Welcome To New York - My Summer Adventure

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to travel to New York. If you look back on some of my posts, it was always mentioned as a place I wanted to visit. I finally made it happen this summer. I planned a birthday trip for both my mom and me!

It all started when I was scrolling on my Instagram and noticed that Luann De Lesseps had added more dates for her cabaret show. I have to admit, a guilty pleasure of mine is The Real Housewives of New York. I've been watching since it premiered, when I was 12 and have been hooked ever since. I came up with a plan; where we'd stay, found reasonably priced airline tickets, etc and pitched the idea to my mom and voila! We were going!

I thought I'd share with you some of the highlights of the trip! Of course, I took lots of pictures of my food. :P

On the plane....ready for takeoff!

 We landed bright and early - before 8 AM!

I found us an Airbnb that was located close to Times Square. We walked around and stumbled upon this little restaurant called Sliced. Breakfast sounded great and the prices were super reasonable. They're known for their open faced sandwiches. We figured the food would be just ok, but it was super tasty. Great portions as well. We ordered their egg salad small toast and their red quinoa salad. The food was made quickly and very fresh. They also threw in a little dessert. 

Having studied fashion, I wanted to check out Fashion Institute of Technology's museum. 

Currently, they have an exhibit called, Fashion Unraveled. 

 There was a lot of art that I passed by on the street. I really loved this piece.

I had to check out Diane Von Furstenburg's flagship store!

I went to Chelsea to see Mary Boone's Gallery. We also explored the Chelsea Market....So cool! It has a giant food hall and many unique shops.

For dinner, we went to Beauty and Essex. When the one in LA had first opened up, I really wanted to go. It didn't end up working out because of how long the waits were. I was excited to go to the one in NYC. If you go, make sure to check out the bathroom. :P

We took a walk at night to see what Times Square looked like all lit up. It's just like in the movies....It's truly the city that never sleeps. 

Whenever I travel, I love to check out the vegan spots. Eat by Chloe is my fave! I am constantly craving their mac and cheese. It's made with cashews and sweet potato and it is topped off with a shitake bacon. I love everything I have eaten here. They have locations in other major cities such as LA, Boston and Providence and are even in London. By Chloe is 100% vegan and plant-based and offers salads, burgers, pasta, breakfast options, fresh juices and a variety of baked goods and the most delicious ice cream.

Writing that paragraph just made me want their food soooo badly!

Of course, I was looking forward to Countess Luann's show, but what made it even more exciting to me was the fact that it was being held at 54 Below. It's literally located in the basement of the former Studio 54. I loveeeee me some Studio 54!

The next day, we went to brunch at a place I found on Yelp. It's a cozy little spot known for seafood. They have "hidden bathrooms" with bookshelves as doors which I thought was neat and the rest of the décor is kind of nautical. The place has an elegant, but casual vibe and the staff were super friendly. We ordered the Eggs Scandinavia (An eggs benedict with smoked salmon) and their chocolate chip pancakes. 

My mom's pick was for us to do a Radio City Music Hall tour. It was pretty cool...Learned a lot of historical facts. 

 Walking through Times Square 

 That night we had tickets to see Bernadette Peters in Hello Dolly. Before the show, we went to Katz Delicatessen. OMG! It was heaven. The portions were huge and we had to scarf down our food so that we could get to Broadway in time. It was delicious...Just being there was a cool experience!

The show was incredible!! I can't believe I had the pleasure of seeing Bernadette Peters perform!!

My cousin Niesha lives near the city, and wanted to take us around town for the day. Her wonderful friend Dan came too and we had such a fun time! 

One of my favorite restaurants in Las Vegas used to be Max Brenner. They closed that location, and so we went to one in NYC. YUM! 

They took us to Greenwich Village, which had a vibe I totally liked. 

Dan insisted that if we liked Middle Eastern food, this was the place to go. It's legit! They've been around for over 45 years. Authentic, family owned, small hole in the wall kind of place. 

 Local bookstores make my heart happy!

 We took a stroll through Central Park at sunset.

Even though I don't eat cheese, I really wanted to have that NYC pizza experience...so we found this place called NY Pizza Suprema. They've been in business for over 50 years and had some vegan/vegetarian choices. 

We were only there for five days, but got to see a lot. Until next time, New York City...

Have you been to NYC before? What was your favorite part?

As always, if you have any questions, leave a comment below or feel free to email me at TheZenFashionista@Gmail.Com 

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Until next time,

XOXOTheZenFashionista