NYC Diaries Part 1

 

The day has finally come, I’m officially finished my midterms! But before we get to the that, take a peak at my time in New York City for reading week. I’ll be sharing the rest of my trip over the next few weeks. I can’t wait to take you around to what I saw, ate and of course, wore while I was in the BIG APPLE!

Zara Faux Fur Coat | Aritzia Modesto Pant | Aritzia Jacket Tie (I used the one from this jacket) | Rebecca Minkoff Boots | Camelia Roma Bag | H&M Earrings (old, similar here) | Kate Spade Sunglasses

I was supposed to arrive in NYC on Wednesday night around 7:00pm, sadly for me, the weather had other plans. I ended up getting stuck in Toronto for hours and ended up getting into the city around 1:00am Thursday morning. So much for that night’s dinner plans!

Got to be prepared for complications when you travel I guess! It didn’t turn into an issue at all – just an expensive Uber into the city rather than my preferred (and cheap) method of taking the train (which is the BEST! I can’t be the only one with a deep admiration of good public transport… LOL)!

On Thursday, I had pretty much had the day to myself. The friend I was visiting, and another friend that was visiting as well, both had to work. So first day in the city, having to navigate on my own for a day. Easy right?!

I actually loved it! I’ve traveled alone before, most notably to Vancouver a few years ago and then heading on my semester abroad all by myself, so NYC wasn’t much different.

I stopped in at Birch Coffee for a coffee and a scone to get my day started and would definitely recommend. How can it not be good when the cups are that cute, no?!

My day mostly consisted of walking a ton (I clocked 24,000 steps!) and checking out some shops. I had a list of places I wanted to go to that Edmonton doesn’t have and I was NOT disappointed! I wanted to stop in at Reformation (where I ended up getting my dream coat, more to come), & Other Stories, Target (lol, my friend got mad at me for this one. “Why would you go to Target when you’re in NYC Victoria?!” My answer, because Target is amazing, obviously.)

Zara Faux Fur Coat | Aritzia Modesto Pant | Aritzia Jacket Tie (I used the one from this jacket) | Rebecca Minkoff Boots | Camelia Roma Bag | H&M Earrings (old, similar here) | Kate Spade Sunglasses

I was feeling a little peckish so I headed over to the Grey Dog for a snack and their cookies were SO good! It’s right by the NYU campus so its crowded with students working on assignments at the tables. Their food looked so good but I was having dinner soon so opted out. All I could think while I was in there, was how happy I was to NOT be doing homework!

The rest of the day was spent walking around to all the cool spots NYC has to offer. I felt like I could have spend a year walking around and not seeing it all. So that being said, make sure to schedule yourself in for a long trip to New York City for your first time.

That night, we went to 12 Chairs Cafe for dinner – one of my friends favourites in the city! It serves authentic middle eastern food – I had lamb Arayes which is basically a pita filled with minced lamb.

Finally, we topped of the night heading to the Comedy Club for a show, The Happiest Hour for a drink and then Times Square! The Comedy Club was SO much fun – hilarious comics in a cool atmosphere. They’re SUPER strict about phones there though. They literally seal them in an envelope so you can’t use them while inside, so no pictures for that spot. Also, make sure to book early (aka at least a week or two) because the tickets sell out fast! I’ll definitely be going back here the next time I travel to New York.

At the Happiest Hour, we all had another one of my local friends favourite – the Made to Order drink and it was worth the extremely high price tag (Hello NYC cocktail prices!) Times Square was cool to see, but not as big as I was expecting. To be honest, I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I knew I had to take a peak at it on my first trip to the city!

I opted for a super easy but chic outfit of my favourite trousers and fur coat. I put my best winter style hack to use though and tied a matching belt around my waist. Outfits that are easy, warm and look SO cute are always a win on winter vacations!

Day 1/Part 1 of my New York City diary and it was a doozy! I love exploring a new city and I’ll be doing a lot of traveling this year so I better get used to the walking!

Have you ever been to New York City? Let me know what your favourite spots where in the comments!

xx Victoria