NYC Travel Guide

Earlier this month, my mom and I traveled up to New York City to celebrate my seventeenth birthday and we had the most amazing time! The last time I was in the city was back in middle school so it was safe to say I was dying to visit again (especially after watching Gossip Girl!). I have recapped each day of my trip (read my recaps of Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3) but decided to put together a travel guide for y'all if you're planning your own trip soon!

Where We Stayed:

We stayed at the Mariott Courtyard at Central Park and it was great! If I'm honest, I was a bit skeptical on if the hotel was going to be nice or not and it definitely exceeding my expectations! The hotel was so modern and was in a great location as it felt like we were in the middle of everything New York had to offer!

To Eat:

The Plaza- We had Tea at the Plaza our first day and it was amazing! The food was great and the decor in the Palm Court was amazing as well! It's on my bucket list to stay at the Plaza!

Patsy's- An amazing Italian restaurant in the area south of Central Park!

Maison Kayser- We grabbed coffee and chocolate croissants from here before going to the Dry Bar and it was so yummy!

Serendipity- We obviously went for their famous Frozen Hot Chocolate and it didn't disappoint! All the other food was great as well and the restaurant had a fun, quirky feel to it!

Ladureé- I needed to try out their macarons and they were so good! The decor was so cute as well! I tried the chocolate, vanilla, salted caramel, coffee, pistachio, and lemon macarons and they were all so good!

Sarabeth's- We had Sunday brunch here and it was so, so, so yummy! I had the coconut waffle and I'm still dreaming about it almost a month later!

To Shop:

Sak's- Definitely a window shopping store but it was fun to see all of the designer brands (even if they were crazily outside of my budget!)

Bloomingdale's- So many brands! This store was amazing and I would definitely recommend stopping in!

Jack Rogers- Jack Rogers only has three store-front locations: the Upper East Side, the Hamptons, and Atlanta. I would definitely say it is a must see for those who love their Jacks as much as I do!

Lilly Pulitzer- Y'all know I'm a major Lilly lover and this store didn't disappoint. The two stories were so Lilly and absolutely stunning!

Kate Spade- Another gorgeous store! The one on Madison is their flagship and is stunning! I spent so much time in here just looking around and observing all of the fun details!

Tory Burch- Their Madison Avenue location is amazing! It is so big and sales associates are so helpful (Claudia was helping my mom and I and was great!). 

To Do/See:

Empire State Building- I really wanted to see New York City views from higher up for pictures and this turned out to be the perfect spot! The line wasn't too bad and it wasn't super expensive either. Not to mention the Elf and Gossip Girl (with Chuck in his bow-tie with peonies!) references!

Wicked- My mom and I wanted to see a show while we were in New York and Wicked was unbelievable! It was so funny and such a great show, I would definitely recommend it!

The Dry Bar- This was one of my 101 in 1001 goals and it was definitely an experience. The actual salon is so relaxing and calm and my blowout was amazing! I will definitely be back the next time I'm in the city!

Steps of the Met- This was definitely the Gossip Girl fan in me but I needed a picture on the Steps of the Met. I am so glad that I did and it was fun to walk by (and to see other girls taking their Gossip Girl pictures!).

What I Want to do Next Time:

One World Trade Center- My mom and I wanted to go down and see this but unfortunately it was too far from anything else we wanted to see!

Magnolia Bakery- I've always heard about Magnolia but unfortunately we walked right by it without realizing it! There's always next time, right? ;)

Statue of Liberty- I feel like you have to do this at least once in your life!

Eataly- This is the home of the Nutella crepes and other Nutella treats so it's safe to say I'll have to try it out eventually!

Henri Bendel- Another one we walked right by! I will definitely be stopping in the next time I'm in New York!

Ralph's- Ralph Lauren opened a coffee shop above one of his stores and I will definitely be checking it out the next time I'm in New York!

Have you been to NYC recently? What would you add to my list? Let me know in the comments!