NYC Weekend Diary

I had a flight credit that was about to expire, so I texted my brother, Luke, who lives in Brooklyn to see if I could come visit for a long weekend. We found a weekend in mid-February that fit our schedules and the trip was booked!

Now I’ve been to NYC quite a few times – for work and play – so I’ve done most of the big touristy things. I told Luke I just wanted to hang out with him, wander around, and maybe check out some different areas I hadn’t explored much before. No real plans.

I left Friday morning and had the wackiest of flights to get there – Raleigh, NC to Orlando, FL to Newark, NJ. Then I had to take a train and subway until I FINALLY made it to Brooklyn, NY. In case you’re wondering, yes, I could’ve driven there faster (but I had a flight credit, remember?)

My brother works as a bartender at a restaurant called The Fly – he had a shift Friday night, so I met him there and ate and drank while he worked.

The next morning we decided to take the subway over to Manhattan and do a little exploring. Our first stop was Heaven’s Hot Bagels (NY bagels are a must!) for food. Then we stumbled on Plantshed Cafe (plant + coffee shop + all around cute vibes) and decided to grab chai and coffee.

From there we spent the late morning and afternoon wandering around SoHo and West Village. Popped into a bunch of fun stores, grabbed a slice at Joe’s Pizza, and enjoyed the seriously amazing weather. No joke – it was the PERFECT day. Felt like spring, and the city was ALIVE.

In the late afternoon I got to meet Luke’s boyfriend, Will, and we watched the sunset from his rooftop. Love a good rooftop AND sunset view. Stunning. Then we grabbed drinks and apps at BABS before our late night dinner at Estela where we had a truly DIVINE meal. Small plates to share and lots and lots of wine.

After a perfect spring-like day, we woke up Sunday morning to…drumroll please…SNOW! And not just a little dusting but a few inches!

We grabbed brunch at Peaches, and wow – so good. I had the Chicken & Toast (fried chicken and french toast topped with fresh berries which is 1000% superior to chicken & waffles), and Luke had the Blackened Catfish and Grits.

Since it was pretty cold and still snowing, we didn’t want to stay outside all day, so we decided to check out The Met (I actually had never been!). The highlight for me was the “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” exhibit. The clothes were just *chefs kiss.*

We stayed at the museum for a few hours then headed back outside and took a long stroll through Central Park. It felt magical covered in snow.

Our last stop for the day was DUMBO. (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). Honestly this was just to check out the view. It was a cute little area, and a fun photo op. We debated grabbing dinner nearby, but it was starting to get dark and the temperature was steadily dropping, so we opted to head back to Luke’s place, order Chinese food, and binge-watch The Amazing Race.

A decision I absolutely do not regret.

We had a quiet morning on Monday before I started the trek back to Newark Airport for my afternoon flight back to NC. It was a great trip – and very different form most vacations I take considering I’m typically a planner, and we made almost zero this time around.

I filmed and edited a short video from the trip as well (below), and I also shot a little packing video (linked here). Check those out and give ’em a little thumbs up if you like them!

Now to plan my next vacation…

– Courtney