Last week I was able to visit one of my favorite places in the US - New York City. New York is full of some of the most incredible restaurants in the country, adorable coffee shops, and cool places to hang out. I love this city so much that I have often dreamt of moving here after I finish grad school. It probably won't actually happen, but a girl can dream, right?
Below is a list of some of my favorite spots in the Big Apple. Some of these are places I have been to multiple times over the years, and some are places that I only found during my last visit. I hope this list helps you when planning your next trip to the city that never sleeps!
Healthy Restaurants:
Two Hands - The Brassicas Bowl is everything you have ever wanted in a meal and more (a.k.a. charred broccolini, Brussels sprouts, kale, hummus, soft boiled egg, avocado, pickled shallots, and sesame and sunflower seeds). Oh and they also use produce from local farms!
abc V - While all of the restaurants within abc Carpet & Home are incredible, abc V is easily my favorite. Everything on the menu is vegetarian or vegan, and it was absolutely delicious! My two favorite items were the avocado lettuce cups and the roasted cauliflower with turmeric tahini. The turmeric elixir was also amazing!
abc Kitchen - I love the Kale Salad with lemon, Serrano chiles, mint, and seared salmon. I also highly recommend the Roasted Kabocha Squash Toast... you can thank me later.
Jack's Wife Freda - This is one of those places where you want to order pretty much everything on the menu. I got the Maya's Breakfast Bowl, and it was delicious! I will definitely be getting their cookbook!
Egg Shop - I am in love with the Reformer (egg whites, kale, tomatoes, feta, and avocado sandwich on multigrain bread). They use local, organic ingredients, which I of course love! They also have a great cookbook you should definitely check out.
The Smile - This is one of my favorite breakfast spots in NYC. It has a dark, cozy, English-pub-like feel perfect for SOHO. Every time I am here I get the housemade granola with greek yogurt and berries, and the quinoa and banana muffin is to die for!
Juice Press - This is my favorite cold pressed juice company in New York. If you google it, you will also see a lot of photos of celebrities carrying around their Juice Press. It is definitely a popular place! Click here to read an article I wrote for the Fitness Institute of Texas about how to select the healthiest juices.
My Favorite Coffee Shops:
Places to Go and Things to See:
Central Park - Central Park is easily my absolute favorite place in New York! I am definitely a big nature lover, and something about the beautiful trees, gigantic boulders, and reflective ponds set against a gorgeous city skyline makes this place feel like magic (not to mention all the ducks and super cute dogs everywhere). I could honestly spend the rest of my life walking around this breathtaking park and never get bored.
abc Carpet & Home - This is the one shop I will say you have to go to! Not only does it contain three of my favorite restaurants in NYC (abc Kitchen, abc Cocina, and abc V), but it also has beautiful, unique home decor, jewelry, natural beauty products, and more. Everything they sell is artisan-made; nothing is mass produced. It is also a good place for celebrity spotting!
One World Observatory - There is no better view of New York than from 102 stories above the ground! It is absolutely breathtaking! Here you can also learn a little about the history of New York City from its founding to where it is today.
Museums - While there are countless incredible museums in New York, I have only had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as an adult. I went there specifically to see Monet's Water Lilies, which is my favorite painting in the world, and was blown away by everything I saw there. I hope that in my future trips to New York I can explore some of the other museums the city has to offer.
Please comment below if you have any questions about any of these places!