How I spent 3 nights in New York City

After recently getting back from 3 nights in the Big Apple, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share my itinerary for anyone planning their own trip to this great city. Before travelling to NY, I was apprehensive that 3 nights may not be enough time to see all the sights and take in all the amazingness the city had to offer. However, I just about managed to squeeze everything in and have an amazing trip! Below I will list my day by day routine, including all the best sights, restaurants and shops to make sure you visit!

Day 1:

Unfortunately, we had a long delay due to the recent snow storm, so didn’t land into JFK until 5pm New York time. This meant we only had time to check into our hotel and grab some dinner before heading off to bed. Mum and I stayed at The Intercontinental in Times Square, which I would highly recommend for many reasons including: comfortable rooms, friendly staff and ultimately amazing location! The restaurant we ate in the first night was called Izakaya Mew and was a 5/10 minute walk from the hotel, which was convenient for 2 very jet lagged travellers! I wanted to eat here as I had seen it recommended on various NY travel vlogs and I can say it did not disappoint. Although we had to wait 30 minutes for a table, when the food arrived I could see why this quirky, Japanese restaurant was so popular. There was so much choice on the menu and everything tasted so fresh and was full of flavour. So, if you’re a lover of Japanese food this place is a must visit!

Day 2:

This was our most jam-packed day as you wake up super early due to the time difference. We started by taking a cab to Magnolia Bakery, cos being on holiday is the perfect excuse to eat cake for breakfast! If you’re a lover of cupcakes this is a must visit as the cakes are so delicious. Next, we headed to the Top of the Rock, which is an amazing way to see all the best views of the city and get a great Instagram shot! Fifth Avenue is right on your doorstep so it’s a great opportunity to shop before heading to Central Park to grab a late lunch. The Boat House at Central Park does great food and offers such pretty views overlooking the lake. Make sure to grab yourself some of their delicious, homemade lemonade before leaving, to take with you as you wander around! By this time, it was hitting late afternoon, so we headed back towards our hotel to explore Times Square area, which has more shops to dip in and out of before heading back to the hotel. For dinner we got a taxi to Gallow Green- a quirky, rooftop restaurant in Chelsea. This was recommended by a friend and while the food and atmosphere were very nice, the service was slow, and the staff were rude, so it did taint the experience.

Day 3:

We started the day by jumping in a taxi to The Butcher’s Daughter in Nolita. This place is recommended in just about every NY travel vlog I’ve watched, so I was very excited to visit. I can say that it did not disappoint! The interior and staff were so quirky, and the food tasted amazing. I ended up ordering 2 dishes as I could not pick! This is definitely your ideal brunch location for a killer Instagram pic. After stuffing our faces, we took a walk around the Soho area to take pictures of the amazing street art. In the afternoon we headed to the 9/11 memorial, which really is breath-taking. Make sure to allow a few hours to explore the museum, as it gives you a really informative insight into the tragedy which occurred. After finishing at the museum, we took a round trip on the Staten Island ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. While it’s absolutely freezing, it does give you a great view of the famous landmark! By this time, it was heading into the evening, so we walked over to Brooklyn Bridge for the sunset. This is a really breath-taking view of the skyline and is full of tourists and photographers taking shots. Once you get to the end of the bridge, it’s a really short walk to the restaurant we ate in, called The Osprey. This again was recommended on travel vlogs and was an amazing final dinner in the city. The service was great, and the food was very tasty. If you like seafood I would recommend the scallops dish.

Day 4:

After checking out of the hotel we took a taxi to West Village to grab breakfast at Jack’s Wife Freda. This is a travel vlog favourite. Me and mum shared the eggs benedict and the rosewater waffle, both were delicious. To top it off as we were eating our breakfast the Beckhams were leaving the restaurant and of course my mum forced me into getting a photo! After a bit of a star struck moment we left the restaurant and went to explore the Chelsea area. Located here is the Friends apartment, the Highline and Chelsea market. This was definitely my favourite area of New York, as it had such a quirky, yet chilled out vibe to it. At around 4pm we took a taxi to famous Italian restaurant: Rubirosa, to fill our stomachs with pizza before getting on the flight home. The pizzas are definitely worth the hype. We opted for the most popular option, the tie dye, which had tomato, mozzarella, vodka and pesto. It was delicious. This was a great send off before heading back to the hotel to collect our cases and get in a taxi back to JFK.

I’m still reminiscing over this trip now and I’ve been back for nearly a month. For anyone thinking about planning a trip to NYC I would 100% recommend, it’s the best city break I’ve been on. If you have any questions about anything I’ve discussed or NY in general, please contact me through my blog or my social media.

Speak soon,

Lil x