This is the second part of my two-part blog series on New York. For the first half, please click here.

DAY 6

Back from DC and we were looking forward to yet another day of discovering the sights and sounds of NYC. After a breakfast of epic portions at Juniors, we proceeded to cross-over from Brooklyn to Manhattan via Brooklyn Bridge, with plenty of vantage points to take photos. It is really an impressive landmark and a marvel of engineering, not to mention the stupendous views of NYC on one side and Brooklyn on another.

After walking over, we took a short subway ride to Freedom Tower and the 9/11 Memorial. Standing there in front of the monument, it was quite a poignant moment and an emotional tribute to the enormous tragedy that unfolded in front of our very eyes.

That evening was spent hitting a few bars including Time Out recommended Best Bar in NYC – The Dead Rabbit. We followed this with a stroll through Greenwich Village and a quick stop for a pint at The Spotted Pig. Whilst we liked the ambience of this place and wanted to return for brunch, a recent spate of nasty rumours surrounding the owners of this place meant we decided to give this one a thumbs down.

The day ended with a long stroll at The High Line – an elevated urban park with lovely spaces to chill or dip your toes into the fountains – a perfect summer spot!

DAY 7

We couldn’t have left New York without trying Katz, so decided to head straight there for breakfast to beat the lunch time crowds.

Today was the day of the Museums. Sadly, we hadn’t realise that The Guggenheim was closed on Thursdays (it is the only museum that stays open on Mondays hence we decided to avoid that day but chose the wrong alternate day). The only thing open was the shop so we had a bit of browse and managed to take a few photos of the exteriors.

Luckily, just a few doors down was The Met, where we spent the rest of the afternoon, with an evening visit to MoMA capping off the day’s cultural adventure.

We stopped for evening drinks at The Penrose and treated ourselves to the most delicious cheesecake ever back at Juniors.

DAY 8

We finally managed to tick the famous Momofuku Noodle Bar off our foodie list. Our trick was to get there just before opening and we got seated straightaway. Any later and you would have to join the queues.

A few doors down we stumbled upon the original and famous Coyote Ugly Saloon. As a fan of the movie, I had to stop here for a drink, but we hope to return next time for the actual performance on Friday and Saturday nights.

The end of the holiday was almost nigh so we hit Bloomingdales and Macy’s for a bit of retail therapy and ended the evening with some bubbles at the charming Grand Central Oyster Bar.

DAY 9

I am someone who doesn’t like to repeat places but found myself returning to Smorgasburg one more time.

It was also our last evening in New York so we wanted to drown our sorrows in alcohol. Luckily we had some great options from the likes of Attaboy, Death and Co. and Amore Y Amargo. 

LAST DAY

It was a sentimental day for us. Even after spending 9 days in this fabulous city, it felt we had barely scratched the surface. We needed one last epic meal before returning to London. Enter St. Anselm, a recommendation from a friend that I will be forever grateful for. We had the most amazing steak meal and luckily the weather had turned a bit cooler for us to have our first official red wine of Summer 2018. We couldn’t have asked for a more befitting meal to end the trip.

And with that, our glorious holiday came to an end. When my husband booked this trip, I wasn’t too excited as I have been to New York before and I didn’t want another city break. However, having spent a few days here now, my love for this place has quadrupled. New York has an energy like no other place. I love my city and am a proud Londoner, but New York has a different kind of buzz. It is like a drug – seductive, all consuming and addictive.

Thanks for reading!