I spent the weekend in New York City a few weeks back and I’ve decided to break it up into several posts. Today’s part one is all about how to kick off Saturday with one of the best brunches around, followed by a good walk and some window shopping.
My favorite way to experience New York is not to go in full-tilt planned. Instead, I like to choose a neighborhood and then go from there. This is especially helpful if you’re traveling with a group because you only have to take the subway, bus or a cab once, and I truly believe New York was meant to be experienced on foot. On this trip, we did very grown up things: brunch at Balthazar, shopping in Soho and dinner at The Modern. This is not a kid-friendly trip, this is a trip for people who like to eat really good food and do a great deal of walking. You could do this as a group, as a couple, or by yourself.
The nice thing about NYC is that you can be alone together. While it’s a very romantic city, you can also spend a day by yourself out and about without getting any side-eyed glances.
A Saturday Morning in Soho Pictures
A Saturday Morning in Soho Itinerary
Put your name in at Balthazar ASAP and then head next door to their patisserie to grab a cup of coffee and one of their amazing pastries (we split a croissant three ways). The wait for brunch is about an hour and a half, so you’ll have time to drink your coffee and walk around the neighborhood.
Balthazar
80 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012
Most people associate Soho with shopping. I personally hate shopping in Soho because it gets so crowded, but it’s one of those things you really should experience if you’re visiting, and there are tons of unique stores to dip into. On this trip we spent a lot of time in C Wonder, a pop up shop on Spring Street right next to Balthazar, and if I didn’t have Mike with me I would have gone into the downtown Bloomingdales. I recommend staying off Broadway in this area because it’s so crowded and mostly chain stores (Banana Republic, Sephora, Crate and Barrel–places you could easily find in any suburban mall), but I will make an exception for Bloomingdales.
C Wonder
72 Spring Street at Crosby Street
New York, NY 10012
Bloomingdales Soho
504 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
If you’re looking for more suggestions, NY Mag has a great guide to shopping in Soho.
For me, Soho is about the walking. It’s just a really stimulating neighborhood to walk in, with lots of interesting street art and architecture.
Back to Balthazar after our walk, our friends and hosts for the weekend, Ari and Jackie, both had eggs benedict, which they loved, Mike had the french toast, and I ordered the chicken paillard. I typically go for poached eggs at brunch, and I usually don’t eat chicken ever, but I watched a chef making this dish on the Food Network years ago and it always stuck out in my mind as a Balthazar specialty. It was excellent, especially paired with their warm bread and butter.
Next up, after all that brunching and bloody mary-ing, a walk up to Union Square.
Location: New York
Seasons: year-round
Meal: brunch
Themes: good for groups, romantic, a good walk, shopping