Last year, we went on a family trip to NYC with my family. This was Branden’s first time to the city and honestly, he wasn’t that excited. He’s not really a big city guy and hates shoulder to shoulder crowds. But as we returned home from that trip, Branden was already making plans for how we could live there one day! This magical city stole both our hearts so we knew we had to get back there ASAP! 

Our dear friends, Emily and Michael, actually live in Manhattan right now, so we knew we needed to make a visit to them while they were still living there! So once Branden knew which weeks he would have off this year from work, we made getting back to NYC a top priority! When we visited the city last year, we did all the tourist things. Statue of Liberty, Broadway show, Top of the Rock, etc. So this time we decided to do the opposite. We didn’t make an itinerary (which was REALLY hard for me to do!) and planned to just roam and wander! Basically we wanted to pretend like we lived there for those few days that we were in town. 

Another thing we did on this trip was take very few pictures! I still couldn’t bring myself to leave my camera at home, but you’ll notice that we were didn’t take that many pictures during our trip! We were basically just getting lost in the city and going wherever the wind blew us! From walking what felt like every inch of Central Park to getting drinks at a secret prohibition bar to playing ping pong in Bryant Park! Let’s just say that our feet needed some serious rest once we got home on Sunday! 

And we can’t think our sweet friends enough for letting us stay with them during our stay! Getting to spend this trip with them was the cherry on top of a great weekend away! Already looking forward to doing it again!! 

So here is a little recap of our trip! Like I said, we didn’t take that many pictures this time, so most of these are actually phone pictures! Hopefully you can tell the difference between the phone pics and the real camera pics! 

So I may have lied when I said I made no plans for this trip. The one thing I did do was make reservations at Sarabeth’s for breakfast on Thursday!

The grandeur of The Plaza is always a sight to see!

Tulips at every turn! 

After breakfast, I asked Branden what he wanted to do. He said he wanted to see animals. ??? So we hopped right across the street to the Central Park Zoo! Ask and you shall receive in NYC!


Then we made our way into Central Park. Definitely the best place to wander and just get lost! 
I wish I could get our grass that green!


Other than Sarabeth’s, I did have ONE more must-do thing on my list for this trip. Row boats in Central Park! And it was just as magical as I had hoped it would be!! I could’ve stayed out there all day!

Branden’s favorite part of Central Park was probably the baseball fields. He just couldn’t get over how cool it would be for your little league games to be in Central Park! And this ‘put me in coach’ picture was the one picture he requested! haha!

When we were here last time, one thing that Branden was bummed that he didn’t get to do was play ping pong in Bryant Park! So we definitely made it happen this time! 
Bryant Park is definitely one of our favorite spots. I could sit there and people watch all day long!
The photographer in me just can’t help and stop and notice every time an iconic building is perfectly framed by tree branches and other buildings. It’s like a work of art everywhere you turn! 
Then we made a quick stop in the New York Library. This gorgeous building never gets old. And I want to steal all the light fixtures! Stunning! 
Branden’s favorite building in the city is the Chrysler building, so we made a quick stop inside! 
This trip definitely turned into Branden’s dream vacation once we found a billiards bar AND a ping pong bar! He was in heaven! 
On Friday, it rained the whole day so I actually didn’t take any real camera pictures. But this was the perfect excuse to visit Emily at work! Her office is above the Loft store in Times Square! NBD! 
It also worked out perfectly that she was putting on an event that day where a guest speaker talked about the 10 habits of happy creatives!
Friday night, we joined up with another one of their friends and did some bar hopping!! We really got to experience an authentic NYC bar experience- crazy credit card bills and all! 
On Saturday, we started out with exploring SOHO! This was our first time in this cute and fancy neighborhood!
First stop was at Dominic Ansel Bakery- where the cronut was invented! They were actually sold out of cronuts for the day by the time we got there! Next stop was another famous sweet treat spot- Laduree! 

I feel like I shouldn’t even be allowed to window shop these stores- so fancy! 


Then we gave our feet a rest with some wine on the Hudson with a view of the Freedom Tower! 
How cute are they?? You may remember their Atlanta wedding from back in 2015! Click HERE to see it! 
This was our first time to the 9/11 memorial. So surreal. 
Then we hopped into a historic bar from George Washington’s day! I’m now beginning to realize that this trip was basically like a big bar hop! 
Our hearts are full, our feet are tired and our credit card needs a rest. So thankful to Emily and Michael for letting us live like New Yorkers for a few days! 

And here’s my Instagram stories from our trip! Youtube wasn’t my friend last night, so don’t mind the random green and gray screens!