To Do in NYC
For months we have been planning for the visits of friends and family and last week we had the first installment and welcomed Will and Marcelina to NYC.
They got in at 23:30 on Saturday night; Marcelina from LA and Will from London, so for the first couple of days we were trying to accommodate 3 different time zones. This meant that we
Read MoreIt was a dark and dingy day and I had walked 70 blocks to get to the 34th street entrance of the High Line. Was I disappointed that it was a dingy day? Yes and no. No, because for the first time during the summer in NYC I hadn't been overheating in trousers, and yes, because the High Line is such a beautiful NYC spot that I wanted to show off as much as possible. But still, I gave it my best shot!
Read MoreOn our first visit to NYC I loved the charm of the High Line (definitely a place I'll write about soon) so I was super eager to explore its underground counterpart, the Lowline.
Yes, I know that some plants can grow underground, it isn't news to me, but there is something about this idea that sparks images of post-apocalyptic New York and a quirky underground botanist who couldn't bear the idea of not being able to see beautiful greenery ever again.
Read MoreSo, after having been here for two days we thought we should ignore our dishevelled, still unpacked Airbnb, get our priorities straight, and do some proper exploring.
We followed our noses and listened to the grumbles in our bellies and found ourselves at... Smorgasburg!!!
First of all I love a bit of wordplay - combining a Swedish meal, Smorgasbord and Williamsburg to create Smorgasburg is a lovely bit of witty genius. Secondly, Smorgasburg is a gastronomical wonder of a market filled with the best food and drink that New York has to offer. I was like a kid in a candy store but much, much worse... I was like a full grown adult with an insatiable appetite, whose parents were across the Atlantic!
The first thing on my mind was Mexican. I've always said how much I love Mexican BUT having lived in the UK all my life there is a good chance I've never had anything but Tex Mex. Here in the U.S. proximity makes it much easier for a slightly more authentic experience. However, when I saw Takumi Taco, a Japanese/Mexican fusion, I had to try it. Although it may not have been authentic Mexican... fusion is totally authentic New York. My chipotle shrimp taco was a little smaller then my belly was ready for (I totally should have gone for the mammoth portion of nachos that I was eyeing up) but it was so so so worth it; a crispy taco, limey, creamy, spicy sauce over super fresh shrimp... what's not to love?
I doubt that any food choices we made would have been anything less then delicious, however, when scoping out our next bite we were keen to get a good'n. We saw a line of about 20 people long for fries and sauce... well if that many people wanted it, it had to be good, right? We decided to find a line snack to keep us going while we waited for the worlds most awesome chips and that was when I fell in love with Dough. We're talking doughnuts as big as my face! Needless to say, we ate the dulce de leche doughnut, topped with almonds, way before we made it to the line of Home Frite.
In line we were constantly faced with the dilemma of should I stay or should I go? Many didn't have the stomach to make it to the front of the queue but we did. After 10 minutes of queuing (in a way that would make the Brits proud) we made it to the front and I was the proud owner of hand cut fries, tossed in black truffle oil, parmesan cheese and fresh herbs and served with a side of lemon garlic aioli. Let's just say, I ate with un-ladylike vigour that was swiftly followed by a substantial desire to slip into a food coma... but on we bravely went to find ourselves some refreshing bevvies!
On our stroll back to the subway we found ourselves drawn to the Rosarito Fish Shack to refresh our taste buds with some spicy micheladas, a kind of Mexican Bloody Mary type concoction. SO GOOD!
If you ever find yourselves in New York, you should definitely make some time for Smorgasburg. Everyone's got to eat so why not do it with an incredible view of the Manhattan skyline and an abundance of delicious options?!
