New York

New York is a place I've always wanted to live, and maybe one day I'll be updating this page to reflect that, but for now I have some favourite spaces from my visits. Manhattan has a lot going on and while it is simultaneously a hot tourist spot and a city of hidden "if you know, you know" spots, I'll relay everything I make sure to do with my limited time while I visit:

Everything is linked for your convenience.

Food

New York is somewhere where you can typically gauge the quality of a restaurant or cafe just by looking, but the thing I learned about this is that certain areas have a plethora of good places to eat while others have really unimpressive options. To take the gamble out of your own visit, I recommend:

• Balthazar [French]
• Snack Taverna [Possibly my favourite cafe in NY]
• Ladurée [The food here is fine but I'm a big fan of the macarons]
• High Tea at The Plaza [Not all of us can stay at The Plaza but you can always enjoy the location with afternoon tea]
• Pastis [Set to reopen in 2019]
• Chelsea Market [Great food]
• Eataly [Better than the LA location from my memory]

Things To Do

I'm not someone that can spend a lot of time in museums, but there are so many museums in New York that I come back to time and time again. There's obviously great shopping but I unfortunately don't have a list of stores exclusive to NY. Yet. It's also a great walking city, whether it be through the streets or through the park. My top picks of places to be include:

• Museums:
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • MoMA
  • The Frick Collection [Old house turned private gallery collection, I love it for the house]
• Walk around Central Park
• Walk around and shop in Soho at places like Rag & Bone and Mackage
• Grand Central Station [Look up fun facts before going, sounds dorky but there's lots of hidden gems like the whisper wall and the fact that the constellations on the ceiling are depicted as though you are looking down from the heavens rather than up to the stars]
• Rockefeller Center [Great views of New York]
• The Empire State Building [Touristy but fun]
• Check out one (or more) of the luxury department stores: Barney's New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Sak's Fifth Avenue
• Walk around Greenwich
• ABC Carpet & Home [Home decor]
• The Beast Speedboat Ride [Touristy but honestly good fun in the hot summer months, you get to see The Statue of Liberty up close and absoolutely soaked)

Where to Stay

I honestly think you can find really affordable Airbnbs in great areas in New York. However if you're looking to stay in a nice hotel, both in really cool locations, I love:

• Gansevoort [Features include a rooftop pool]
• The Marlton Hotel