There is no shortage of things to eat, drink, and do in New York City! We grew up visiting my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins New Jersey and in turn NYC. Shreya and I even have one of those touristy pictures from atop one of the Twin Towers that was taken in August 2001, just a month before their collapse. Read more about my experiences over my last 3 trips to The Big Apple!
Rockefeller Center and 5th Street
This was Ronak’s first trip to NYC (just before the pandemic) and before I really started documenting my foodie and travel adventures, so there is minimal footage. Highlights included staying at Hotel Indigo which includes the rooftop bar Mr. Purple, experiencing 5th Street and Rockefeller Center during the holidays, and The Big Gay ice cream!
Central Park
For some reason I expected the beautiful Central Park to be poppin’ even at night in the city that never sleeps, but it was so deserted after dark! Central Park is home to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the nearby Museum of Modern Art, which I visited on two previous trips when I was a medical student.
Greenwich Village
We took another trip to NY just as the city was just reopening from the pandemic. We tried interesting albeit rubbery vegan shrimp at Urban Vegan Kitchen in Greenwich Village, one of my favorite areas to walk around after SoHo. Dominique Ansel is iconic and known for its cronut and DKA, sadly no eggless options but Ronak ended up getting a cookie shot.
Hell’s Kitchen
Hell’s Kitchen is home to the most vibrant gayborhood ever, we went from drag show to drag show that night!!!
Nolita and SoHo
The Butcher’s Daughter offered one of the best vegan breakfast burritos with a side of rice paper vegan bacon that satisfied my 6 weeks pregnant self at the time. SoHo has the most exquisite and upscale boutique shops including Catbird. Wan Wan is another deliciously authentic Thai restaurant also located in SoHo.
Canal Street Market, also in the SoHo area, is a cozy food hall with exclusively Asian fare on one side and an artisanal market on the other. There I tried vegan Musubi there for the first time and it was delicious!
Flatiron District and Union Square Park
During my solo walk through the city I made my way from SoHo up towards Flatiron District and Union Square Park for some extra shopping. I also picked up some of the softest vegan donuts at Dough Doughnuts. Also nearby is Soothr, a Michelin recommended Thai restaurant that we tried during a previous visit.
In the same area I scored some gems at a local Goodwill and Beacon’s Closet thrift shop located at Parson’s School of Design.
Financial District
This last trip we stayed with our dear friends in Financial District. Just across the street from where they lived we picked up kati rolls from the famous Kati Roll company, where I also tasted a vegan Gajar (carrot) Halwa cake bite. Sadly I missed trying out Kolkatta Chai Company this time around.
Chelsea
Chelsea is a must visit part of Manhattan. The famous Chelsea Market is packed with seemingly unlimited food options of all sorts including the Very Fresh Noodle Company. The Seed + Mill sesame soft serve with halwa was divine and not too sweet. I stopped by Day Drinks nearby for a London Fog on a particularly rainy afternoon. Nearby on a previous trip we visited The High Line, a park 30 feet above street level on an old rail line, with river & city views.
NoMad (“North of Madison Square Park”) and Koreatown
Swingers was probably one of my favorite experiences thus far in NYC. My unconditional love for London is no secret which is why I had so much fun at this London-based indoor minigolf spot with the flower-laden archways and grand indoor architecture in a cool, neon setting.
In Koreatown we had dinner at Turntable LP and hit up some spots in the area including The Maze, the pretty Plan B, and karaoke at a nearby club. We had steaming tofu soup at BCD Tofu House, but the highlight was definitely grabbing late-night famous Artichoke Basel pizza!
Times Square, Statue of Liberty, and Ground Zero
No list of things to eat, drink, and do in New York City is complete without the bustling Times Square and the iconic Statue of Liberty. The Ground Zero memorial at the site of the Twin Towers is a touching and important place to visit as well.
There is no shortage of things to eat, drink, and do in New York City! I would love to explore Brooklyn next time and more Indian food such as NY Dosas on future trips. I know I’m an NYC novice and this is just the tip of the iceberg that is one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the world. With NYC, there will always be next time! Can’t wait to discover and explore it again and again forever!
