Day 1

Start out getting breakfast at maman, or if you’re feeling a tad healthy, Good Thanks, one of my favorite Australian cafes. You have to get their folded eggs. I’ve tried desperately to replicate them at home so many times but can never get them quite as good.

For your first activity of the day, head to the Whitney. They always have quite thought-provoking exhibits happening at any given point, such as Josh Kline’s Project for a New American Century. Plus, the view on the balconies outside are amazing, especially during the sunset.

For lunch, I would either head to Chelsea Market to grab tacos at Los Tacos no. 1 (only if the line is too long), and make charm bracelets at the Brooklyn Charm stall (also only if the line is too long. If you ask me, everything else at Chelsea Market is not worth how expensive it is. Alternatively, I would try to walk into Via Carota as soon as it opens around 11 am, as the pasta is in fact as delicious as promised.

After lunch, spend some time walking around the West Village, before checking out the Union Square farmer’s market. Then, head to the Strand, and browse their extensive collection of new and used books. Oftentimes they have almost spotless second hand copies of recently published books for a fraction of the price, and it’s just an amazing literary treasure trove in general. I could probably spend hours browsing inside.

After all that culture, it’s probably time for an afternoon snack, which obviously has to be one of Levain Bakery’s iconic, buttery, gooey cookies. I know you can get them in D.C. and in grocery stores now, but in my opinion, these cookies are unparalleled warm and fresh out of the oven. If you’re in the mood for a cold tasty treat, stop by at Caffe Panna for decadent, unique gelato and affogatos.

If you want cake, then you have to go to Little Cupcake Bakeshop for the best decadent, rich slices of cake I have ever had. They’re known for their chocolate cake, but my personal favorites are the strawberry shortcake and banana chocolate chip cakes.

Then, head to Fotografiska, an offshoot of a Stockholm-based photography museum, that is housed in the building that notorious scammer Anna Delvey infamously claimed she was going to buy. To give her credit, it is a stunning building, and for someone who is not the best at understanding and appreciating modern art, I found the exhibits here very enjoyable. Tickets are not cheap, but they are only $10 every second Sunday, and you can add on a drink, which they unusually allow you to drink as you walk through the museum, which, in my opinion, makes your visit so much more enjoyable.

For dinner, I would hit the restaurant I have gatekept ever since I first discovered it: ISE near St. Marks. Is it right next to where you can get illegal everything if you are underage? Yes. But is it the only restaurant in NYC that reminds me of Japan? Also yes. Their sets and soba are just phenomenal, and I always find myself absolutely demolishing whatever I order here. Everything is so well prepared but also fairly light on the stomach. If I had more money I would eat there every day. Have an early-ish dinner here, so you can grab kakigori or hojicha soft serve at Cha-an next door.

If you’re not in the mood for Japanese, I would try the Taiwanese-American restaurant 886 nearby, and get the sausage fried rice and beef noodle soup. Alternatively, I would go to Sakagura, which is tucked in the basement of a nondescript building and is one of the best Izakayas in NYC. I’ve been coming here since I was a child, and it never fails.

I would also go out my first night (only if it’s a Thursday-Saturday night though, obviously). If you’re in the mood for a club✨ and you are a woman, I would recommend finding a promoter to experience Marquee, a very Vegas-style club (which tracks because it’s owned by Tao Hospitality), or Little Sister. If you like more avant-garde/clubs with shows involved, I would go House of Yes or the Stranger (they have free popcorn!). If you like house music, then elsewhere or Brooklyn Mirage will be for you (a birria truck is very smartly parked outside it for when you inevitably get the drunk munchies). Bar-wise, it tends to get pretty cramped in bars in NYC, but I did enjoy the Wiggle Room. Afterwards, the only option for drunk food is, of course, a slice of NYC pizza, maybe from Joe’s Pizza, or, if you’re not near one of their stores, any old local pizza place will do.

Day 2

For breakfast, hit up Daily Provisions for their delicious crullers that are perfectly crunchy on the outside, despite the sugary glaze on top, and light and slightly fluffy on the inside. They frequently sell out by mid-morning, so try to get there early.

Then, depending on where you’re staying, hop on the subway to spend a day eating your way through Flushing. If you’re coming from Flushing, on the way there, stop in Jackson Heights for a snack from one of the many delicious South Asian restaurants. One of my favorites is Momo Crave, which is across the street from the 69 St 7 train stop. It’s almost too convenient.

Once in Flushing, your first stop should be the basement of New World Mall. Almost all the Chinese stalls here are delicious, but my favorite is this dumpling stall that is in the far right corner as soon as you get off the escalator. Their 三鲜饺子 (three treasures dumplings, which consist of pork, chives, and shrimp), are probably one of the best dumplings I have ever had. The skin is perfectly chewy, and the filling is so juicy it’s like you are eating a dumpling and soup dumpling hybrid. And you know they’re fresh because there are almost always a bunch of old ladies freshly folding dumplings. The best part is, you can take home an absurd amount of these home with you as they also sell extremely affordable, massive frozen bags of these dumplings. I used to beg my parents to bring me bags of these when I went to Cornell. If you’re here on a weekend, definitely stop at Asian Jewels for dim sum served in the classic style, namely with old ladies pushing massive steam carts full of delicious goodies. This place is an especially rare gem, as many places in Hong Kong don’t even do dim sum this way anymore (especially after the pandemic). Also, you must go to Spot Dessert Bar for their golden toast.

After stuffing your face with food, head back to Manhattan to walk around the stunning Central Park reservoir. I also quite like the Conservatory Garden, as it’s never too crowded, and feels like an extra peaceful escape from the city.

Then, attend the Metropolitan Museum’s weekly date night every Friday and Saturday from 5-9pm, with half off drinks and live music. Unlike Fotografiska, sadly you cannot take the drinks out of the cafes, but because of its size, the Met is one of the best museums to wander around drunk. Almost every time I come I get a little lost and discover something new.

After all that art history, you’ll definitely be hungry. So I would walk to the Casa Birria truck on 86th and 2nd Avenue and order some of NYC’s best birria mulitas (with a side of consommé). And of course, for dessert, head to Anita Gelato, or, if the line is too long (i.e. if you’re visiting during the summer), Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices.

Grace Street is another lovely option for dessert.

Today, I would start your night with a bar. I quite like Osamil, because the cocktails are tasty and the venue is so beautiful. Plus, it’s right next to K-town, so you can get Grace Street bingsu or toast for dessert right before, and maybe hit up a karaoke place after. Alternatives include the Prohibition-era relic The Back Room, where you can drink cocktails in teacups (and also means you can get a late night snack at the 24/7 Remedy Diner nearby), or the Little Shop.

Day 3

This is going to be your day in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, if you’ve never been, walking the Brooklyn Bridge is still something I would recommend doing, even though now the walk is littered with those insufferable 360º camera stands that all blare the same clip from “Empire State of Mind.” Once there, I would start out with Rule of Thirds, with their famous Japanese souffle pancake, or a teishoku.

Then, head to Brooklyn Flea to hunt for hidden treasures, including clothes, jewelry, and vintage prints. Be warned, it does get pretty crowded so try to get here early. If that isn’t on, I would head to Williamsburg, specifically stores like Stella Dallas Living, and the massive L Train Vintage.

Some truly fascinating finds at Brooklyn Flea

Then, grab a Taiwanese-American snack at Win Son Bakery, or a burrata slice at L’Industrie Pizzeria.

If you’re in the mood for a proper meal, I quite like the biscuit sandwiches and cinnamon roll at Pies ‘n’ Thighs. You will need to sit down for quite some time though because it will send you straight into a food coma.

Finally, before heading to the airport, go to a Japanese mart in the city to stock up on delectable snacks and onigiri before your flight. My favorites are Sunrise Mart, Katagiri and Dainobu, which have several locations throughout the city :)

Honorable Mentions:

American Bar (weekends only): One of my perfect meals is unfortunately this influencer hotspot’s warm cinnamon roll, chopped salad, and a side of fries. It’s a perfect balance between decadent and healthy-ish.

This is also potentially one of my hottest takes: the Smith has amazing mac and cheese. And also delicious chocolate chip cookies. As in, before I went to college I begged them to send me their chocolate chip cookie recipe (which they graciously did! And even reduced the measurements to normal sized for me)!

Perhaps this is slightly treacherous of me to say, but the California-inspired Upland has some truly delicious pizza. There is something about the slightly sweet tomato sauce and crisp but yet almost fluffy crust that is so delicious. Plus, I absolutely love their extremely creative seasonal sundaes. Last time I went I had a strawberry shortcake sundae that was so good I immediately went home and tried to figure out how I could recreate it.

Nowon: Asian fusion is quite tricky to get just right, but this restaurant does Korean-American cuisine perfectly. I constantly think about the chopped cheese rice cakes from here. I also really enjoy the dressing for the baby kale salad. The mixtapes (set menus) are the move here, as you definitely get your money’s worth of food.

Sushi on Me: There are so many delicious omakase places in NYC, but this is probably the most fun. Here, your 15-course Thai-inspired omakase comes with unlimited sake, and the chefs will take shots with you.

Potluck Club: If you have time stop by this Hong Kong style cafe for brunch. You have to get the hong kong french toast with rich, sweet and savory salted egg yolk lava, and delicious egg sandwiches.