I wrote most of this trip down in the group chat in real time, which means this version comes with actual ratings attached instead of me trying to remember how good something was two weeks later. Four days, one hotel, and more bagels than I probably needed to order.
Where we stayed
Kixby on 35th, right in the middle of everything, which mattered more than I expected once I saw how much walking this trip actually involved.
Day one: touchdown and Broadway
Took the first flight out and landed at Newark around 9am, then the train straight into Penn Station. We dropped our bags at the hotel, grabbed lunch at Jack Dempsey’s, and wandered into Macy’s before a 3pm Broadway show.
We saw Hadestown. A 9/10 from me, no notes. Popped into a pub across the street beforehand, then went back to actually check into the room once we had one.
That night we went all the way down to FiDi for the Dead Rabbit. Bring your actual ID. I’d put mine away after the airport and only got in because I still had my Global Entry card on me, which is technically a government issued photo ID with my birthdate on it, but I would not recommend testing that theory yourself.
Day two: Brooklyn Bridge and the Financial District
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Washington Street
- Time Out Market
- Trinity Church, where Alexander Hamilton is buried
- FiDi: the New York Stock Exchange, the Bull, the Fearless Girl statue
- Fraunces Tavern
- The 9/11 museum
- Dinner at Red Hook Tavern
A full day of walking, and the kind of day where almost everything is within a few blocks of the last thing.
Day three: the Met, a slice, and a very late night
Started at the Met, then got a street hot dog and walked around Central Park before we needed an actual slice of New York pizza, so we made a stop at Roma Pizza. Walked over to 30 Rock and ducked into FAO Schwarz, one of the oldest toy stores in the world, on the way.
The real plan for the day was a live taping of the Stephen Colbert show. We had time to kill before the recommended line time, so we stopped for a snack and a drink first, which turned out to be McGee’s Pub & Restaurant, the actual place the pub in How I Met Your Mother is based on. Found that out by accident and thought it was a fun detail.
The taping starts at 11pm, but they tell you to line up by 8pm since priority tickets don’t guarantee a seat. No photos or videos allowed inside, but it was genuinely worth it, and the tickets are free, which still doesn’t feel real for a city this expensive. We got out around 1am and walked back to the hotel.
Day four: bagels, a ferry, and the best croissant of the trip
We made a point of getting out of midtown and just walking, with a plan, obviously. First stop was Tompkins Square Bagels, and I’m still thinking about the Triple Crown bagel more than a week later. They’ll actually ship them nationwide through a site called GoldBelly. It’s not cheap, but if you need a fix, it’s there.
On the way to Librae Bakery we ran into the Climate Clock by accident, just a glass-enclosed display reflecting the sky, and it’s worth the minute it takes to actually stop and look at it.
Librae Bakery deserves its own paragraph. The lattes and pastries were excellent. I got the banana sesame caramel danish, an 8/10, only because the shape made it a little awkward to eat and the flavor got a bit much by the end. My friend got the rose pistachio croissant, a 10/10, no argument, cut in half and filled with pistachio and rose, soft but still crisp. There’s usually a line out the door. We happened to catch a quiet window, but the wait would have been worth it either way.
From there we sat in Washington Square Park for a while doing some quality people and dog watching, then took the Staten Island Ferry over for a free, up close view of the Statue of Liberty and the skyline without ever setting foot on Liberty Island. It was cloudy, and it was still beautiful. I can only imagine what it looks like on a clear day.
Dinner was in Nolita at Emilio’s Ballato. No Michelin star, but it’s on the Michelin Guide, and the walls are covered in photos of everyone from Taylor Swift to David Bowie who’s eaten there. We got there before it opened at 5pm since the line gets long fast, and the room feels warm and a little worn in, in the best way. They start you with focaccia and a tomato mixture in olive oil.
I ordered the spaghetti alla vongole in the white sauce, the owner’s favorite, and it earned every bit of its 9/10. It only lost a point because I tried my friend’s chicken parm, which was a genuine 10/10, and I spent the rest of dinner a little jealous. Portions were generous without leaving either of us needing to unbutton anything on the walk out. We got the house cabernet by the glass, which in hindsight was a mistake since the bottle was only five dollars more than the two glasses we each ordered. We also split a gelato I couldn’t name if you asked me, but my friend said it instantly took her back to one she’d had in Italy years earlier and had never seen on a menu since.
Just get the bottle if the difference is five dollars. Every time.
We were close to a bar we’d been wanting to try, so we went, rain and all. The Back Room has no sign. It’s one of the last two bars still operating in the same spot it did during Prohibition, and they clearly want to keep that feeling intact. You find it through a gate marked The Lower East Side Toy Company, down some steps, through an alley lined with toys. Someone takes your coat at the door. Every drink comes in a mug, the way it would have then. Even without the history, the drinks and the room hold up on their own.
We had one more stop in us: Bar Contra, recommended by a friend. The bartenders knew exactly what they were doing, and I didn’t have a bad drink there all night.
What I’d change next time
- Keep your actual photo ID on you after security, not just a backup card. The Dead Rabbit checks, and you don’t want to find out the hard way.
- Just get the bottle of wine if the price difference is this small. Two glasses each cost us almost as much as a full bottle would have.
- Order the chicken parm at Ballato’s, or at least split it. My spaghetti was great. Their chicken parm was better.
Quick answers, since people ask
Is the Colbert taping worth the line? Completely, and it’s free, which almost never happens in this city. Just budget the whole evening for it, line included.
Do you need a reservation for Ballato’s? No, but get there before it opens at 5pm if you don’t want to wait.
Best single bite of the trip? The rose pistachio croissant at Librae, no contest.
Would I go back?
Immediately, and probably to the exact same neighborhoods before I branched out anywhere new. Four days was enough to feel like we actually lived in a few different parts of the city instead of rushing between landmarks, and there’s still a full list of bakeries and bars we didn’t get to.
For anyone planning their own version of this trip, here’s everywhere worth bookmarking: Tompkins Square Bagels, Librae Bakery, Emilio’s Ballato, The Back Room, and Bar Contra.
