Six hours in NYC? How many things can you do in a gigantic city in that amount of time? Well let me tell you, me and my friend did A LOT and made the most of our time.
On Friday morning I left for NYC on a bus from Hartford, CT and because my bus was delayed I ended up arriving in the city at noon instead of the scheduled time of 10:25 am. I was a little disappointed this happened because I had a whole list of stuff I wanted to do in the city, but I was worried that we weren't going to be able to fit it all in because my bus was scheduled to leave at 7pm that evening– yes that bus was delayed too. Well with only about six hours to explore in the city before I had to head back to the bus station I hit everything on my list.
And because I've been to NYC many times, I didn't visit any large tourist destinations during this trip except only Times Square for about five minutes so I could get a picture of me under Taylor Swift's new music Friday billboard. So this list will feature more quiet and unknown places, but are still artsy and great for your next NYC adventure.
Times Square; 12:30 pm- As mentioned I only hit Times Square for several minutes so I can take a picture under Taylor's billboard for her new single "You Need To Stay Calm." Yes, I'm a huge Swiftie. I don't like Times Square at all. It's solely just tourists and tourists traps and people bugging you every 5 seconds to sell you something or to visit their shop. It's just not the real New York and it's just always a very stressful situation for me whenever I'm in or near the area because of all the people and cars coming from every direction. But I will only go to Times Square for Taylor Swift.
Oculus/Westfield World Trade Center; 1:00pm- After taking the Subway from Times Square to WTC the subway got out at the Oculus and I obviously had to snap some photos here in this beautiful structure that is also a shopping mall.
Smorgasburg WTC; 1:30 pm- The main Smorgasburg in Williamsburg, Brooklyn happens every Saturday and I've always wanted to go to it, but because it was a Friday me and my friend went to the Smorgasburg outside the World Trade Center right next to the oculus which happens every Friday. Smorgasburg is an open air food market with over a 100 vendors with about 30 vendors at the location in WTC. Me and my friend got dumplings and mozzarella sticks and both were delicious. There is also really great murals in the area with the Freedom Tower looming overhead so be sure to take pics near here too after you eat!
DUMBO/Brooklyn Bride Park; 2:00 pm- I almost always stop here when I'm in NYC because you get INCREDIBLE views. At DUMBO you can take the iconic photo in the street with the Manhattan Bridge perfectly framed within it– and FYI the area is always bustling with other people snapping picks and cars so be careful and snap your pic quickly! Brooklyn Bridge park is also nice because you get picturesque views of Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bride, and from some areas you can see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. So many great places for pictures and walkways along the stretch of the park!
Thrifting in Brooklyn; 3:00 pm- I love thrifting and I knew I definitely wanted to hit some stores in Brooklyn knowing the selection was gonna be great and I was left very impressed. I stopped at two stores along Atlantic Avenue: The Salvation Army and Out of the Closet. The Salvation Army I found somethings I liked like a faux snakeskin purse, but ended up not buying anything because I wasn't totally feeling any of the items. They had a good selection, but sometimes you just aren't feeling it. Out of the Closet is quick walk down the street from the Salvation Army and I hit the jackpot with this store. I was worried that this store was going to be a more expensive thrift store because it's not a huge chain, but boy was I wrong– it was actually cheaper than the Salvation Army. There are three reasons to love Out of the Closet besides their great selection of clothing and homeware: they have free HIV testing on the premises, 96 cents of every dollar collected is donated to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and there is also a pharmacy in the store. I loved everything I saw in the store, but I ended up getting Puma sneakers for $8 that actually fit my abnormally large feet and other cute items all for under $40 in total. Next time I'm in the city I'm going out of my way to visit this unknown thrift store!
Avocado Appetit; 4:30 pm- Avocado Appetit is NYC's first avocado cafe and it was possibly the best restaurant experience I have had in NYC. The food was delicious (I got the Atlantic Lox Avocado Toast), the staff was friendly, and the place was avocado galore. There were stuffed avocado and toast plushes on some of the tables, the wallpaper and plastic cups had avocados on them, and there was a cute mirror with #AVOCUDDLE written on it. And luckily the place was super quiet at the time so me and my friend took so many photos around the cafe. AVOCADO LOVERS THIS IS YOUR PLACE.
Cha Cha Matcha; 5:30 pm- I always have to stop at Cha Cha Matcha whenever I'm in the city and before I had to head back to the bus station me and my friend stopped here for a drink. I ordered the divine drink which has beet root, ginger turmeric and pepper, blue algae, and spirulina with proceeds going to Trans Equality Now for Pride Month.
Aaaand that's it! I had a great time in New York City as always besides my bus being delayed there and back. It's amazing how much you can do in a short amount of time!
Sarah, xo