At least once a year I get an itch to visit New York City again. My mom and I have taken a few mother-daughter trips over the past few years. I was fortunate enough to go on a Magazine Interest Group trip in college. And most recently, I’ve taken a few solo trips. This past weekend was my fifth trip in recent years, and it never gets old.

This time I added a little twist. I’ve dreamed of going to the Hamptons for a very long time, and since it was easy enough to get there, I took the train to Montauk for a little day trip.

Because I was there alone with very flexible plans, adding this day trip was the perfect split (two days in NYC, one day in Montauk) for this solo trip.

I shamelessly love to take and edit photos like a crazed tourist, so I’m sharing my favorites plus some of my favorite places - new and old - from this trip.

BREAKFAST & COFFEE

I prioritized trying new coffee shops on this trip. A large iced coffee with vanilla to be specific. Trying new coffee shops (and going back to old favorites) will always be one of my favorite things.

Think Coffee / This is an old favorite! I went to the original location (didn’t realize this until looking up the locations while writing!) on Mercer & 3rd St. to get some work done Friday. There is plenty of space to sit, plug in chargers, get comfortable and get some work done. The coffee is consistently good, and the atmosphere is perfect for a work day.

Day Drinks / I’m sharing every coffee shop I tried for the purpose of documenting my trip, but I can’t say I would recommend this one. If an iced coffee with vanilla is my baseline for judging a coffee shop, then this one failed. This isn’t to say that their other drinks couldn’t be great! The interior was cute, and they seemed to have a unique menu. It might be worth it to give this one another shot!

Tompkins Square Bagels / I got in super late Thursday night, so I grabbed a bagel at the closest place to where I was staying before heading to Think to get some work done. It was great food, nice people and super quick! There are two locations - both located in the East Village near Tompkins Square, believe it or not :)

Kossar’s Bialys / This post-run bagel and coffee HIT. Located in the Lower East Side just south of Delancey, it’s a good place to stop by if you find yourself down that way. I picked it because it was a relatively short walk from the East Village (where I was staying) and I needed food ASAP after my run.

Liberty Bagels / If you haven’t noticed a trend yet, I stuck to bagels and coffee for breakfast. This place had great bagels and pretty good coffee. I was in a hurry to make my train to Montauk from Penn Station, so I mobile ordered, and it was perfect timing to get back to Penn Station.

The only time I went to Midtown was to get on the train from Penn Station. Walking around the area on Sunday, I was wishing I would’ve spent some more time there. I love Chelsea and the neighborhoods around it on the West side, so I spent a lot of time there.

SWEETS & TREATS

This category is going to be a short but noteworthy one, I promise! I only went to two bakeries, but they were both worthy of making the short list.

Levain Bakery / I stopped in a magazine store on my way back from dinner one night and saw an article about Levain Bakery. They make photo-worthy, absolutely amazing chocolate chip cookies that are the size of probably three cookies total. There was one of my way home, so I stopped in and so glad I did! The original is on W 74th, and I visited the NoHo location. They have 10 total locations across Manhattan and scattered across the Northeast.

The bakery also has a very cool origin story! You can read about it on their website here.

The Doughnuttery / I was on the hunt for another coffee Saturday afternoon and ended up finding this place instead. It’s inside Chelsea Market, so I grabbed a few of their mini donuts, a cold brew coffee and sat outside with a book.

I got lucky with beautiful weather for my entire trip. Even better, New York City now has tons of outdoor seating options due to COVID. Many places, including Chelsea Market, have kept their outdoor tables which was a dream with this great weather.

RESTAURANTS

I actually only have one really great recommendation here. I tried a few other restaurants, but none of the others were worthy of being included here. But all is well - the one I am including is good enough for all of them!

Joanne Trattoria / This was a recommendation from my brother! It is located on the Upper West Side and is a very small restaurant. As soon as you walk in the door, there is a tiny bar to your left. I had a reservation but decided to sit at the bar. I made friends with the bartender, and it was better than just sitting at a table alone! A major key to traveling alone is not being afraid to start conversations with new people.

I think I ended up being there about 2.5-3 hours total. I ordered the bolognese, had the most perfect rosé and a red sangria that they bartender accidentally poured - another perk to sitting at the bar and making friends!

This restaurant is owned by Lady Gaga’s parents - the Germanotta’s. It is what you probably picture when you think small, cute, dark Italian restaurant. It’s cozy and inviting!

OTHER NOTEWORTHY THINGS

I spent Friday and Saturday in New York City with very few plans. I wanted to try new restaurants, find new coffee shops and go for a long run. Other than that, my schedule was wide open.

Whalebone Magazine / I’ve followed Whalebone on Instagram for a long time for their beautiful images and unique content. It’s a Montauk-based magazine, but I was stoked to find out that they have a store in Manhattan. I was on the hunt (via Google Maps) for magazine shops, and I found the one I didn’t even know I was dying to visit!

It’s a BEAUTIFUL store. Small, but mighty. They have copies of older issues for sale, some really cool Whalebone merch and a comedy theatre set up in the back. The current issue is the Comedy Issue (bringing everything full circle), which has a yellow/bananas theme. The store is decorated to match the issue with the typical Whalebone vibe included (think: old record player, 60s vibey music, mid-century modern decor…).