Spring time in New York

Times square in the rain, Central Park in the sun and cherry blossoms all day long- New York showed off its Spring beauty in all its glory during our last visit in April.

Even though, we only had three full days in New York, we packed them up with all the touristy attractions and restaurant reservations. And every single one of them lived up to its expectation.

Staying in Central Park South made it easy for us to walk to most places on our list and accommodations at the Park Lane Hotel weren’t too shabby either. The first day because of the rain we decided to explore the American Museum of Natural History . Of course my son recognized many different exhibits/displays from the ‘Night at the Museum’ movie, and my husband and I recognized the ones from ‘Friends’. Aside from exploring the paleontology, geology and other exhibits at the museum, we also discovered some cool architecture within the museum that transported us somewhere very far from the museum and New York city.

After the museum we made our way to one of the most historical train stations in the world- The Grand Central. To date, it is believed to be the world’s largest train station by number of platforms and area occupied. I, however, love it because of its historic architecture and the most filmed/photographed clock (worth somewhere in the range of $20 million according to some sources) in the middle of the station; so many of the books and movies about time travel and classic romance (most famous meeting spot) have featured this iconic clock. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the food hall, followed by a drink at the balcony restaurant/cafe that overlooks the hustle bustle of the station. It was the perfect way to absorb the grandness of the station. Next on our list was New York Public Library– it is our country’s largest public library system with 92 locations! We went to the library’s flagship location on the Fifth avenue and were greeted by this beautiful building, especially as you enter this massive hall. The wide hallways, the symmetrical staircases, the art on the ceilings, the study room walls filled with framed photos of past Presidents- it’s a library that should be on everyone’s list to visit. By the time we got out of the library, it was pouring rain but it didn’t deter us to make the 15 minute walk to Times Square. Even in the rain, the famous square was bustling with people and lived up to its world renowned electric vibe. Famished from another long walk to our hotel, we grabbed then grabbed a classic yellow cab to this vegetarian restaurant- abcV. The restaurant that had the quintessential New York cool vibe and a well curated menu. We ordered from their tasting menu and were blown away by every single dish, from the goat cheese stuffed dates to the dosa (it’s not a Indian restaurant but they did full justice to this Indian dish of dosa) to the chocolate cake- everything was delicious.

Our day two in New York was equally packed- we started our day at the Flat Iron building (which seems like is always going through renovation when we visit), made our way to Washington park to grab a bite of probably the best pumpernickel bagel I have ever had at Leon’s Bagels. With bagels in our hands we made our way to SoHo for some shopping- much to my family’s dismay- I spent way too much time in Machenzie Childs and Kate Spade stores. To cheer everyone up we stopped by Ladurée for sumptuous macarons and pastries at their absolutely adorable store. From SoHo, we headed to the Dumbo area to get on the Brooklyn bridge- it was our first time on the bridge and almost a mile of 360 cityscape views did not disappoint.

Having built up an appetite, we stopped by one of New York’s famous pizzeria’s that my son found on TikTok- the L’industrie pizza, which was every bit worth standing in line for! Having a slice of pizza in New York was obviously on our must-do-things list and I’m glad we got try one of the best. On my personal must-do-thing list was visiting India’s most famous designer’s flagship store, that has been featured in Architectural Digest, trust me when I say that the opulent decor, beautiful clothes and the pure luxury of Sabyasachi transports you to old palatial India. I’m so glad I got to step into (even if for just a little bit) the rich Indian culture that is so well represented in every corner and detail of this West Village store. The very polite Manager of this store took us into the secret jewelry room to give us a private showing of some extravagant necklaces (some of which were priced upwards of $40,000)- it was a jaw dropping experience. On our way back to the hotel we stopped by one of the largest department stores in the world- Macy’s- to admire their Spring window displays and also hundreds of flower displays within the store. Our dinner at night was at this gorgeous restaurant by Tao group called Catherale. The Mediterrean/French cuisine was absolutely delicious, I can’t remember the last time I scarfed down truffle pasta so fast and the crème brulee was to die for. But it wasn’t just the food, it was the ambience and the ceiling art of the restaurant that added to our experience. Our server shared with us that the artist who made the ceiling art for the restaurant with metal mesh was inspired by his own work at the ‘Rock n Roll’ recording studio that the band members referred to as their cathedral. Hence the name Cathedral for the restaurant.

Our last full day in NYC, we explored one of the most revered museums- The Metropolitan Museum of Art. With its iconic steps from the Met gala to its beautiful architecture and exhibit, it was a perfect New York museum experience. Having explored the museum, we made our way through Rockefeller Center and Time Square to our reserved spot at one of New York’s tallest buildings- Summit One Vanderbilt. It’s not the height of this building that attracts tourists though, it’s the art installations at its tower that fascinates most. Coming out of the mirrored elevators that brings you up to the 91st floor in 42 seconds, you experience a whole mirrored open space/room with massive floor to ceiling windows overlooking the cityscape. There are two other rooms with installations that make the experience at the Summit one that should not be missed. Next on our list was rooftop RH restaurant next to Madison Square Garden. The food here was mediocre but the beautiful restaurant with its crystal chandeliers and quaint ambience made up for it. RH restaurant is also close to High Line– a public park on top the streets cutting through the buildings. We explored this park with its rich history and many art installations. This mile walk through the buildings on the old railway track overlooking the streets brought us to the Vessel- this beautiful marvel of a building is another representation of New York’s fine architecture. We ended our night with a food truck dinner from a place- Adel’s Famous- that’s apparently all the craze according to the cab drivers that we talked to and the line down the street for this food truck validated the hype.

Before heading to the airport, we went for a short run/walk through Central Park making our way to the original Levain bakery on the Upper West Side. Technically, we didn’t even need to look up the address because as we got closer, we could smell the cookies from at least a street way. Passing by the buildings and the streets where so many of the old TV shows like Seinfeld and movies have been filmed made me feel nostalgic. Our last stop was this massive bagel shop that had cream cheese laid out like ice cream in its display and as expected the bagels were to die for.

I feel like I could travel the whole world and still love New York just as much as I’ve always loved it. From my first trip in 1995 as a kid and many in between to the one we just took with my own kid- New York is always at the forefront of what’s up and coming and inspires you like no other; “Let’s hear it for New York…..” 🙂