New York Trip Diary // G & G Adventures
My husband and I recently visited New York for a work trip. He works for a company based in Brooklyn and thanks to his boss, we were flown out to stay in Bedford-Stuyvesant and spend a few days there. I had the opportunity to spend time sight seeing and soaking in some of the things the Big Apple has to offer.
I had a few missions during this trip:
Ride the subway
Eat all the NY style bagels
Eat all the NY style pizza
Visit the Met Museum
See Lady Liberty
Try all the different coffee shoppes in our area
Eat an authentic black and white cookie
Make sure Gman and I have fun together and spends time with his BFF Aryeh.
Needless to say, I/we did it all! I had a couple days to myself during the trip while Gman went to work. At first, the thought of roaming around a city I wasn’t too familiar with and potentially getting lost made me SO nervous. But I thought, “When else will I get the chance to do this? Probably not for a really long time!” So I made myself brave and ventured out. The whole experience empowered me. The only things I needed to rely on were God’s guidance in a place I didn’t know (and maybe my Google Maps app to tell me what trains to take and where to walk) Looking back on it all, I’m glad I didn’t let fear prevent me from new experiences and from doing what I want to do. It would have left me with so much regret.
The other days I wasn’t by myself, G and I got to spend together. We got to see his BFF and get a grand tour of some really cool places in NY. We got to meet his workmates and boss in person for the very first time and take part in their holiday work party together. We took advantage of all the walking we had to do by exploring new coffee shoppes, bagel places and pizza shoppes. Lastly, we were together and created new memories for the books. Check out some of our adventures below!
The Food
Brooklyn Kettle in Bed-Stuy - Cafe Mocha was made to perfection by the owner himself. It’s one of the best coffees I’ve had in my life. #NoJoke
Kafe Louverture in Bed-Stuy - I had Haitian chocolate (bittersweet) for the first time and the flavours went so well with the bold taste of my coffee!
S,T Coffee in Bed-Stuy - This probably was the trendiest coffee shoppe I had been to in Bed-Stuy. There was a small coffee stand with some pastries, a dining area and large area to shopped for apparel and jewelry. Coffee wise, I had a Tumeric Latte with almond milk. My first one and I’m still dreaming of the coconut taste!
Superfine - The “Bye Felicia” cocktail was Prosecco with some amaretto liquor of some sort, but it was delicious! We went here with Gman’s boss and boyfriend as it’s one of his favorite restaurants in town. The place is decorated with local art and also showcases live entertainment on certain nights of the week. They have meat, fish and vegetarian options in their appetizers & entrees.
Rocco Pizza - G and I had a few late night slices from Rocco’s Pizza since it was only a few blocks from us and because they were open late. I had a cheese slice with a grandma pizza slice (the square one…not sure why it’s called Grandma’s Slice)
Doughnuttery at Chelsea Market - When I saw this shoppe and smelled the sweet scent of donuts being made, I knew we had to stop for a quick snack. Freshly made donuts that are seasoned before they are dropped in the bag. It was a great pick-me-up as we walked around the market! We got
Miznon at Chelsea Market - This place was great! Gman’s BFF, Aryeh, met up with us at Chelsea Market and he recommended we eat there. It’s a Mediterranean street food place with great eats. I had the Hrame Wing Fish in Spice Tomato Sauce and the guys had the Lamb Kabobs.
Heatonist at Chelsea Market - The guys stopped by here and wanted to try the variety of hot sauces, especially since we love watching Hot Ones on Youtube (my favorite is the one with Kevin Hart!) Gman and Aryeh tried the hottest sauce. I had a small taste of it and my mouth was hot for 15 minutes. We just tried to walk it off at that point. LOL!
Cafe Lalo - We got to meet Aryeh’s lovely gifrlfriend, Cara, and the four of us went to this cafe to grab some cake, wine (for me) and other yummy desserts. The place specializes in fulfilling your sweet tooth cravings and is also known as the “You Got Mail” cafe. We had the Dulce de Leche cheesecake and the Cookie Monster dessert (pictured).
Best Bagel & Coffee - Gman and I made sure we could hit up as many bagel places as we could so we could experience the real NY-style bagels. I stopped by this place right before I went to visit FIT. I had an everything bagel with one egg and cheese with vegetable schmear. The bagel was huge! I only ended up eating half of it. Price wise, it was a little over $4 for the bagel and a bottle of water. Not bad!
The Met Museum
On my first day, I ventured out of Brooklyn to spend the afternoon at the Met Museum. This has been something on my bucket list for quite some time. It felt amazing to see Greek & Roman sculptures, learn more about late 19th century art, see Southern Italy artifacts up close and see Picasso and Claude Monet paintings in person. I probably could have spent two days at the museum just soaking everything in, but I’m glad I was able to spend the hours I could there. I also got to walk through Central Park to get to the museum and that was pretty cool. I’ve seen the place in movies and television, but being there was oddly exciting. I kept thinking to myself, “I’m walking through Central Park right now….this is cool!” The whole adventure of going to the museum, enjoying the time there by myself and enjoying the sights was a great practice of staying present for me. I kept reminding myself to stay focused on the moment and not get worried about if I was going to make it in time for my next subway.
The City
Seeing the city, walking down Broadway while listening to Broadway by the Goo Goo Dolls on my ear phones (yes, I am that type of person!), and spending time with G and playing tourist with him and Aryeh…it was all amazing! Gman and Aryeh have been buddies since high school and he currently lives in New York. It was great spending time with him and having him lead us to all the great tourist spots! Some cool sights we got to see were:
The High Line: A public park that gives locals and tourist a place to view art & performances and try delicious food, all while enjoying a unique and elevated perspective of New York.
The Tesla Show Room in the Meatpacking District - Tesla is Gman’s dream car brand. It was great taking a look at the different models, but even greater seeing Gman and Aryeh geek out over all the features.
Samsung 837 Experience Place - This place was awesome! Samsung has created a place where customers can use Samsung technology and experience VR games, home tech, and even grab a drink at their in-house cafe. Best of all? Everything is free! (except items in the cafe)
Radio City Music Hall - We saw the outside and had to snap a pic!
Rockefeller Center - Not only did we see the famous Christmas tree and ice skating rink, but also rapper Machine Gun Kelly!
The Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges
The Statue of Liberty: I ventured here by myself and it was great to see it in person! As a citizen of America, it was weird not ever visiting the statue and seeing it with my own eyes. It was about 20 degrees outside when I went, so I took a few pictures and walked around the island. I hope to go back one day when it’s spring and summer and get crown or pedestal seats so I can see the inside!
The trip was everything we needed and more. I feel really blessed that I was able to go with Gman and that we got to experience this together. It left me wanting to go back and even had me consider moving there someday. The vibes of the city are everything and left me thirsty for a fast paced city with so much to explore. Who knows… maybe one day that can happen!