New York City Favorites Things To Eat, Drink, and Do for First Timers!

NYC is one of our favorite big cities, definitely our favorite in America! We did stay with friends who live a bit outside of Manhattan so we don’t have any hotel recommendations unfortunately. However, we did get VERY familiar with the train system commuting from my friend’s apartment to the City.

New York City has so many options that you probably can’t go wrong no matter where you eat, drink or find to do BUT we do have some favorites and strong recommendations for your first time. The first time recommendations are especially important if you don’t have another trip planned here in the near future. I have starred my absolute first time recommendations.

*My first recommendation is to visit NYC for the first time in the summer. There are some must-see places that you will enjoy much more when you are not freezing your butts off and then you wander the city by foot like New Yorkers do.

To Eat:

• *Beauty and Essex: This is tapas style food that is absolutely delicious. It is hidden in within a guitar shop which upps the cool factor. It gets packed so make sure to make reservations and this is a swankier dinner option so dress appropriately. The chef at this restaurant, Chris Santos, is an award-winning, creative chef that will blow your minds!

• *Lucali: BEST pizza we found in NYC. This is an incredibly small restaurant in Brooklyn. Make sure to show up early, put your name in and go grab a drink somewhere until your table is ready. The website gives the same instructions—do not ignore them! Also it is BYOB so bring your favorite wine, they will uncork it for you and enjoy all the pizza.

• Bouchon Bakery: I have never had better macaroons; this is what I imagine in French bakeries. I believe this is just a chain but if you need a sweet treat break, try this place! The location we went to was by Rockefeller Center so it was great to eat and people watch.

To Drink:

• Fig 19: This is one of many hidden speakeasy’s in NYC. This is behind an unlabeled door in an art gallery. Craft cocktails, mood lighting, and chill music make this a great spot to relax for a drink.

• Barcelona Bar: This is such a fun bar! You get shots with a performance. We decided to take Harry Potter shots, got some props to play with and a yummy shot. Also I ventured to take a Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers shot which was a double shot…very dangerous.

• One World Observatory: The bar here includes perfectly mixed drinks with the best views of NYC. The bar is in the restaurant but if you just tell the hostess that you want to sit at the bar, they will let you through. Otherwise the restaurant usually requires reservations.

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• Dead Rabbit: This is the BEST BAR IN THE WORLD. No really, they’ve won the award multiple years in a row. The bartenders there are on a whole other level talented, even when they are tasked with making a non-alcoholic drink when you go there pregnant. If you can drink though, the best drink is the Irish Coffee. Mmmm…my mouth is salivating just thinking about this.

• Pub Mcgee’s: This is the How I Met Your Mother bar. If you are a die-hard fan, go have a Ducky Tie drink and enjoy the atmosphere. As for a bar if you are not a fan, it is nothing special and actually looks nothing like the bar in the show even though it supposedly inspired the show.

To Do

• Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club: There is so much to do at this establishment, you cannot get bored! If you want to actually play shuffleboard, you need to reserve a time ahead of time. But in the case that you show up without a reservation, you can have a yummy drink and play one of the many other games they have there. I had never heard of this place before we went but since going have seen several celebrities posting Instagram stories here so apparently we are not the only ones who think this is the place to be!

• One World Observatory: This is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and so not shockingly has the best views in all of NYC. This was built in remembrance of the World Trade Centers so make sure you check out this as the experience is incredible but also the neighboring museum.

• 9/11 Tribute Museum: This is a historical must-see for all Americans similar to Pearl Harbor. This museum incorporates wreckage/remnants from the attacks on 9/11 as well as audios from victims and graphic stories and videos. We cried, a lot, but it was amazing, and then we got a drink at the One World Observatory.

• Central Park: You cannot imagine this place until you have been here. I always thought, “It’s a park, so what? We have parks all over Wisconsin.” This is no normal park. It is a magical park with restaurants, water, statues, and a castle and makes you completely forget that you are in the largest city in America. You can spend hours wandering in here so wear your walking shoes and make sure to go in the summer to fully enjoy it.

• Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty: You can of course pay to get on a boat to go to the Statue of Liberty island and see her close up. But for us, unless we could get a reservation to climb all the way to the crown, we didn’t see the point in standing at her feet looking straight up at her. SO, we took a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry and were rewarded with views of her and the Manhattan skyline. It was a fun, windy experience we’d recommend.

• Bryant Park: We stumbled across this park just walking around and found it to be a fun place to relax and people watch. There are many sites nearby in walking distance so this park is a MUST. In the winter, it has an ice rink which unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to explore as I was pregnant last time we went.

• Broadway: Just see anything on Broadway. We saw a show we never heard of before and it was phenomenal; we laughed, we cried and drank $25 drinks (maybe skip the drinks…).

• Brooklyn Bridge: Take your time walking across this beast and take all the pictures. It really is quite the experience with unique views of both Brooklyn and Manhattan.

• Grand Central Station, The Whispering Gallery:  Grand Central Station is a beautiful train station you should explore but the Whispering Gallery is especially cool. If you make it to Grand Central, definitely test out the Whispering Gallery with a friend.

• Show Taping: Go see a taping of a show if you can! Saturday Night Live and Jimmy Fallon are popular ones. We were lucky enough to see Jimmy Fallon!!  – Jimmy Fallon

• Chelsea Market: This place has fun shops and food, definitely worth the time wandering around! 

• The Highline: This is a loooooong raised park with fun views of the city and things to explore in the park. However be advised, make sure to break up the walk or your feet will hate you. I came away from it think it was overrated but I believe that is mainly from being over ambitious and walking it all in one stretch without taking the time to soak it all in.

• The New York Public Library: I was a huge fan of this as I love books and libraries and as far as libraries go, this was one of the best I have been to. This is second to Trinity College library in Dublin, Ireland. My husband was surprised that he enjoyed it as there is a lot going on in the ceilings and various rooms.

BEST VIEW in NYC: The top recommendations I had read about prior to going for the first time was to see the views from either the Empire State Building and the Top of the Rock which is the Rockefeller Center. After reading blog after blog, we decided on the Top of the Rock. This was not disappointing but it was very crowded and a very rushed experience. Close up views of Central Park and Empire State Building and outside views made it an awesome experience though. However, to avoid crowds, get a more interactive, relaxed experience with similar views even of the Statue of Liberty, my recommendation is the One World Observatory hands down!

Make sure New York City is on your bucket list and tell me your favorite places when you go! I listed my favorites but really you can’t go wrong when visiting the Big Apple! 😉