The Perfect 5 Day Break in New York City
Day 1
Find a friend who lives in Greenpoint Brooklyn, not only cause you can stay on their sofa for free and there’s cute ass guys and hot vintage, but also because you can literally get the ferry as a 10 minute commute straight to midtown
Go to a bona fide deli and try all the sandwiches - cuban, Italian parm, burger toastie- all of it
Meet your bestie after work, grab a bang ass burrito from a food truck outside MccCarren park, sit on a stoop and watch people play jazz. There’s a lot of street Jazz in New York City
Day 2
Wake up early because of the jet lag, put your walking shoes on and take the ferry to the Brooklyn Bridge
Grab a pizza slice and a hot dog for breakfast, walk across the bridge and meet monks just doing their daily thing
Stroll into Chinatown, take photos, people watch and wander what it would really be like to be a travel content creator. Find a local hole in the wall, eat dumplings that aren’t just mouth watering, but you pay for 4 and she gives you 8
Go to soho and treat yourself to a nice pair of blue Jordan’s, walk through the East Village and more street jazz in Washington Square Park
Make your way to Katz’ Deli - you see the line in 150 people deep and the waiter says it will be over an hour wait so you say fuck it, walk around and find a dope vintage stall and drop $100 on a retro yankee leather varsity jacket. To be real I’m feelin all kinds of slay
Continue into chelsea, the island park and the high line, and then you think of going to the Whitney but you’re kinda museum out
Spend the night in Greenwich village and then a pilgrimage to Christopher Street in the evening seeing the famous home of gay rights the Stonewall Inn, and happy hour cocktails with Drag queens, and a new york burger at Julius’
Day 3
Because your bestie is way better at not falling into prolonged periods of depression as you (and because she’s generally way more disciplined and ambitious) - go meet her at lunch for a tour of her workplace - only the bloody United Nations headquarters. This is way better than a tourist tour - I get to see the security council, as well as priceless art and cultural artefacts from every member state.
Lunch at an interesting Peruvian joint in midtown, followed by a quick cycle around Central Park and realise it’s actually a forest with animals, a spree through the MET to Rockefeller where you buy a custom colour Yankees hat, a wander around Empire State, Chrysler and a quick trip up to the top of the new One World Trade, where you get caught in a storm so they don’t let you down and you start panic texting
Somehow you get out and meet your bestie at a casual afternoon Philharmonic orchestra concert in Central Park but you only stay a hour cause...
You go on an impromptu date with a charming casting director that you’ve been talking to on a dating app, who lives in ever so hot right now Williamsburg. You have a great chat and even though there’s not much chemistry, it restores your faith in humanity and you have the best time, but you leave your ray ban wayfarers at their apartment. Oops. But the Birria Tacos you pick up on the way back kinda make up for it. You win some you lose some.
Day 4
It’s Saturday! You spend the day with your high school bestie, grab a bag with water, a beach towel, swimwear and suncream, and cycle to trader joes to buy all of the american snacks, and picnic bits. This dark chocolate bark is everything - the garlic dip not so great but at least the chips are good
Spend two hours on ferries getting to Jacob Riis beach and you pass Coney Island. Who knew there were so many beaches in New York?!
See all of the sexy and queer people of colour. I love how body positive it is, and how peeps are just selling mushies, green brownies and popsicles. I manage to read a few pages of my book - Ocean Vuong - but its captivating.
Realise you’re late for the shuttle bus back to the ferry, so you catch sunset from a kerb and have a talk about the meaning of life while you wait for the last bus and ferry back.
Day 5
Sleep in cause you literally feel like the walking dead
Grab late brunch at a cute Persian joint in Brooklyn, and a lychee coffee at Paloma
Reconnect with an old travel buddy you met in Mexico, who takes you to a local gay bar full of attainably sexy otters for all of the cocktails, and then continue the night New York style as she kindly treats you to bar snacks and wine, then steak and more wine.
One more stop for late night cocktails before you drunkenly cycle back to get your bag, and it’s off to the airport to go home.
Total trip cost: £1200
Seeing your bestie, getting the flu when you get back but having a head full of memories - Priceless
And that’s how to do a perfect 5 days in one of the greatest cities in the World!
