New York For A Day — Sophie Kay's

This past weekend, two of my close friends and I packed our totes for a day in New York. I had wanted to plan a trip like this for some time, but couldn’t find the right moment or reason to go. With Claire home from Uni in Paris for a bit and Abby a week away from a semester in Australia, it seemed like the perfect way to say “see you soon” to two of my favorite people.

The last time I went to New York, I was a Freshman in High School on a choir field trip. This meant tourist attractions, hotels, and all the famous NYC sights. While this was great, and everyone should experience the classic NYC hustle, I was longing for a new experience here. In this new season of my life, I wanted to experience the little moments in this large and loud city.

I’ll take you through what we did, where we ate, and show you how a 24 hour trip to NYC can be sweet, simple, and so so worth it.

The Commute

We chose to ride Megabus for the trip there & back as it was the cheapest option suiting our timeframe. Leaving at 5AM was a bit rough for us, as we were together the night before and were having too much fun to fall asleep early. No matter how bad we wanted to sleep in, we got ready in a hurry and made the bus on time. Claire & I managed to secure the front row seats on the upper level of the bus, which meant we had a completely clear view of the road in front of us. Being on the upper level felt somewhere in between a rollercoaster ride and being on a boat, but it was fun either way. We got some great views in between our naps and arrived around 9AM.

First Stop…Coffee

Realizing our moods and energy were a bit down after the sleepy bus ride, we decided our first stop had to be a caffeine run. Right as we pulled into the bus stop, I spotted a coffee shop that one of my best friends, Jackie, had recommended to me. Variety Coffee Roasters was a beacon of light for us weary travelers as we practically ran to the door. After stretching our legs, sipping our coffee and snapping a few photos, we were out the door and ready for our day.

Sunday Brunch

Choosing the eating locations is always my favourite piece of a travel itinerary. I love searching through menus and looking at photos to find the perfect venue. After doing some research and hearing amazing reviews about this NYC and LA restaurant, we chose The Butcher’s Daughter for our Sunday brunch. This West Village location was in such a sweet spot and had a very welcoming staff. I opted for the Butcher’s Bowl which was made with rosemary potatoes, mushrooms, onions, vegan sausage, a poached egg and avocado drizzled with a sweet aioli sauce. Claire ordered a breakfast sandwich and Abby chose the smashed avocado eggs benedict. Everything looked so fresh and mine was very tasty. I was craving more of those potatoes all day! All in all it was a perfect brunch in a very comfy and friendly setting.

A walk in the park

After leaving breakfast, we walked around a bit and saw the “Friends” apartment building! There was an adorable cafe on the lower level and it was set in a very cute neighborhood. We then made our way to Washington Square Park, snapping photos along the walk. The park was pretty even in the mid-Winter chill, and offered some perfect people watching moments, puppies and even a little piano concert.

Brooklyn Bridge

We then hopped in an Uber to the Brooklyn Bridge as we wanted to get a great view of the city and take it all in. Although is was busy and bustling with tourists, it truly was a great location to feel the weight of NYC from a distance. The stacked buildings were beautiful and showed architecture from old and new. Looking from afar truly put in perspective how tiny we all are in comparison to the big city, which I love. I find it comforting to be in a place where no one knows your name. You are free to do and be anything, no expectations or assumptions. This energy is what called me to Boston, and certainly left me loving New York. After snapping some photos in the sun, we were on our way to our next stop.

coffee coffee coffee

Feeling a bit of an energy lull and needing to defrost our hands for a bit, we started searching for coffee stop number two. We ended up stumbling upon the grand opening of the new Soho location of the Australian cafe, Citizens! The design, staff and $1 coffees were all components of a very happy coffee break. I ordered a velvet latte which had notes of beetroot & cinnamon, Claire got a mocha latte, and Abby got matcha. After chatting about Australia with the staff and sipping in the cozy interior, we left on a mission for some pizza.

pizza pit-stop

We were en route for Motorino Pizzeria after reading great reviews from NYC locals, but on our way we starting seeing people carrying fresh slices with happy faces so we followed the trail and ended up at the famous pizza spot, Prince St. Pizza! This being my first New York slice, I chose a simple cheese so I could really take in the flavor…and I surely did not regret it! This one slice of pizza was so flavorful and so cheesy. I could hav easily eaten a whole pie but was 100% satisfied with that one little slice of heaven.

Window Shopping

In an attempt to walk off the pizza and do a bit more exploring, we decided to pop in to a few stores. I wanted to check out the French label, Sézane as this is their only US location and I sadly didn’t get to visit the one in Paris when I went last year. The store was a breath of fresh air and was filled with everything chic and sophisticated. We then popped over to this sweet spot called Love, Adorned and were charmed by the one of a kind jewelry, dried bouquets, perfumes, and housewares.

MOMA

After debating which art museum we would visit, we landed on the MOMA! I had never been to any of the many New York art museums, so I was very excited to check one off my list. Although we only spent about 2 hours inside, I saw exactly was I hoped for. I feel so lucky to have spotted Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” in the galleries. This painting has been hung above my fireplace since I was a child and before that occupied my Grandparent’s home. As soon as I saw it I got emotional as my mother and I have had many conversations about this piece and it holds a special place in both of our hearts. This piece alone would have made my visit memorable, but it was joined with many other favorites such as Frank Lloyd Wrights design drawings, Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Starry Night”, and Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans”.

5th Ave

Starting to feel the exhaustion of our busy day, we took a break in UNIQLO on 5th ave to check out photos and rest our feet. We then got a breath of that 5th Ave energy as we popped into stores in the rainy night scene before riding the metro to dinner.

Dinner Date

For dinner we landed on Bobo, a French inspired restaurant. I was immediately attracted to the window seats lined with pillows and featuring candle lit cafe tables. This relaxed yet mature setting was exactly what we needed for the end of our day. We split the potato gnocchi and frites and both left us smiling and wanting more as the portions were quite small (but oh, so tasty). After paying the bill, we decided we just weren’t finished with NYC’s food scene and our bellies weren’t filled enough yet and went on the hunt for a taco spot. Lucky for us, just a four minute walk away was The Taco Shop. We all munched on some tacos and then made a mad dash for the bus home.

homeward bound

After a quick CVS run for some bus snacks, we boarded the Megabus for our journey back home. We left with smiles on our faces, sore feet, and full bellies which I think means we had a pretty great day.

From Beantown to the Big Apple, I am so glad to have these two in my life and feel so lucky to have shared this day with them. I loved having a new perspective of New York and can’t wait to return again soon.