NYC – What to Pack & Where to Go

Welcome to New York, welcome to New York… Does anyone else immediately hear Taylor swift when you think of the big city? No? Maybe I am just exposing my girly, pop loving self. Either way, after dreaming of NYC for countless years I finally made it this past spring and it was overwhelming, strange and wonderful all at the same time. I thought I would do a fun recap here for you fill you in on what I packed (because outfits were obviously my first thing to plan), where are went and what my real thoughts were.

We planned to hit the big city with friends of ours and found SO many things to fill our days with. You honestly need a whole month to see and do everything you can in NYC so, since we only had 4 days we strategically planned our top paces to hit knowing that we will have to come back to see the rest.

I have been working on outfit planning and trimming down when packing so I was determined to pack only a carry on bag for NYC. Can you believe I totally did it and still had room to bring back some cute 5th Ave finds. It wasn’t too hard when took note of all our planned activities, kept watching the weather and planned specific outfits for each event. I tried everything on before packing it so I knew what I wanted to wear and how I wanted to style it.

Since it is spring and our friends are huge Yankee fans, a baseball game was a must. I am not a huge sports lover but there is just something so fun about being in the crowd at a game, hearing the chanting and cheering & eating the sausages and popcorn that makes it a night of entertainment. It worked out perfectly that we flew in with time to check into our hotel, grab some Shake Shack and hop on the subway to Yankee Stadium.

My friend Jenn sourced out the perfect Yankee hats for us and I kept it simple with my fav distressed jeans and a grey tee. Of course I couldn’t help it when I saw this NYC sweatshirt on sale and figured it would be perfect for the cooler evenings.

We hopped back on the subway and headed to Time Square after the game. It was just past 10 am but this is the city that never sleeps. I always heard that, but I never really understood it until then. Time Square was SO busy, full of people just standing, snapping pictures, shopping, in costumes… To be honest, I was taken back a little. I had envisioned Time Square to be this magical spot but it was just jam packed with tourists (yes, us included) and not all that special. I mean yes, the big screens are crazy and the shops are open late but I remember thinking “wow, Time Square is nicer in photos”. Don’t hate, and don’t bypass it on your trip because we actually ended up in Time Square almost every night. It just wasn’t what I had envisioned of NYC.

The walk down Madison & 5th Ave towards our hotel thought? Now THAT was NYC; Gorgeous parks and patios, huge city buildings & yellow Taxicabs honking their way through traffic.

We got up the next morning and started off towards 5th Ave & Central Park. I knew it was going to be a hot day full of walking so I packed lightweight paperbag shorts and cami along with my go-to sandals that I knew wouldn’t give me any trouble.

You can spot another fun way to wear paperbag waist shorts here!

Stylish enough for 5th Ave but comfy enough to keep me going all day. We popped in and our of shops, browsing the Rolex store, drooling of the LV bags and eyeing the black town cars dropping people off at Bergdorfs.

NYC is not one of those relaxing vacations where you sit back and lounge all day. It is filled with walking and taking in all the sights. Central Park was stunning and we only made it through 1/3! The idea of such a big green space in the middle of the busiest city is just so amazing. We walked past parks, the Carousel, the Strawberry Field memorial and all the way to the MET. I mean, would I really be a 30 something girl if I didn’t get a picture on the steps of the MET? Where are my Gossip Girl fans?

I wish we had more time and I can’t wait to go back because I would love to spend the day roaming the MET exhibits and taking in the culture and history that NYC shares.

We made our way back to our hotel to change for dinner & Broadway. The Yankees game was a must for our friends, but Wicked was a must for me. I got goosebumps just thinking of sitting in the Gershwin Theatre knowing how many Broadway stars had been there. I snagged the cutest jumpsuit at a local boutique (11th st Boutique) for the event. Simple & elegant and so darn comfy! I ordered a pair of Sam Edelman dupes from Target to my Hotel so I would have them for my outfit and were perfect.

We had reservations at a chic restaurant, Beauty & Essex. Now, if you plan to go there in the future, trust me when I say it was amazing and skip this paragraph because arriving there is part of the experience.

We took a Uber and pulled up to a plain looking part of town. No one was really walking around and I didn’t see what looked to be a restaurant with gorgeous velvet booths. Instead we saw a run down Beauty & Essex sign over a pawn shop. We may have sat in the Uber for a few extra minutes frantically googling the address and wondering what went wrong. Everything was right, so we walked towards the pawn shop wearily. When we asked them about the restaurant they opened a door that looked like it went to a back room and it was like another world hidden inside. Dim lights, velvet booths & soft music hit us. I think it took us all a good 10 minutes to stop talking about how confused and shocked we were. We were already in love with this place. And the food? O.M.G. So darn good!

We hopped on a subway back to Broadway to finally see Wicked.

Now I am a musical geek. I may have musical playlists that I sign along to as loud as I can in the car, I may have watched every episode of Glee…on repeat. Suffice to say stepping into Gershwin Theatre was a big deal for me. I won’t spoil the show but it was fantastic. If you go to NYC don’t skip a broadway show. There are so many to choose from that will fit your style. My high school friend is currently playing School of Rock, and Aladdin & Pretty Women are next on my list!

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We topped off the night with a box full of pastries from Carlo’s Bake Shop. Originally in Brooklyn, they opened up a shop in Time Square to fill the sweet tooth craving of anyone until 1am!

One thing about a NYC trip is that it is not your typical sit back, feet up, sunny day vacation. You spend so much time on your feet walking the city. I think one day we clocked over 15 km of walking! That just means that you can enjoy ALL the food and never feel bad about it!

Sunday started off perfectly. If you didn’t notice, we didn’t ever go to the top of the Empire State building or the Rockefeller Centre. I would love to do that one day, but with such limited time we killed two birds with one stone. The View is an amazing restaurant on the 48th floor of a hotel in Time Square…and it rotates! So not only did we get an amazing view of all of NYC as we moved past Time Square, looked over the harbour and gazed at all the tall buildings, we got a delicious mimosa filled brunch. Perfection? I think so! I had ordered this dress from Amazon and had it shipped to the hotel for the weekend and it was perfect for a sunny morning. (Here are some other cute Amazon Finds for under $25!)

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Next stop? The financial district!

This burrow of NYC is totally worth the subway trip. I made sure to bring a backpack with a change of clothes that would be comfortable enough for walking. It was so hot out so these cut off shorts and tee were perfect, plus my floral hair scarf was the perfect pieces for keeping my hair put of my face. We walked through the 9/11 Memorial fountains, which were so overwhelming and brought up a lot of emotion. I didn’t think it would bother me but when I saw a rose sitting on the engraved name of a mother and her unborn child that were on one of the planes I broke. I can’t imagine the emotion and pain that each victim and their loved ones experienced that day.

We crossed the road to the waterfront and walked past the Statue of Liberty towards the Brooklyn Bridge. So many monumental NYC sights in a few short KM of walking. Of course we had to grab a drink at a local boardwalk cafe.

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Fun Fact: It is the perfect spot in NYC to order a $1000 pizza, topped with caviar and gold flakes! We passed on the pizza but sipped on some fresh lemonade before we kept going.

We didn’t over plan when it came to food. Two nice restaurants and the rest were grab & go meals. But this next one? I could have eaten there every night! Next time you are in Time Square head to Los Tacos. Authentic Mexican tacos with the best atmosphere and most freshest flavours. It is safe to say that out of everywhere we ate, those tacos were my #1!

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A quick moment to relax and change and we were ready to hit Madison Square Garden for Billy Joel. This wasn’t a bucket list concert, but now that I have gone I would totally add it your list of things to do! He played in NYC the first Monday of every month and is such the entertainer. I am so glad that I got to see the Piano Man himself play. I wanted something comfortable and casual, but still cute and was so happy I picked up this cami from LOFT earlier in the day. It was the perfect piece under my lace kimono!

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I was feeling like I was just getting my groove in NYC when Monday check out came. I was discovering the places I loved and felt like I was learning my way around. We did one last hike across town in search of a Target (my Canadian girls, you get me on Target withdrawal), the Flat Iron building (because I needed at least 1 iconic photo for the ‘gram) and any last minute shopping. Yes, I rewore my outfit from Billy Joel because I didn’t get to snap a cute photo with it and I just loved my new cami that much! With our goodies in tow we headed to the airport and back to our home.

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I had my trusty travel outfit packed so I could change for the airport. There is nothing worse than being uncomfortable on a flight home, especially when we were taking the red-eye. My Spanx leggings are my go-to for travel. They are just so easy to pair with a comfy tee and a NYC sweatshirt.

I could have easily stayed in NYC for another week! There was just so much so do and to see. The beauty about NYC is that it doesn’t really change, so I know we can see more when we go back. Have you been before? What is your top must-see so I can put it on my list for next time?!

PS Did you notice that I only had 2 pairs of shoes for the whole trip? A big tip that I have learned when it comes to packing light is to find a versatile shoe that is neutral and can work with multiple outfits. Stock up on accessories too – like jewels and hair clips. These small items are easy to pack and can totally transform the look of one simple outfit.

Here is everything I packed for NYC, including the outfit pieces I didn’t end up wearing! I could have created so many more outfits with what I had.

2 Tshirts – White & Grey, 1 Cami – White, 1 Sweatshirt, 1 Denim Jacket, 1 lace Kimono PLUS I bought 3 tanks while I was there

3 Pairs of shorts, 3 Pairs of Jeans, 1 pair of Leggings

1 Dress & 1 Jumpsuit

1 Pair of Sandals, 1 Pair of Heels, 1 Pair of Converse (I never wore them!)

xo
Katrina Gwen Rose