So I recently returned from New York and have much to share. I was in the city for almost a week for Spring Break. I went on an advertising networking trip so I didn’t have a ton of time to explore the city, but I was able to do a few touristy things. Here are some of the highlights of my trip…
Central Park was one of my first stops in New York. It was a little cold but not too bad with the sun out. It’s a beautiful tourist spot and a fun place to go for a walk in the city! As an added bonus, a Laudrée shop is only a few blocks away. The line was out the door when we went in the afternoon but it moved quickly and the French macaroons were well worth the wait.
Soho is a must for shopping. Along these streets you will find about every popular store you can think of plus trendy boutiques. Piperlime very recently opened their first and only store in Soho. Baked by Melissa cupcakes are extremely popular in New York so when I saw the store in Soho I couldn’t resist. I was surprised to find that they are tiny! The cupcakes are comparable in size to cake balls and you get 3 for $3. The flavors I tried were cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, and chocolate chip pancake. Each cupcake was a delicious two bites. I wasn’t able to make it to Magnolia Bakery but Baked by Melissa sufficed in terms of satisfying my cupcake craving.
While you are in the soho area you have to visit the Chobani store. I fell in love with this little shop while in New York. These greek yogurt bars should be everywhere. I am a huge Chobani fan so it was fun to be able to go to their first experimental yogurt bar. The “yogurt creations” all sounded so good. I wish I could have gone back to try every option but I unfortunately didn’t have enough time. The strawberry, honey and granola combination sounds simple but it was delicious. I can confess that my liking for Chobani has grown to an obsession after this visit. The store is a great option for breakfast or an afternoon snack if you are in the soho area of New York!
For the more touristy part of my trip, I visited Bryant Park, the New York Public Library and Rockefeller Center. This area is worth visiting just to see Rockefeller Center and the NBC studios. If only I had woken up early enough to see the Today Show live…
In terms of popular food spots, I have to be honest… Shake Shack is completely overrated in my opinion. Maybe my expectations were too high from the reviews or maybe New York just doesn’t know how to do a good burger like Texas. I don’t know but I was honestly let down by Shake Shack. It’s comparable to In-N-Out Burger or P-Terry’s. It’s really nothing special so I don’t understand why it’s such a popular tourist destination.
On the other hand, I did love Le Pain Quotidien. The reviews are right, this coffee shop/bakery is amazing. I had a cappuccino and a little brownie that was delicious. They also have appealing lunch and brunch options. I would love to go back so I definitely recommend Le Pain Quotidien.
The rest of my trip was full of advertising agency visits, all of which were amazing. I couldn’t love my major more and am so excited about my future in advertising. I had a blast in the city overall and would love to go back to New York! Out of all the restaurants we visited, I recommend Republic, Trattoria Trecolori, Sunburnt Cafe, and Max Brenner.
Oh and I did happen to see Anne Hathaway at Eataly. That was definitely a highlight of my trip. From Princess Diaries to Les Miserables, I’ve always been a fan.
Okay, now I’m done.
Living with Grace 
March 2, 2014 at 5:53 am
Hello Grace,
Along the same lines,, very informative blog for all of us. thanks a lot!
Keep up the posts!
alayela