Bagels, Basketball and Brooklyn... and all of New York's other delights
In early January 2018, Wally had a work trip to Washington for a few days, and to make the most of the eight hour flight time, decided to extend the transatlantic trip and visit Philadelphia and New York. Feeling somewhat left out, I looked up flight times and prices and thought that a few days in New York just had to be done. At that time, Norwegian Air were advertising New York as an ideal weekend trip from London- so I couldn’t help but buy some tickets to join Wally. My flight out was on a 6am flight from London Gatwick- and flight back was at 10.30pm three days later. That meant I’d arrive at around 9am and have almost four full days to explore the city- which should be enough, right? I could not be more wrong. Whilst I’d been in New York once before a few years ago, it was Wally’s first trip- so we decided he’d have a small head start on exploring and scoping out the city…
Given we were rather tight for time, we ended up having to properly plan our days- working out what there is to do, and what we could actually do/wanted to do. Below are more details on what we got up to, what we enjoyed and what we enjoyed a little less. And we’ve also added in some recommended itineraries for your trip- hope that’s useful!
We’ve broken this post into several pages to make it easier to read- and to show off more of our photos! Click on one of the links below to see more… And scroll down further for our favourite food and drink in New York…
Day One
After arriving and checking in, we visited the Guggenheim, the Frick Collection and spent a fair bit of time walking around the busy Manhattan Streets and having some really good food!
Day Two
On our last day, we managed to visit the 9/11 memorial and the Brooklyn Museum, before sadly leaving the city and catching an overnight flight back to London.
Day Three
Our penultimate day was rather busy- we visited the Morgan Library and Museum,Whitney Museum of American Art, followed by a Basketball game in the Barclays Center, followed by some oysters…
Day Four
On our last day, we managed to visit the 9/11 memorial and the Brooklyn Museum, before sadly leaving the city and catching an overnight flight back to London.
Our Favourite Food & Drink in New York
Bagels!
It is definitely worth having a bagel (or two) in New York! The place we went to has since closed down, but you’ll be spoilt for choice anyway! We went for a Lox filling- which is similar to smoked salmon with cream cheese, but there are many other options to choose from…As we said, you’ll be spoilt for choice!
Oysters
We visited two places for oysters during our trip- would recommend both:
(1) Grand Central Oyster Bar– Conveniently located in Grand Central Terminal,, perfect for a quick bite at the bar or a more formal sit down. There is a very extensive menu- including soups, stews, lobster, some non-seafood dishes, and of course oysters. Many, many oysters.
(2) Grand Army– a little restaurant in Brooklyn which specialises in craft cocktails and is well known for its fresh and sustainable seafood. Very highly recommended, whether just for a quick drink and something light or for a dinner.
Vanessa's Dumpling House
This is ranked amongst the top dumpling houses in New York, serving delicious (and quick) dumplings. Recommended if you are nearby and are in need of something quick and easy.
Han Dynasty
We would go as far as saying this place is a must visit- more so if you are a fan of Chinese food. If not, you’ll leave a fan after coming here! There are several locations in Manhattan- they seem to have grown since we were there last! There is something on the menu for everyone- the highlight for us were the wontons in chili oil- delicious.
Hou Yi Hot Pot
If you haven’t yet experienced a Hot Pot- then you must. This place is particularly good, with a good selection of meat, seafood and vegetables to select from. You can chose from a number of broths- some spicy some mild- but everything was delicious!
Lillie's Victorian Establishment
There are two branches you can go to- one in Times Square and one near Union Square. We went to the former but imagine the latter is also as good! The decor was incredible, with marble columns, incredible paintings, and amazing drinks. This place provides a perfect escape from the busyness of the city into another world, and is highly recommended.
Suggested itineraries
Weekend Trip
If you’re visiting New York for a weekend trip we would suggest visiting some of the art galleries/museums (such as the Met, the Morgan Library and museum), spending some time walking around Manhattan (especially Times Square), grabbing some Oysters at the Grand Central Terminal and having a drink or two at Lillie’s Victorian Establishment. Another good sightseeing option is viewing New York from above- so either “Top of the Rock” or from the Empire State Building- if you’re lucky with the weather, you’ll be able to see for miles!
Week-long Trip
As part of our trip planning, we came across a number of other sightseeing options- we just didn’t have the time to do it all! If you’re visiting New York for longer, then in addition to what we’ve recommended for the weekend trip, we would recommend trying to get a Basketball game in (or baseball if you prefer that!), visiting the Statue of Liberty, Central Park and exploring Brooklyn (and popping into the Grand Army). As for food- we’d recommend Han Dynasty, going for Hot Pot, and of course trying out some bagels.
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