New York, New York

 

Last month, we took a trip to New York. The city holds such a special place in my heart – mainly because it reminds me so much of Bombay, the city where I grew up. The energy, the people, the fast pace of life  – all of it is so invigorating. Amit and I have been to New York so many times over the years, yet each time the idea of going to the city gets me excited. I had been dying to take Zoe to New York and experience the city with her,  to do things that Amit and I love about New York and share those with her.

I am so happy that the weather was on our side while we were there – it was the perfect light jacket kind of spring weather. We had a fabulous time, ate our heart out, walked around a lot and Zoe had a blast. She would scream “taxxxiiii” every time she saw a yellow cab. She loved watching the people, the cars, the trucks and would call out aunty or uncle to random people on the streets. And wanted to go pet every dog or chase the pigeons in the park.

 

// Where we stayed

We stayed at the Langham, New York. The location is perfect – right on fifth ave, close to the places we were planning to visit and with so many restaurants around. The view from our room was so quintessential  New York – it was unbelievable. One night after Zoe went to bed, we ordered food, opened a few wine bottles, watched Game of Thrones and then later sat there by the window doing our own things – watching the city, the people, the lights, the life of the city at 2am. I was on my laptop writing  and couldn’t help but feel a little a bit of  Carrie Bradshaw-esque.

 

// Fun things we did 

This trip was different from our previous trips since we were doing it with an 18 month old. We planned our days, activities t0 do, places to go to – accounting for walking around with a toddler, considering either of us might have to carry her at times, account for afternoon naps.

We spent almost half a day at Central Park, walking and running ( behind her ), chasing pigeons and squirrels. We went to Times Square pretty late one night, almost around 11pm. Zoe was fast asleep by then – so we just bundled her up and put her in the stroller. Once we were there, I just had this idea that I wanted to get a family picture here – well I woke her up. Once she was up – we also went to the M&M store ( her current favorite candy! ) and filled our custom M&M bags.

Inspite of having being to the city so many times, I had never been to the New York Public Library. I was blown away. The architecture, the shiny marble staircase, the reading room, the book collection !

Other than that, it was just mainly walking around – mostly from one restaurant  to another.

 

As with each time I go to New York, cant wait to go back!   xx Neha

Outfit details

Black ruffles dress
Blue maxi, white belt
Green blazer
Basket bag

Comfortable shoes to walk around New York in 

Zoe’s dresses : cherry print smocked dress, colorful tulle frock

 

 

//Now the exciting part – Places to eat 

• Kati Roll company – finding Indian street food at 2am is something I do not take lightly =))
• La Maison Du Chocolat – This Parisian cafe is tucked inside Rockefeller Center and had the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.
• Friedman’s – a perfect brunch spot. ( put your name on the wait list if going on a weekend ) One of the best pancakes I’ve ever had. And very lovely staff.
• Chennai Garden – loved the south indian food here. Infact, Curry Hill, the neighborhood in New York is Indian Food Paradise.
• Spice Symphony – AIndo-chinese !!! I love The Indian flavored chinese cuisine and this place really made me happy. We ordered takeout from here and I packed extra to take some back with me to Boston as well. Manchurian, hakka noodles, paneer schezwan – just go ahead and order everything!
• Ralph’s Cafe – This cafe inside the Ralph Lauren store is an Instagrammer’s delight. They opened a new location – go here for the decor and the coffee art.
• New York Pizza –  a slice of hot New York Pizza while you are walking down the streets is so New York that you have to do it even if you don’t like Pizza. But if you don’t like pizza, I don’t know if we can be friends =)) Thankfully Zoe shares our love for pizza !
• Halal guys – I am a vegetarian but Amit loves his chicken and he made me add this to the list, because he could just go to New York for this!
• Update to the list of places to eat ( added after Summer’21 trip )
• Kailash Parbat – Chole Bhature, Bombay Chaat, Club sandwich.
• Vatan – Gujarati Thali. My only regret was that you eventually get full. I wanted to go for the 7th helping.
• Sarvana Bhavan – South Indian food galore. Really good mango lassi too.
• Sona – The latest celebrity Indian restuant in New York. We had to cancel our erservations last minute due to the flash thunderstorms, but its on my list for next time now.
• Tavern on the Green – The vibe here is amazing. Live Jazz, right in the middle of Central Park, the indoor seating is sophisticated and upscale, outdoor seating is relaxed but oozing New York chic.

//Things to do

• Central Park
• Statten Island Ferry to see Statue of Liberty
• The Vessel at Hudson Yards. Visit the Camp Interactive store across from The Vessel inside the mall
• Walk on the Brooklyn Bridge
• Times Square. M&M Store
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral
• New York Public Library
• Grand Central Station