3-Day NYC Sprint!

Midtown is what most non-residents think of when we're talking about NYC. The majority of the major tourist attractions can be found here - Empire State, Broadway, Times Square, Central Park etc. Put simply, it's incredible, but not where you want to spend your entire trip. Tourists are everywhere, prices are sky high, and there's sooooo much more to see and do in NYC. We had to pick and choose what we wanted to see since we only had a day, and I'm pleased with what we ended up doing - Empire State, MoMA and Central Park.  The Empire State Building Observatory offered an incredible view of the city, and the MoMA was an art gallery experience unlike any that I'd had in the US. Then we walked over to Central Park for a long afternoon stroll - it's incredible how quiet it gets here despite being in one of the loudest cities in the world. We stopped for lunch at Rupert's Deli - get the Reuben!

As great as the sight-seeing is in Midtown, I preferred Downtown even more. The neighborhoods of East Village and Grenwich Village are fantastic to eat and drink your way through. East Village has some dicey areas, so stay vigilant (but it also has some of the lowest prices). Muzzarella Pizza and the Spotted Owl on Avenue A were two of my favorite finds. After that, we walked over to 1 World Trade and observed the 9/11 memorial. We paid for the museum, but I think the highlight is the memorial itself which is free and outdoors. It's incredibly moving to stand where the towers once stood, and the memorial is very well done. Pop over to the Oculus train station right by the WTC just to walk inside and take a peek - the architecture is gorgeous.

We really enjoyed Brooklyn. It was a relaxed respite from the hustle bustle of Manhattan, but make no mistake - there's plenty happening on the other side of the East River. We spent a lot of time just walking around Williamsburg and DUMBO (for the iconic photograph), but the main highlight was Smorgasburg. Smorgasburg is a weekend-only outdoor food park right on the river near Domino Park that features samples of almost everything the NYC food scene has to offer. I nearly ate myself sick, and I loved every second of it - highly recommend. Domino Park also has some of the best views of the Manhattan skyline in the NYC metro area, so chill out there for awhile and take it all in.