What Would You Do With 24 Hours in New York City?

Most people that know me understand my absolute favorite place in the world to be the glorious, ever-inspiring New York City.  I just wrapped up my latest trip to the city, and to say it was a “quikie” would be a massive understatement.  Mom and I packed our carry-ons and jetted off on the earliest flight we could bear, checked in to our hotel for the night and ultimately had the trip of a lifetime.  I can’t wait to tell you more.  I’ve decided to break this up into two posts because I simply took too many pictures, and we would all be overwhelmed if I hit you with the bulk of them at once.  So instead, here is an outline of our first jam-packed 24 hours in NYC.

After making it to our hotel on 58th Street (near the Lincoln Center & Central Park), we were beyond ready to fill our bellies.  Prior to venturing to the city, I had mapped out a few quaint brunch spots for us to choose from; however, given our time restraint (more on that in a bit), we had to stay somewhat near our hotel for brunch.  Dining near the Lincoln Center is a little more tourist-oriented, so I was a bit skeptical about having to dine at a “showy” spot.  I much prefer quiet atmospheres.  But oh my goodness did we stumble on a gem!!

Cafe Fiorello is a rather boisterous Italian eatery right across the street from of the Lincoln Center.  It’s breakfast/lunch menu is everything I could have hoped for. . . ~fancy~ smoked salmon and bagels, decadent pastries and seriously sinful pancakes.  Mom and I shared a bagel platter with the best smoked fish dip I’ve ever had – and I’m a tough critic – as well as the most ridiculous cannoli pancakes.  It was such a lovely experience, and believe it or not, it wasn’t that tourist-y.

The whole premise behind our speedy trip to New York was born of an American Ballet Theater pamphlet Mom received in the mail a few months ago.  The summer season featured her all-time favorite ballet, LeCorsaire.  It’s pretty rare to see this production live because it requires such a high level of athleticism in the dancers.  As if this weren’t enough, my favorite dancer. . .let’s be honest, she’s everyone’s favorite. . . MISTY COPELAND (!!!!!!) was set to perform the Saturday matinee.  It was simply meant-to-be for us, so we jumped at the opportunity.  Side note: Mom and I have both grown up dancers, so we are kind of geeks about this.  I understand if you aren’t, but if you ever get the chance to see a live ballet performance by a professional company, please give it a try.  It is not as upbeat and engaging as a Broadway show, but it is just absolute magic to see those dancers tell a story on stage.

Despite the geographic location, it is pretty obvious to tell when you have entered SoHo in NYC.  The vibe is way too cool for most of us common folk, but I like to prance around the shopping-hub and pretend I’m grungy enough to lounge on the brick steps and cobblestone streets.  Pro tip: Crosby Street is where you see most of your favorite bloggers shoot their NY Instagrams.  Scroll to the “What I Wore” section in this post for a little taste of the Crosby-factor.

I stopped in Topshop and the Glossier Showroom.  I am proud to announce that no damage was done to my bank account, but I still enjoyed popping in to see what’s happening in the lives of humans much cooler than I.

We also hopped over Little Italy for an iced coffee and then ventured over to China Town for dinner.

Eat at Joe’s Shanghai dumpling house.  Seriously.  This is not a glamorous meal, and it is not going to make for great Christmas card material, but you just HAVE to try their soup dumplings.  This is a dish you can really only find in big cities, and Joe’s is seriously famous for being the best of the best.  Located in China Town on Pell Street, you’ll have to wait in line with some fellow foodies (both tourists & locals – not to mention all the celebs whose pictures line the walls).  You’ll also be seated at big round tables with people you don’t know.  I promise it isn’t that awkward.  Either they are all super nice or super involved in eating their own soup dumplings.  I am usually the latter.  Pro tip: you have to pay in cash, so make sure you have some on hand.  Second pro tip: if the China Town atmosphere isn’t your thing, there is a white table cloth version of Joe’s Shanghai in Midtown Manhattan.  Same great dumplings, less authentic experience.