One of my favorite things about living on the East Coast is knowing I’m just a train ride away from New York. My best friend lives in NYC so once I coordinate with her, all my husband and I have to do is book the train tickets and pack up a suitcase and before we know it, we’re in the Big Apple. Today, I’m sharing our typical to-do list for a weekend in the city. 

1. Have brunch at Park Avenue. A good friend of mine took me here last summer and I have returned three times since! Everything on the menu is delicious, but my favorite part about the restaurant is its uniqueness. The decor and menu changes every season. That’s right- everything in the restaurant from flowers to lighting changes four times a year. Park Avenue Summer literally feels like dining inside summertime and the chicken and waffle sandwich is heavenly.

2. Set aside a day for Brooklyn. We usually stay in the Upper East Side (this time we spent the weekend at the beautiful Surrey Hotel.) The long cab ride to Brooklyn is well worth the treasure. Brooklyn has a more artsy, creative feel and I am so inspired by everything in sight. Peter Pan’s Doughnuts is a must!!

3. Wander. Explore. My bestie and I walked around all day, stopping into every store and market that looked interesting. New York is much like a treasure chest- the best stuff isn’t out in the open. You have to dig for it.

4. Research for an adventure. Once I begin planning our trip to New York, I begin my research. I read articles by New York natives, search through the archives of Fashion Editor’s interviews and hunt down things the locals recommend doing. This way, I know I’m getting a true experience rather than just a touristy experience. We decided that our “out there” indulgence for this trip would be a morning at Aire Ancient Baths. This spa offers different luxury baths such as a sea salt bath, ice bath, hot bath and steam room to perfectly relax the body. The ancient method made us feel like we found Ancient Rome in the middle of the concrete jungle! I highly recommend it for the relaxation alone.

5. Head to Barneys. A trip to NYC is not complete without a day to wander through Barneys. The rooftop cafe was the perfect end to our shopping day. (My husband and I have a pretty good system down. I can shop…he’ll hold the bags and happily approve or veto in the dressing room as long as he knows there’s an eating schedule.)

Some of our other favorite places are: