As part of my 34th Birthday, I decided to go wild... celebrate it with style in New York city. Less than 48h available for basically: eat, drink, explore and repeat. It was an unforgettable experience were I was even attached by a squirrel.
I won't go in details with that (I know all of you want to know more...) but I will be delighted to share with you, more details about this crazy weekend at the city and my favourite spots.
Important to highlight the location of my hotel, I was based at the Tribeca neighbourhood. For being more precise at the Sonder | Duane Street Hotel which I really liked it to be honest.
Having my "base camp" located at the lower Manhattan, I decided to visit the southern part of the city and all its different highlights.
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is probably the most famous bridge in New York and is also one of the most popular tourist sites. The most common is that people walk the bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn, but travelers recommend doing it the other way, in order to have the best views of the landscape and the New York skyline.
There are few factors that affect the time of the walk, but it is necessary to consider that from noon to sunset the bridge is full of tourists, plus the New Yorkers who walk the bridge to get to work.
So don't forget to grab your coffee and wear comfy shoes and start walking!
DUMBO, Brooklyn
Just across the Lower Manhattan Bridge is DUMBO, where there is no shortage of things to see and do for the whole family. In case you don't know, DUMBO stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass and is a neighbourhood in the Brooklyn area.
Visiting the Washington Street, is the first thing you have to do as soon as you start your visit to DUMBO. Walking down Washington Street is one of those things that will make you never forget New York, know why, because this is the street from where the famous photo of the Manhattan Bridge is taken with New York in the background. What better way to start your DUMBO tour what taking this photo?
The hood has lots of cute coffee shops, a big park full of outdoor possibilities and shopping.
Chinatown
Chinatown is an authentic neighborhood with one of the largest Chinese communities in the West lives.
The truth is that Chinatown has few attractions: the great charm is getting lost in those streets that are so striking and different. As I lived in Asia for a few years, I can tell that it really feels like in a different country. You can tell that the Chinese community lives there and they managed to make this hood their home.
Canal Street represents the most commercial and bustling Chinatown. Very close to the subway station of the same name, more or less between Center St and Broadway, the street is full of peddlers selling toys, imitation watches, costume jewelery...
I didn't manage to spend too much time there or try their food. So definitely I will be back ;)
Soho
In the southwest of Manhattan we find one of the most artistic neighborhoods and shopping paradise in New York: SoHo. Around Houston Street, Lafayette / Center Street or Canal Street and West Broadway, we find the most popular area of New York and one of the fashionable neighborhoods among people with money and celebrities in the city.
The reasons why SoHo should be on the itinerary of your trip to New York are many. The first is that from the moment you arrive in the neighborhood, you cannot stop looking up at those impressive buildings known as Cast-Iron Buildings. In this area there are some of the oldest buildings in the city and the skyscrapers of Midtown are barely visible, which makes SoHo an oasis in the middle of modern New York and gives it a very particular charm.
The High Line
The peculiarity of this park is that it has been "built" on some old elevated train tracks in one of the neighborhoods of Manhattan: it begins in the Meatpacking District and ends in the new neighborhood of Hudson Yards. I say it will end because the current park is still under construction in its last northern section and its construction will finish in the coming months. In any case, the current park is large and spectacular enough to deserve a visit.
So the space has been recovered and where there were train tracks now there are pedestrian paths and plants, building a great walk through New York.
The place is quite curious, since you pass a few meters from the windows of adjoining buildings, and even literally go through some buildings like The Standard Hotel.
What I love about this place is that you see from the top streets of Manhattan, in addition to disconnecting at the same time from traffic lights and intersections.
Chelsea
Chelsea is a neighborhood in Manhattan that falls in love easily. With its brownstone houses, tree-lined streets and black iron fences, everything seems to invite dreams of power, one day, to live in such an artistic and historic area. Between the famous art galleries, the High Line park and the nightclubs of the Meatpacking District, Chelsea has become a must on any trip to New York.
Chelsea is also one of the largest neighborhoods in the city, so it is normal that there are things that you do not have time to see if you cannot invest a lot of time in the neighborhood.
At the end in less than 48h I visited quite a lot of places and I enjoyed the city in a different way. I didn't want to spend the days shopping or going to the most touristic spots. I rather preferred to spend time enjoying the neighbourhoods and enjoying the city in another level.
Soon I will share with you some of the restaurants and bars I visited ;)
If you want to know more of my favourite places, check my Google Maps with my favourite spots : https://goo.gl/maps/nLuf92Ba5ku99dRS8
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