Quick Trips: A Weekend in New York City
I’m currently reminiscing on the days before the world turned upside down. Not too long ago we were outside, free to roam the streets, and we could TRAVEL. I’m still living through the last trip that I took, and I’m counting the days until I can make another one. February of this year I decided to take a short weekend trip up to New York to celebrate my birthday with a good friend of mine who lives in the city. What better way to bring in a new year of life than with a little college reunion and some spontaneity?
Getting There
Part of the allure of living on the East Coast is that there are so many cities and states you can travel to within a couple of hours. From DC, New York is easily accessible by train or bus. The train is certainly the quicker and more comfortable option, but for trips planned at the last minute, the bus is the cheaper option. I’ve taken the bus from DC to New York many times now and have purchased round trip tickets anywhere from $25-60. It’s a very inexpensive option. I booked a ticket on BestBus and 4-hours later I was in NYC and ready to celebrate and enjoy the weekend.
First stop after dropping my things off at my friends place, was a late night run to Sticky’s Finger Joint. Their claim? The best damn chicken fingers you have ever tasted. I don’t know if i’ll make that claim, but, I will say Sticky’s has an interesting selection of tasty sauces to try.
Day 1
The morning was spent sleeping in and catching up with my friend and planning out the day.
Afternoon
Being that New York is home to some of the best art museums in the world, I had to make a visit to at least one of them. According to my friend, being a New York Public Library cardholder gets you some free passes to many of the amazing museums there. We got ourselves free passes to The Museum of Modern Art in Midtown Manhattan. I finally got to see one of my favorite Van Gogh pieces, The Starry Night, which is a part of MoMA’s permanent collection. Some of the other interesting Spring 2020 exhibits that I got to see were Dorothea Lange: Words and Pictures, Haegue Yang:Handles, and Sur moderno: Journeys of Abstraction—The Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Gift.
After MoMA, we headed to Levain Bakery. From what I have heard, it is arguably one of the most popular bakeries in NYC, and they are especially known for their delicious six-ounce chocolate chip cookies. We happened to go on the weekend that Levain’s opened up a new shop in NoHo. There is a lot of hype around these cookies: Perfectly crisp on the outside, thick and chewy on the inside, with large chocolate chunks and walnuts throughout. Their cookies are really tasty, but it is dense and slightly overwhelming. It’s definitely a treat that you want to split with a friend. Did I wait at least 20 minutes in a line that wrapped outside in the cold for a cookie anyway? Yes.
Originally the itinerary included Washington Square Park and the Highline; however, I honestly couldn’t handle the cold. We made it to the park, but I was dying. Once the snow flurries started to come down we had to jump ship on the outdoorsy plans. I had enough. We sought shelter in Chelsea Market, grabbed some food, explored the shops, and wasted some more time catching up until we met up with some more friends for dinner. Chelsea Market is for sure the place for a foodie to check out. The market itself has an industrial feel to it with cool artisanal shops, diverse food options, home decor stores, and more. The huge line at Los Tacos No. 1 caught my eye. Also…does any one watch Hot Ones? Heatonist, the hot sauce shop that sells the hot sauces they use on the show has a store in Chelsea Market.
Dinner
I was joined with some other friends from college for dinner at Coppelia’s, a dope Cuban diner walking distance from Chelsea Market. We then finished the night at Art Bar for some drinks and good music.
Day 2
Brunch
I got to reunite with some family for a late brunch at Norma’s. This spot, located inside the Parker Meridien Hotel, serves breakfast all day. And they definitely have some of the best pancakes I’ve ever tasted.
Evening
The rest of the day was spent binging season 5 of Las Chicas del Cable on the bus ride back into DC. This trip felt incredibly too short, but I enjoyed every minute of this quick getaway. Spending time with friends and family and eating good food is just about all I need for a successful trip.
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