto washed down with a Seasonal Moscow Mule! There's such a great vibe here for cocktails and dinner - definitely add this to your 'To Eat in NYC' lists!

After the snow cancelling our previous evenings plan for a second visit up The Rock, Day 4 ended with a nighttime trip to see the city all lit up. It was a pretty perfect end to a perfect day.

Day 5 was our final day in NY before flying home that evening. We were booked onto the 9pm night flight that would get us back to London by 10am the next morning.
Despite having the whole day ahead of us we were up early again and ready to tick off the last on our to do and to buy lists!
We went from Macy's, back to Bloomies, into Sak's, past St. Patricks Cathedral, into the New York Public Library, over to Times Square, The Disney Store and even in Hershey's Chocolate World.
Safe to say by the end of our final day I really was well and truly shopped out.
The only challenge that lay ahead of us was trying to fit everything into our suitcases and splitting our purchases between the bags to save on the weight! - Absolute nightmare!
I think it goes without saying when heading to NY PACK LIGHT! I can't stress that enough.
If you're anything like us and end up shopping way more than you think, you'll be desperate for the extra kgs when it comes to repacking to come home!

And there you have it. Our perfect, whirlwind Five Nights in New York City.
Once again we managed to squeeze in as much as we possibly could without completely breaking down from the weight of shopping bags or from pure exhaustion. But I have to say there's still a few places and things in the city I'm desperate to see next time we visit. But I think that's still a little way off yet. Lots of saving to do in the meantime!

Thanks for reading, Izzie x