ESCAPE TO NEW YORK

Recently, my boyfriend and I went on a weekend getaway to New York City. It was EXACTLY what I needed!

The day before he asked me if I wanted to take a trip the following weekend, I was debating asking him if he wanted to go to New York the very same weekend! I have been feeling so uninspired and defeated lately and just craved an extraordinary escape, apparently, so did he.  

We both love a bit of spontaneity, which means we didn’t have any set plans written out before we left. The most planning that went into this trip was what I was going to wear, and you know that was well thought out.

Shop The Look:

Friday morning, we boarded the train, which Nick and I highly recommend, and left for New York. The train ride wasn’t terrible, but the wifi in that car was. I wasn’t able to work on my blog to the degree I would have liked, so my anxiety started to get the best of me. To calm down, I put in my headphones and listened to my favorite podcasts, while occasionally resting my head on Nick’s shoulder.

After a scenic six-hour train ride, we made our way straight to the hotel.

Our home for the weekend was the lovely AKA on Wall St. Turns out, if you stay in the financial district on the weekend, it’s significantly cheaper than during the week. After putting our bags down and taking in the gorgeous view from our room, we took the subway to SOHO. We just put SOHO into Google Maps and trusted we would find an adventure. First stop on our SOHO stroll, JCrew! We picked out an olive crewneck cashmere sweater, a beige crewneck sweater with a blue and green stripe across the chest, and a blue bomber jacket.

Shop Nick’s Look:

We went into a couple of other stores, one of them being the Gucci “concept” store. It was everything you think it is and more. We hesitated for about 20 seconds before the doorman opened the door and asked us if we were coming inside. I’m so glad we did! You know I can’t even afford to look in the window of that place, let alone browse! All of that went away when I walked in. There was a beautiful middle-aged woman dressed in an electric lime ensemble, with dark curly hair as perfectly eccentric as her outfit. She kindly welcomed us into the store and informed us of the uniqueness and secrets of the store. For instance, when you first walk in, it looks more like a luxurious vintage bookstore, because it is one. All of the books that are available to purchase are about photographers or collections of their work.

Need to create the perfect mood for an evening of reading? No worries, Gucci has you, not only can you purchase a vintage book, you can buy a Gucci candle that smells heavenly and doubles as a piece of art. But, if reading about photographers isn’t your jam, and you prefer watching movies, you can plop yourself into a beautifully upholstered chair, put on the provided headphones, and enjoy whatever movie they are screening on the wall. If you do have the means to purchase an outfit or the nerve to try on one ( I didn’t have either), you can use their fitting room, which houses a gold luggage cart. The back of the store is all open but sectioned off by cushioned seating. Available for purchase in those sections were accessories, flatware, shoes, and beauty.

We snuck out the back entrance because we knew if we left the way came, we would end up being talked into buying a candle. Then we made our way down the street to find something to eat. 

Nick and I love quality food with a great atmosphere. We asked a few locals where we should go and they said Jack’s Wife Frieda and one other place that I can’t recall the name of. We didn’t go to either. Instead, we walked until we found a place that looked like it was our little secret called Pera Soho. The website describes it as a Mediterranean retreat, which is totally an accurate description.  It had a brick wall and an archway that led to patio seating surrounded by greenery, with bistro lights hanging from above. You could tell that the design was well thought out because of the variety of seating preferences. There was everything ranging from lower tables with benches, to a covered area with tables that could be pushed together to create one large farm table and patio tables with umbrellas that could accommodate a small or larger party. This was just the patio.

It was a wee bit chilly, so we decided to dine indoors. Inside is definitely a more bougie experience. The patio is the way to go if you want a pleasant meal and a more casual environment. By casual, I mean your good jeans and an ironed t-shirt. The atmosphere inside Pera Soho is perfect for a date night. The lighting is minimal, with small candles on the table to give off a more intimate feeling.

Nick especially liked the octopus appetizer, and even though they were not as good as 23rd and Main’s, I still inhaled their truffle fries. Our favorite part of the meal was the red wine and the pistachio baklava. It was seriously the best red wine I’ve ever tasted, but after we left, we found out they are even more well known for their cocktails!

If you aren’t enticed by a Mediterranean escape on the side streets of Soho, there are a few cute bistro restaurants along the side street that also looked promising.

Shop My Look:

The next morning, we woke up and satisfied our coffee craving at the rooftop lounge, before setting off to find breakfast. Nick suggested that we make our first stop in Greenwich before we take on 5th Avenue and Central Park. As I said before, we didn’t put much planning into the trip, and the only direction we had that morning was putting in Greenwich into Google Maps. Once we arrived, I set the Friends apartment as our destination in hopes that we would stumble on our breakfast spot, much like the previous night’s dinner. We did, it just happened to be the cafe directly under the Friend’s apartment called The Little Owl.

You’d think the owner would have capitalized on the whole Friends thing or at least created an environment very similar to Central Perk, but I’m honestly glad they didn’t.

Natural light filled the space, and we got there early enough that it wasn’t overwhelmed with tourists. It felt cozy and quiet. I was aware that there were a few other people in the room, but it felt as if we were the only ones there. We sipped coffee out of our eclectic mugs and split a delicious plate of eggs Benedict and beignets before making our way uptown to Rockefeller Center.

Nick and I know the importance of investing in clothes that will last, and both enjoy a full day of shopping. The first stop on our 5th Avenue extravaganza was at one of Nick’s favorite brands, Cole Haan because I needed new walking shoes. I have worn my Forever 21 black boots into the ground. They are scuffed, uncomfortable, and in desperate need of replacing. We browsed around for a few minutes, I put a pair of boots on hold, before going into Saks.

Walking around Saks, it felt as if we were in an art exhibit. I wandered around in a blissful haze looking for a new shade of lipstick. I stopped at the Jo Malone counter to introduce Nick to their candles. I looked up from the display to say something to him, and instead, my eyes locked with an actor from one of my favorite tv shows. It was Mouth from One Tree Hill, or his real name, Lee Norris! I quickly looked away and tried my best to act as casual as possible, while texting Nick about who was behind us. I waited until we made our way down the street to freak out.

While we were walking, I saw an enormous picture of Kendall Jenner wearing the boots I’ve drooled over for more than a year now, right above the Stuart Weitzman store. The boots are beautiful black suede that perfectly embraces the leg up to the thigh, with a pointed toe and a block heel. 

Sometimes, I dare to try on clothes outside of my budget, just to admire the beauty and craftsmanship. I must have been extra ambitious because I tried on two pairs of boots! The first shoe was a tall ankle boot, sleek, black, and an overall timeless shoe. Can you guess what the other pair was? Yep, the Kendall boots! I knew I wouldn’t buy anything. I’d try them on, act as if I could seriously consider getting them, tell the associate I’d be back, but then never would. That is how my luxury window shopping works or worked.

Not only did Nick whisk me away for a romantic getaway, be incredibly patient with me when I let my anxiety and insecurities get the best of me, but he generously surprised me with a pair of Stuart Weitzman boots, the first pair I tried on! I tried to compose myself until after we left the store so that I could shower him with kisses of gratitude. (Seriously babe, thank you!) Genuinely, I was so overwhelmed. I was in a thunderstorm of emotions. I felt everything from disbelief, excitement, love, appreciation, and a hint of guilt because I don’t deserve anything that nice, or anything else he does for me for that matter.

Shop My Dream Boots:

Nick, my boots and I, strutted our way to the Plaza Hotel for a very brief look around. We found Eloise before making our way out the back to find a suitable spot for lunch. We tried about three different places before landing at Le Pain Quotidien, where Nick got a cappuccino the size of his head, and I got a pastry the size of mine. We also had actual food and didn't just marvel at the size of our coffee and French donut. It was just the sustenance we needed before embarking on our stroll through Central Park.

I love parks! More specifically, I love parks in the middle of gorgeous cities like New York, Richmond, and London. It feels poetic to have an ever-present place of peace amid a chaotic city. Even though we never stopped to smell the roses of Central Park, it still felt as if time had slowed down during our stroll.

After our Central Park stroll, it was time for Nick to do some shopping.

We took the subway back to Soho and discovered that we should have made the most of our shopping time the evening before. Saturday afternoon is not the ideal time to shop if you actually want to be able to look around. There were tourists and traffic everywhere, a total contrast to the previous day at the same time.

To say Nick loves Nike would be an understatement, naturally one of our first stops had to be in the three-story Nike store. We browsed through a couple more stores before walking into John Varvatos. I was familiar with the brand and thought it would be a great fit for Nick.

I was right. A few moments after we walked in, they offered us a beer, water, coffee, or anything else we might like while we admired their clothes. I pointed out an outfit on a mannequin that Nick readily approved of, and the excellent sales team took over from there. They brought him the correct sizes and great suggestion pieces but did not make us feel uncomfortable by hovering over us. Nick ended up buying the look I suggested, minus the suede jacket. He looks incredible in the outfit; it immediately added a bit of swagger to his step. He couldn't wait to show it off that night when we went out for dinner.

We ended our night where it started, in Greenwich, we wanted to see if Joe’s Pizza was genuinely worth the hype. It was. Then we found a bar, called the Blind Tiger, where they served a Triple Crossing IPA. It was nice to see a little piece of Richmond so far from home. While we were sipping our beers, I naturally got a craving for fish and chips. We made our way around the block a few times, trying a couple of different pubs as we went but to no such luck. We felt a little defeated until suddenly we stumbled upon While We’re Young. 

I wasn't lying when I told you that we didn't have any plans for this trip. We didn't, but I did look up blog posts and videos from a couple of my favorite content creators who have been to or live in New York. One of the places that I wrote down was While We're Young. They were said to have great cocktails, chic atmosphere, and delicious food. I can now vouch for all of these. I have yet to try a truffle fry that tops 23rd and Main's, but these were not bad, and the cocktails were delicious! I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't crazily crowded, and we were able to be seated immediately. We got to enjoy the charming ambiance without feeling suffocated by other tourists before we turned in for the night.

Our final morning, we packed, said goodbye to our gorgeous room, and grabbed coffee and bagels at Konditori before boarding the train. According to the definition on the wall, Konditori means, "Traditional Swedish meeting place to enjoy friends over great coffee, fine baked goods, and confections, or where one goes for a coffee break." Two of my love languages are coffee and quality time, a place that's centered around both instantly is a hit in my book. Speaking of which, my awesome friends are opening a coffee shop here in Richmond, called Ever Better Coffee Co. The heart of Ever Better is also towards gathering people and building community through coffee and quality time.

On the train ride home, we spent 6 hours having our quarterly couple meeting in an intimate compartment all to ourselves.

That, honestly, might be my favorite part of the weekend. In fact, I know it was. I love New York, I love my boots, but I love this guy more, and I can’t think of a better way to end the trip than with hours of meaningful conversation about our relationship and our future.

Even though we didn’t have an itinerary, I still had high expectations for the weekend. I wanted to be able to find places most people have never heard of, or at least, places that aren’t in every other blog post or New York City guide, all the while living in the moment and being present with Nick.

With all of this pressure hanging over me, I found it to be debilitating to decide on where to go, especially being in a new city, because I wanted to go to “the best place” or discover the next “best place.”

I didn’t want to choose a restaurant, only to discover it sucked. I call this a, "I thought this was going to be cool, but wasn’t," moment. They have happened many times. If it was just me having to endure them, that's fine, but when they disappoint someone else, I can't stand it.

Making the wrong decision makes me feel incompetent, and I believe the narrative that everyone will be disappointed in me, but it's not true. I am not incompetent. My people love me too much to let something as insignificant as a place to eat change that.

Nick would rather try a spot and be disappointed than to not make a decision out of fear. He’s right. All the time it took me to make a decision, could have been spent laughing at what a poor choice it was or discovering our new favorite restaurant.

You’re not always going to find the BEST spots, and it doesn’t have to be a perfect trip at the end of the day. Mistakes are how you learn, and you wouldn’t know what not to do if you didn’t try.

So, if you are planning a trip to NYC, or anywhere else for that matter, I say, don’t think too hard about it. Have fun, be smart and spontaneous, make mistakes, eat an okay meal, see something that’s not extraordinary, and enjoy the person next to you, because they are more important than a perfect trip.