Travel Diary // New York City

Brooklyn Bridge

On our first day the weather was not too good, but this didn’t stop us from exploring Brooklyn. After a short walk from Nolita we stood in front of the 1883 built Brooklyn Bridge. I find the construction very fascinating with its steel cables and the wooden floor. Did you know that a german engineer designed the Brooklyn Bridge? Me neither! I also didn’t know you actually could see the Statue of Liberty from the bridge and would not have seen it if Sophie didn’t tell me. 

We heard lots of the flea markets in Brooklyn, so we decided to go see one. We were lucky enough to spot a sign right after we got off the bridge. I love vintage/old things, they are so precious and each piece is telling its own story. 

Nolita / Soho

We booked our accommodation with Airbnb and absolutely loved our neighborhood. There are tons of super cute cafes and stores/boutiques. Our apartment was just 10 steps away from The Butcher’s Daughter which was one of our favorite breakfast places. What I love about New York and its neighborhood are the brick stone buildings with the fire escape stairs. There’s also lots of wall art on the streets, especially in Nolita.

Flat Iron Building

It’s built into a corner which is why it’s a triangular form. It’s 22 floor high and used as office spaces. I think to know that it’s one of the most photographed buildings in the world. If you’re in town you should definitely go check it out and since Madison Square Park is very close, go enjoy the beautiful green patch.

One World Trade Center

The One World Trade Center or Freedom Tower was built after the Twin Towers got destroyed in the 9/11 terror attack. It’s the fourth tallest building in the world. What I was most impressed with is the not the height of the new building but the 9/11 Memorial; two pools each one placed where the Twin Towers stood. Each of the victims

Greenwich Village

Even though I liked Nolita I would look for an apartment in West Village next time. I just love the vibe and the people living there! I’m not like THE big Sex and the City fan but I have to admit that the buildings with the stairs leading to the doors are super cute and “instagramable”. Also they have lots of cool cafes and pizza places there. We ventured out to Chelsea for some drinks at the rooftop bar of The Standard hotel. There are also many other locations to have a drink or two J

Top of the Rock

If you want to enjoy the most stunning view of New York you either have to go on a helicopter tour or you can go up on Top of the Rock. I've never seen a city that beautiful from above. The long streets stretching from 

Grand Central Terminal

I have seen the station in so many movies but when I actually stood there I was totally overwhelmed by its beauty. The ceiling is super high and reminds me of the sky. You just need to stand in the middle of the hall and close your eyes for a moment - the feeling you get is incredible. Surrounded by so many people, movment and hectic you still feel alone and somehow relaxed. But of course you should open your eyes for the beauty of this place at some point, ok? ;)

Highline

New York is a huge City but what I noticed is that there are lots of smaller parks next to the enormous Central Park. People of NY love to hang out wherever there is a green patch. As soon as the sun comes out (and even if not so) people would lay in the grass, have picnics or go for a walk. They have a deep appreciation for those comfort places in the middle of the city. The highline is an old tramway which now is a super long walkway with various plants and trees. I love that you can walk uptown and not once have to cross a street or be careful you don’t get hit by a car. Very relaxing and such a great idea!

Food Guide // New York City

Sophie and I spent one week in New York and since we ate our way through that week, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you.

The Butcher’s Daugther (19 Kenmare St)

Only 10 steps away from our Airbnb we really enjoyed this place called the Butcher’s Daugther. I love the name as they only serve vegetarian and vegan dishes ;) We always had breakfast around 8am since that was the only time we didn’t have to wait in line – that gem is booming! Try their juices and smoothies, they are so yummy!

Photo credit: gity_loves

The Egg Shop (151 Elizabeth St)

Sophie loved their Benedict! The interior is super cute and they really know what to do with those eggs! Egg y’all!

Grey Dog Café (244 Mulberry St)

Their salads are super good. The vibe is relaxed and if you get to sit outside you’re a lucky girl.

Jack’s Wife Freda (224 Lafayette St)

We had to wait for a table quite some time but it’s totally worth it. The food was served super fast and it was delicious! If you made it through the dish you would normally be full but you just can’t miss out on dessert guys!

Photo credit: gity_loves

Shake Shack (11 Madison Eve)

In’n’Out is definitely still my favorite burger spot to go but when in New York it’s Shake Shack. I love their ShackBurger and the fries are good to.

Le Pain Quotidien (100 Grand St)

You can never do wrong with Le Pain! I loved their food in California and I loved it in New York. It’s healthy, it’s delicious and they know how to bake real bread. But don’t only try their breakfast, go there for lunch too – you do not want to miss out on that! #nomnom

Café Gitane (242 Mott St)

Their waffles are delicious! Try to get a table outside and take a picture at the “love wall” afterwards.

Tacombi at Fonda Nolita (267 Elizabeth St)

There’s an actual van inside the location! It’s rustic, cute and makes you feel like you’re somewhere in South America. We got the guacamole and chips first and then added every taco on the menu. There are not too many but I like having only a few things to choose from. Some of them are spicy, some are fishy, just how I like them.

Photo credit: gity_loves

Juice Generation (69 Prince St)

The yummiest juices are to be find at the Juice Generation. I don’t think they do small sized cups but who would want that anyways ;) Everything is made of fresh ingredients and you can actually taste that.
  

Pizzetteria Brunetti (626 Hudson St)

It’s always hard to choose a pizza place for me because my standards are pretty high. My friend Lucia’s pizza is simply the best (well she’s some part Italian, so I guess she does have the pizza gen) and I couldn’t find a better one since I tried hers – not even in Italy! But for an American pizza the one we had at Brunetti was very good! We were starving that evening as we did a lot of walking and while everyone else was sharing their pizza Sophie and I did demolish one each for themselves.

Rooftop at the Standard (848 Washington St)

Make sure to get up early to save a spot near the glass fence. The atmosphere’s very cool and the view absolutely great. There’s fake grass on the floor which makes it feel like you’re in some park and if you don’t fit on the couches anymore, you can sit on the floor.

Rooftop at the Jane Hotel (113 Jane St)

It’s small but cozy and the perfect spot to have your pre-drinks. I liked the Brooklyn beer a lot and ordered another one right away ;) If you’d like to have a snack, check out the Gitane café near the lobby.

Sugar Factory (46 Gansevoort St))

What a crazy place! There’s huge cocktails with candy inside – CANDY! How awesome is that?! There were quite some people celebrating their birthdays so I guess if it happens to be yours, you should definitely check it out.

Follow Me Around // New York City

If you haven't seen my travel diary on Youtube yet, this is your chance to catch up ;)  Let me know what you think of the video in the comment section. I'd love some feedback.

PS: A food guide and some other impressions are on the way as well - stay tuned.

Follow Me Around // Roadtrip 2015

I finally got around to go through the over 200 minutes of footage I shot on the roadtrip in April/May 2015. I never edited a video before and it took me quite some time to get to know iMovie. I think all the kids nowadays would have been able to add more special effects, however, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. I'll get better at this hopefully ;) It surely won't be my last video

Roadtrip 2015 // Helicopter Flight

May 9, 2015
On our last day on Kauai we splurged ourselfs with not only delicious ice cream but with a helicopter flight! I've never been on one before and I'm totally obsessed now! If it wasn't that expensive, I would go for the pilot's licence. Unfortunately, it was raining most of the flight, which didn't allow us to take that many pictures. I fully enjoyed the flight anyway! Kauai has so much to offer and we didn't see half the things - even though the island is quite little. This trip was amazing and so much more I could have wished for! I highly recommend going on a roadtrip pretty much everywhere in the world instead of just staying at one hotel for two weeks. You get to see so much more and learn a lot about the country you're staying in.

Roadtrip 2015 // Kalalau Trail

May 8, 2015
Even though showers occured every now and then we went off to the Na Pali Coast to hike the Kalalau Trail - well, only 4 miles out of 11. I heard so many good things about this trail that I was overly excited to set foot on it. I have to admit that it was very slippery and you have to watch every little step but we took our time and stopped at the beautiful lookouts. I have never seen such stunning sight and I've been to many tropical places already. I wanted to take pictures of every single plant and record everything my eyes were spoiled with. I wish we had time to hike the whole trail but I'll have to come back with a little more time...
Just look at this you guys and you know why:

A little later that day our hosts set us up with a canoe - or was it a kayak? what's the difference again? - and a rather vague direction to the secret - not so secret - waterfall. I didn't know paddling would be this exhausting but our canoe was kinda vintage and I assume the newer ones go faster with less effort.

I saw about a hundred chicken during our stay, as they are litteraly everywhere! I didn't mind them, not even the roosters as I grew up on a farm but I'm pretty sure the staff at the hotels are making sure the guest won't be bothered by them. Anyway, since we didn't really know where to go, we wandered through the jungle disoriented and hoped we would find our way back to the canoe somehow. After 40min we spotted the waterfall and couldn't wait to take a dip in the cool water.

 

This Island is such a treasure!