Everything you need to see and eat in NYC

If you have ever been to New York City, you probably know that the city offers endless possibilities. You walk around a block and discover multiple food carts , fast food chains, nicely looking restaurants and tons of super markets. Today I’ll help you decide what’s worth it and what can be left out without a doubt! I also added some must sees and photo opportunities .

To make it easier for you, I decided to categorize the food spots per district and not what kind of food you can get there.

Flatiron District

Shake shack

No doubt, you can also find this restaurants in other districts but this location is iconic. Shake shack in Madison square park! Not only are the burgers beyond delicious but it is also very nice to enjoy it at night and listen to some live music and watch the lights turn on. 

The flatiron itself of course also makes the perfect photo location. Right next to the flatiron we also found a spot that we used to take those classic NYC smoke photos. But you can literally find these anywhere. 

There are also tons of cute shops around the flatiron district. The Madison square park is perfect for spying on some cute doggos and watching the squirrels doing whatever they are doing.

Cha Cha Matcha.

If you absolutely love matcha then definitely go there! If not then still go, just to have a look at the interior but I wouldn't go there more than once again.

Dorrito something 

It was good but there weren’t really good vegetarian options so a huge minus for that. 

By Chloe: 

Never have had a better vegan burger in my whole life and I’ve eaten a bunch . The food/ packaging and  the restaurant itself is also pretty instagramable so definitely worth it!

Trader Joes

You can also find this super market basically anywhere in the city but this is the one I liked best from the ones I visited. Get something to drink and a delicious snack and go to the nearest park to enjoy it.

T.J. maxx

If you need an extra luggage from all the shopping then definitely go to tj max to buy one! There you can find the cheapest but still practical luggage. 

Chelsea

Wild son

Right next to the NYC highline you can find the wild son, a cute little café. The staff was the absolute kindest and the food was sooooo delicious! 

High line 

Most of you will probably already know what the highline is, but for those of you who have never heard of it: the highline basically is a public park above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. It used to be a freight rail line and now is overgrown by all different kind of plants. You can walk along the highline and enjoy the city                   from a totally different angle.

When you are already there: Rent a bicycle and drive along the river side. Don’t rent it at some touristy bicycle shop that will cost you a ton but get a membership at ctibike. With that you can easily take and drop the bicycle anywhere you want. 

To get the full NYC experience you should definitely go to the nearest Dunkin Donout or starbucks and get something to drink on the go. Trust me you will look so much more local. Especially if you’re from Europe check it out! They have so many more things on the menu then we have and I swear everything tastes better with the view of basically any street in NYC.

Vessel

The vessel has a huge emotional worth for me. It is basically open and there are only very thin glass walls that go to stomach height max! Not more! I cried and had about four panic attacks but I made it to the top! Might sound stupid for some people but for me it was a big moment and I am very proud that I did it. Thanks Lea for motivating me to keep going. 

New Jersey

New Port

If you love makeup than you need to check out the new port shopping mall. You can get over there from Manhatten with either the fery or the subway. The shopping mall has a decent sized Morphe store and a rather big Sephora. But you can also find a big Sephora in the Flatiron District so for me the only reason to go over there was the morphe store.

Sweetberry

If you decide to go to new port then you should eat a poke bowl at Sweetberry! They have so many options and also great vegetarian options. 

Chinatown

Stax ice cream

Definitely go there with a big appetite! We didn’t manage to eat the whole icecream cake…. But it was very good and manly very very cute so most definitely bring your camera.

Meatpacking District

“Friends house” 

It’ll be crowded but if you loved the series then you need to visit it. It’s iconic.

The meatpacking District is super cute and has soo many cute little shops. After visiting the friends house you should take a stroll around the neighborhood and fantasize about living in one of those beautiful apartments.  

Upper East Side

You might know Dylan’s candy bar from gossip girl. There is more than one of them in NYC so if you decide to go there because of gg then definitely make sure to go to the right one! In general it is very overpriced and there is nothing special to buy that you couldn’t buy at a super market a few streets further but my fan girl heart did beat a lot faster in that store. 

Feel like Serena and Blair by taking a walk through the upper east side.

Central park bicycle strolls

A huge recommendation! By strolling through the park you will discover soooo many gossip girl scenery’s.

The Met

We didn’t go inside which I regret looking back.. If there is an exhibition that sounds interesting at the time you are there, definitely go inside! But of course also just sitting down on the famous stairs is worth it.

Midtown Manhattan

Bath and body works

We visited the one close to the Grand Central Terminal but it honestly doesn’t matter which store you visit just make sure to visit one and buy some candles. 

Grand Central Terminal 

Every gossip girl fans heart will beat faster! But also architecture fans and astrology lovers will have a lot to look at. Definitely don’t just look at it from the outside but also go inside! I loved watching all the busy people passing by.

Macys 

Definitely a must do! And don’t forget to go all the way up to see and use the very old escalator. After that you can leave via the back entrance and walk directly to Times square.

Lower Manhattan

Glossier Flagship

Even though I thought it would be pretty unnecessary to wait for soo long in a line I now love the products. So make sure to pay a visit. 

World Trade Center Observatory

We had luck and there were barely any people in line and so we spontaneously decided to go up. I loved it! The view is breathtaking and prettier than anything that I have ever seen . I also was kind of proud because I am verrrryyyy scared of heights and elevators… and the world trade center is f***** high and the elevator is very scary… but I did it and wouldn’t want to miss the experience. 

Of course pay a visit to the September 11 memorial!!!!!!!!!!!!

Financial District

Trinity Church

Very pretty from the outside and perfect for some pictures. It is kind of absurd how perfectly this church fits into all those huge and modern buildings.

Broadway 

Obviously a must is to walk along the Broadway and you can even get some shopping done. 

Brookfield Place

A very pretty shopping mall that is also kind of interesting architecturally.

Battery Park

Eat something small there and enjoy the glance at the statue of liberty.

Wall Street

I personally loved just sitting on a bench and watching all the well-dressed people run up and down the street in the biggest hurry I have ever seen. 

On top of the Rockefeller

We decided to go up the rockerfeller and not the empire state building just because we wanted the empire state building on the picture. I loved the view you had from up there. Not as stunning as from the one world trade center but you also cant really compare it. The hight difference is huge. 

Brooklyn

Brooklyn bridge EARLY IN THE MORNING

The Brooklyn bridge was really cool. There were barely any people because we went very early which I recommend. If you are lucky you can also see a beautiful sunrise. We sadly didn’t enjoy a nice sunrise because it was already too late. (we overslept) 

DUMBO 

I wasn’t too much of a fan of Dumbo, the view was nice but there were better spots to enjoy a nice sight

Bluestone Lane: The light in the café is terrible and so you cannot really take cute Instagram pics but the food was super good! 

And that was it. I hope you found something. Down here you can also find an interactive map with a few more recommendations so have a look at that.