What I ate in NY

Only on holidays do you eat out everyday of the week but as a foodie and being in one of the best food cities I ate a lot of different stuff. I had definitely done my research on where to eat before I got there and can't say anywhere we ate disappointed me.

Shake Shack

I had eaten here the last time I came and have tried the ones in London but couldn't wait to have one again from the original city. I had the bacon shackburger and fries with a coffee shake. It was delicious and I ate it really quickly and if you know me, I usually take breaks. The second time we went I had the bacon cheese fries and they were better than the normal ones for sure!

Joe's Pizza

I didn't realise how famous this chain was until we got there and saw the display of celebs who have visited whilst in NYC. I found it on Youtube recommended and was surprised by the prices for the slices. I ordered a cheese and pepperoni slice each and loved looking round to see who'd been here. My friend and I were particularly happy to see Leo.

by Chloe

A vegan cafe that I am sure you have seen on Instagram somewhere. The last time I was in New York I tried getting a seat in the one near Washington Square Park and the place was filled. It was the middle of the afternoon in summer so understandably. I was hungry so I left it but being back at a quieter time of year I had to make sure we got in. We arrived at opening time so the place was empty which quickly filled as we sat. I had the avocado on toast with chickpeas and an iced coffee. It was worth it!

Takumi

The Japanese take on Mexican was a find whilst walking around Chelsea Market and it was a good choice. I got the beef tacos and nachos on the side. I thought the nachos were plain and by mistake added spicy salsa and was dying for a good 5 minutes. My friends laughed at me whilst the water was making it worse but in the end the plain nachos stopped the burning after all.

Russ & Daughters 

Bagels can be found everywhere and should be cheap street food, however we chose one close to Central Park and it was a sit down bagel restaurant. It was still very good though. I got a classic cream cheese and salmon bagel board. If you don't mind paying a bit more for your bagels, head here!

Hard Rock Cafe

I hadn't been to one in years and theres one conveniently in Times Square so we decided to have dinner there. I wanted a diner milkshake which is what I got and chicken mac and cheese. The portions were massive and I did end up packing some home to eat later! The atmosphere is great especially the decor of the guitars on the walls.

Jack's Wife Freda

Another brunch recommended by various locals. It was a lot smaller than I expected with a queue coming out the door. It clearly is very popular but we were seated soon enough before thinking of going to the next nearest one. The menus are so cute as is the food and coffee. Even the little sugar packets that I made sure I read each one of the sayings. I got the poached eggs on toast with halloumi and a latte which changed from a leaf to a heart. The food looked small but the food was filling.

Bubba Gump

I am not going to lie, I hadn't seen the film only clips before going and my friends were shocked so I have watched it since being back. The restaurant is of course from the film Forrest Gump. My dad pointed it out to me in San Francisco and I was like cool but didn't go but when my friend suggested it we had to go. The staff were so nice and the atmosphere was very cool. They even gave us a list of places we could go at night being under 21 here. Unfortunately there were clubs for my 19 year old friends but me being a 18 couldn't get in! I will definitely come back here when I am legal because I've want to go to 1 Oak! I had the fish burger and strawberry lemonade as I am not much of a seafood fan.

Love,

Shaleen

xxx

NYC Diaries: Day 5

Saturday was the last day to do anything we had missed before our flight at night. We went to Grand Central for our fave Shake Shack to round up the trip with it being the first and last meal. The day was going really quickly so we went to Victoria's Secret for their display of their collaboration with Balmain. Also, Glossier has a showroom in NY that I have seen on Instagram and wanted to go to. I will miss New York and hope to be here very soon. 

with the wings 

Love, 

Shaleen

xxx

NYC Diaries: Day 4

Back Downtown because theres so much to see, we went to a favourite, Jack's Wife Freda for brunch and it was delicious. I loved the little sugar sayings too! We then went to the 9/11 memorial and museum which was heartbreaking to go through but I learned so much. I highly recommend. We went to MOMA to see a fashion exhibition called Items: Is Fashion Modern? going through iconic pieces over the decades. For dinner, in Times Square we ate at Bubba Gump which is a chain inspired by the film Forrest Gump, I saw whilst in San Fran but didn't try so we decided to go there. The food, atmosphere and waiters were amazing.

Jack's Wife Freda 

MOMA

the jumpsuit

the slip dress

Love,

Shaleen

xxx

NYC Diaries: Day 3

Having explored a lot of Downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn the first couple of days we wanted to go to the Upper East Side. On our way to Central Park we walked past an array of Fifth Avenue high end shops, my favourites being YSL and Bloomingdales! The Lotte New York Palace was beautiful from the outside even without the Christmas tree which has just been taken down. We also took our pictures on the MET steps whilst eating a hot dog, honestly the day was a Gossip Girl tour! Its amazing how we hadn't had bagels yet so we searched up the best ones in the area and of course being in an affluential part of town, we chose a pricy bagel restaurant. Russ & Daughters is one of the best in NY so it was worth it but $22 for a bagel did hurt my purse a bit!

I love the marble, minimalist interior of Saint Laurent

Definitely the trendiest department store 

Lotte New York Palace 

Candid by Summer

Central Park

Channeling my Blair Waldorf at the MET steps

No tree but the ice rink was lovely at the Rockefeller Centre to end off the day before heading to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. Thursday wasn't the best spending day!

 xoxo, S

NYC Diaries: Day 2

We began day 2 in SoHo for shopping and to try by Chloe. I have seen this vegan brunch spot all over Instagram and had to try it! It was up to standards and the interior was also aesthetically pleasing. 

SoHo

by Chloe

As we were close by to Greenwich Village, I suggested we go walk around as the houses and apartments are so pretty and the Friends apartment building was a must see for us fans of the show.

Friends Building

After, we went to Chelsea, walked the High Line and ate in Chelsea Market. We wanted some Mexican food but came across a Japanese take on Mexican and tried it out. Takumi was very tasty, even though I had the spicy sauce and it took me a while to calm down!

Chelsea Market fairy lights

FIT was close by and we hadn't looked at the exhibition they have on in the museum so we had a look round. It was small but informative on the body and physique. It took us through the 19th century and modern day standards of women's bodies and how the industry is still failing to be diverse.

Love, 

Shaleen

xxx

NYC Diaries: Day 1

I have just got back from my favourite place with my course, New York. I visited in 2016 and couldn't have been more excited to be back there to explore more and see the things I missed out on last time. I don't understand how people say you can see this city in 3 days, they obviously don't know where to go. It was interesting to see the city from a different season as I visited in the summer.  

We started the trip at FIT, our partner school for a fragrance talk which was an introduction to our next module. I found it fascinating as I don't know much about the fragrance industry and loved smelling the different scents! I hadn't eaten all day and really wanted a burger so we found our closest one in Madison Square Park. It was beautiful to sit outside in winter and look at the views too.

Madison Square Park

Me really enjoying my Shake Shack 

I Love NY 

We didn't know where to start with the list of things we wanted to do but Brooklyn sounded like the best choice. We rushed our way to make it for sunset and the views were worth it!

The walk across the Brooklyn Bridge left us wanting some food so we headed to Joe's Pizza, an iconic chain that celebrities like Leo DiCaprio have been too multiple times whilst in NYC. 

Love,

Shaleen

xxx