Bolu by Rima Presents: A Broke SoCal Girl's Guide to NYC in the Summer (or other seasons, I guess)

So here it is...My lame guide on how to survive and roam around the city of dreams, the Empire State of Mind, the Big Apple, the City that Never Sleeps, land of subways and tourists, awesome foods and wannabe musicians and Broadway performers... You know what I mean. NEW YORK CITY. I love this City, you don't even know it. I love Los Angeles, but NYC is different. You just feel that things are possible in this Big City. Just being in Times Square squished by tourists from all over the world and locals trying to make money by selling you those typical I <3 NY shirts or a ticket to a cheap comedy show... Or a Black Guy who tries to fool you that he's Snoop Dog (we were fooled the first night. Seriously, a lot of people were fooled)... makes you feel... Awesome. Just standing there by that infamous landmark makes you feel that everything you dream of will do come true.

First things first: Try to avoid going to NYC in the Summer. Why?

1. It's so Humid. It reminds me of Indonesia. No kidding. My hair went Fro to the max. I never had a beautiful hair day. I washed my hair almost every day I was there, making it super frizzy and dry. My scalp got sweaty right I exit the shower :( Nasty, trust me.
2. It's the peak of vacation time. I mean, no matter what tourists are always there year round, but since it's mmm... hello Summer Break, everybody and their mother is there. Times Square became Times Scare because of the whole population of Mother Earth is there taking pictures (like me) of themselves (guilty!) in front of the infamous bright billboards of Broadway shows and advertisements.
3. Did I said Humid? Seriously you don't need lotion. Your skins moistens up immediately after you shower. Like nasty. Super yucky.

I really recommend going in the Spring time. Or so I've heard the Fall time. Weather is very nice. I don't know about winter. Unless you want frozen snot in your nose while you watch the ball drop in Times Square (true story, according to The Pillow who was there with his mum a couple of years ago. Lucky fool.)

Be prepared. This is a long-ass entry. It may bore you. So grab a cup of coffee or tea of choice and some sweets and read on.

Anywayz, here are some things I suggest for you dreamers out there who want to roam around the Concrete Jungle...

Mind you these aren't in chronological order... I can't think straight right now. Blame the 3 hour jet-lag... Yes, every hour of difference counts for my beauty sleep.

Disclaimer: I'm no expert in the awesome city of NYC since, one: I'm a Southern Californian Girl; two: these are based on my naive experience exploring the city; three: please take my suggestion lightly and if you're a New Yorker, feel free to comment and leave me and my readers awesome tips of NYC. I beg you. Please. I even said a special prayer while sitting inside St. Patrick's Cathedral. Oh and I have an iPhone. Whatever app I mention will be for iPhone (sorry Android people, Apple rocks)

1. Invest in really, I mean really, great pair of shoes. You love your feet right? Your feet will be the biggest tool for NYC. The best way to explore the City is by foot. I converted Gaby (my friend who came with me) to become a Crocs lover. Yes, those ugly shoes with holes. Day 3 of our trip, after roaming around, I developed a blister under my right foot. Sad face. I love my Rainbow Sandals, but they gave me them blisters. I had my Toms too, but damn, during summer time they make my feet hot. I recommend Toms too. But being the brat I am, I googled for a Crocs store and went to one in Upper West Side. Hello, new BFF. Thank God they listened to the Fashion gods and developed better styles infused with their infamous Crocs comfort. Hello Happy Feet. Gaby was like, "OMG, I would never say this, but I LOVE Crocs." Awesome was they didn't charge for sales tax. I don't know why but that day they just didn't. Awesome. Seriously, invest in good shoes.

2. Download these amazing apps:

• Embark NYC: for your Subway information. I tried others but so far this wins. Not only it's the most user friendly, the schedule is pretty accurate and oh, it's FREE. Hello, Cheap Bunny Girl is Happy!!!!
• Yelp: this will be your ultimate bitch. Why? Hello it's Yelp. I swear by Yelp ratings and reviews. If you see a place with the YELP sticker on their windows, you know you hit a cool spot. Trust me. And the app is... FREE
• Trip It: this is for those A.D.D trip planners out there. It helps manage your trip.
• Kindle: Why? To help you kill time while riding the Subway.
• Facebook and/or Facebook Camera: Uh, hello... You want to make your friends and family and followers jealous about your trip and check-ins to awesome places (true story)
• Instagram: read above
• Twitter: read above

3. AIRBNB.COM. I can NOT emphasize more on how this service help me with saving money while staying in NYC. Unless you're one of those savvy and people with lots of money (hello, i love you, would you lend me some dough?) It's a service where people rent out a room or entire apartment for people like me on vacation without paying the crazy amount of $$$ for a room in a savvy hotel. I mean I love hotel services and to splurge but seriously, when you're in NYC, you want to explore the City, not to sit your ass in a fancy room and eat room service food. This was my 3rd time using airbnb.com (all for NYC) and the Pillow used it once when he went to Dallas to watch the Superbowl (can you imagine the price of the hotels in Dallas at THAT time of the year?) There are TONS of
listings there and seriously, major fraction off the hotels in Manhattan. First time I stayed in Harlem, second in Chinatown and this time in Crown Heights in Brooklyn. Another cool thing, if the owner/host lives on site, they can give you amazing tips about the city. Not only you save money, you get tips from a REAL NEW YORKER for free. Some of those places that they rent out are amazing. And you in a way, you get to live like a true New Yorker. Super awesome. For this last trip, our host charged a total of $350 for 7 days 6 nights and Gaby & I split the cost. Hmm hello, staying in NYC for $175? More money for spending on something else!! Woo. Make sure to browse around and ask the hosts on things they provide for you with your stay. Yes, no fancy hotel service but seriously you save money. Especially if you're going with a friend or two, splitting the bill will make your wallet happier. If you're traveling with family, find for some Entire Apartment listing. There are other services out there like HomeAway.com or Couch Surfing (this one is for you people who are into more adventures and saving money)

4. Get an Unlimited Subway Pass. Seriously I think it's cheaper that way. It goes both ways for Bus and Subway
5. Starbucks will be your BFF. Why? iPhone charge station & restroom stops. Like I said, you will rely on your iPhone like no other, so the battery will go down the drain with all the GPS usage and photo taking. Make sure you bring your charger with your AT ALL TIMES! Oh and you can always trust a Starbucks restroom. Let's say someone took a dump before you, just hold your breath, pee STAT, wash your hands, exit the restroom and inhale the awesome smell of coffee courtesy Starbucks.
6. Find the nearest Apple store. Free Charging Station.
7. Bring a purse and a (LARGE) reusable bag to stash your shopping goodies
8. Either ignore or laugh WITH the crazies of the Subway. You'll see weird people in the train. And you'll notice how people react differently towards the weirdoes. I usually laugh WITH them and talk to Gaby in Indonesian how weird they are.
9. Bring an extra camera or two or three, if you're one of those people (like me. I had my iPhone, GoPro, Canon G12 and Fuji Instax. Crazy)
10. Being the crazy Organizer beetch I am, make a game plan/day plan. It makes your trip a little bit better. Unless you're one of those spontaneous kind of person. Don't worry, I'm not that uptight, mkay. Well at least make a game plan on what train to take. Seriously especially it's your first time in NYC. You don't want to spend hours on what train to take from place A to B. Not cool.
11. Please... Please shower in the morning and wear deodorant. A sweaty person with bad BO in a crammed up subway is super not cool. Especially if that person is standing in front of your seat with his/her arm up grabbing the rail. Rude. You do not wanna be that person getting the dirty looks.
12. Make sure you caffeine up yourself prior the start of your day. You do not wanna miss any minute of your time in the awesome city. I recommend to support local coffee shops (remember, YELP them)
13. If you decide to by stuff from street vendors, bargain! Be smart. There are tons of identical vendors, sometimes side by side, so browse around and ask for their prices. One could be cheaper than the other
14. Buy a newspaper and pretend to act like a local in the subway, reading it while listening to your iPhone/iPod.
15. Walk around town like a local with your iPhone/iPod on. Serious, you will notice almost everyone is on their iPhone/iPod.
16. Have your belongings as close as possible to your body and guard it with your dear soul. There is a lost and found for the Subway and Taxis, but seriously, it'll be gone just like that. In a second.
17. Take as many pictures as possible. You really want to cherish each savoring moment. True Story. I'm a camera whore. 
18. Seriously, pack light. Why? You will SHOP like mad. Gaby & I decided to do the usual one personal bag & one hand carry and split the cost for one big luggage to check in. Why? Because we're females who love to shop. Especially we know there are stores that are not within our reach in California. We even had a slight heart attack when we saw the shopping bags we had on our last night in New York. We were like,"WTF. We shopped way too much. How are we gonna fit all of this in our
suitcases?" But since we're awesome, we managed to pack all of our stuff with the lugagges we have.
19. Pick up an accent. Since me and Gaby like to joke around, we ended up picking up the Brooklyn accent in homage of our apt location. We sounded like lame locals with ugly accents. Hahaha...
20. Visit a local church/religious building of another ethnicity that are in service. Gaby wanted to visit a Black Church for Sabbath and I took her to an African American SDA Church in Harlem. I've been there during my first visit and was impressed. And I was still impressed. It's so awesome to see how another ethnic group worships, even though we're the same denomination. They have their own style and I loved it. We even visited the St. Patrick's Cathedral and join a short service there even though we're not Catholic. Well the Cathedral itself is amazing. I recommend.

21. Hydrate hydrate hydrate. We bought those foldable Vapor water bottles at the MoMa (since we're so cool and wanted to buy something from MoMa) and fill it up with h2o whenever we can. Apparently NYC tap water is the preferred water of choice, so feel free to ask your server at whatever restaurant you're in to fill up your reusable water before you leave. Unless you want to buy water bottles. Street Vendors charge usually $2/bottle. We learned it the hard way. We probably spent like $50 on bottled water to find out towards the end of our trip that the tap water is safe. Damn.

23. Travelzoo for last minute local deals. We got super cheap seats for a musical there.
24. Invest on some good NYC guidebooks. I have 3; The Little Black Book of NewYork; Knopf Mapguides New York; The Stylist’s Guide to NYC by Sibella Court.
25. Once you exit the subway on Times Square and 42 St, please put on your headphones, turn on your iPhone/iPod and search for Jay-Z & Alicia Keys's song "Empire State of Mind" and sing out loud the chorus, "IN NEEEEWWW YOOORRRRKKK... CONCRETE JUNGLE WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE OOOOFFFF..." and cry. You're in the Big Apple, my love.

Now... Enough about my rambles on what to do. Let me talk about places to go, places to see, places to be.

Disclaimer: Like I said before, I'm no New Yorker. These are the places I recommend based on my experiences being in New York City 3 times already. If you are a New Yorker, GAWD share please. And like I said, abuse your Yelp like no other.

1. Try to visit as much Museums as possible. That's what NYC is known for. Museums. I've been to MoMa and cried when I saw Andy Warhol's paintings and such. I literally wanted to faint and scream "GET OUT OF MY WAY BEETCHEZ" when I saw Van Gogh's Starry Night (one of my all time favorite paintings). C. Monet's Water Lillies installation there is amazing too. Mr. S. Dali is there too, you know, just chillin'. Make sure you visit the store. It's pretty cool. Also, finally I got in to the Met. The Met. THE MET. It's amazing. Seriously it's a huge ass museum. To enjoy the whole exhibitions of the Met, you literally need to spend the whole day (even 1.5 days) there. That place is amazing. Cool fact: Don't pay the full price (adult $25). Just say you want to donate, let's say $5, and that will get you in. Holla! (A friend of mine actually donated $1, being a broke college student and all, and she got in). The Met is actually Donate-Based admission ($25 is the recommended donation). Who've seen Night at the Museum? Raise your hand! (ME ME ME!) How fun is that movie? I really recommend going to the American of Natural History. It's so cool. They even have the Night at the Museum Tour based on the movie. Lots of kids going, "ooooohhhh" (like those green little aliens in Toy Story). There are other museums that I haven't visit yet like Guggenheim or Whitney. Next time.
2. 9/11 Site. I didn't get a chance to go to the Memorial Site, but I was just outside the structures. I can't believe such 2 tall buildings used to stood up there. Eerie feeling crept up.
3. Central Park. DUH! Hello. That place is SO big you need to spend the whole day (or 2) there. I recommend renting a bike. There's no way you can venture that place by foot in one day. It's massive.
4. Times Square. Nuff said. But one time is enough. You'll get sick of the tourists.
5. Watch a Broadway/Off-Broadway show. Last year I saw "American Idiot" inspired by Green Day and this time Gaby & I saw"Rent". Such an amazing show. The actor who played the gay character, Angel (played by MJ Rodriguez) was AMAZING. He's soooo good. We found out that the main character was played by the dude from American Idol season 4, 4th runner up, Anthony Fedorov. Homeboy got hot.
6. SoHo. South of Houston. Shopping Heaven. Marc by Marc Jacobs (which I have not visit yet - shame on me) is there. Chanel, Burberry, you know. Those stuff. But for me it was UNIQLO and Topshop. Those 2 are must because they don't have that in SoCal (well I heard Topshop is opening soon in LA). Kate's Paperie was there and I died. I'm a huge Stationery girl but sadly I was broke by the time I was there, so all I did was smell the papers. Then there's your usual Forever21, Zara, H&M, Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, etc. Sadly, being vintage me, I did not go to any vintage store while I was in New York. I'm super lame. That'll be for another future trip.

7. The High Line Park. This is new to me. A (new) friend of mine who's New Yorker (Hi Chamie!) took us there and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that place. It's in the Chelsea/Meatpacking District area where it used to be the railroad for people back in the days to deliver assorted meats to the Meatpacking District, now it's converted into a Park in a City. It's amazing. Seriously, you have to Google it and check it out. Highly highly recommend it!!

8. Chelsea Market. Home to the Food Channel. Do I need to say more? So many eateries in here. And celebrity sightings. Apparently Mya was in house when we were there, we totally missed her by seconds. Cameron Diaz was there a couple of days prior.

9. Anthropologie at the Rockafeller Center. I died again. It's huge and the kitchen/home area is amazing. Too freakin pretty. I wanted to like hide and spend the night there and wear their clothes and sleep on their bed.
10. Rockafeller Center. Home of NBC and the infamous skating rink. Since it was Summer, they turned it into a cafe. While you're there, head to Radio City Hall.

11. St. Patrick's Cathedral. I've never been into a Catholic Church until I walked in to St. P's. Amazing architectures and interior.
12. Empire State Building. Hello. Icon.
13. Statue of Liberty. If you're being cheap, you don't really need to go to the island to get a close look of Madam Liberty. I've read that you can take the ferry to Staten Island for FREE (hello, free?) and it passes the statue pretty close and you can get a pretty photo-op with ms. L. Meanwhile, you'll be in Staten Island after. Please pick up a Staten Island accent. (Can you tell I'm obsessed with accents?) 
14. The City Hall. Place is awesome.
15. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. You can start from either side (Brooklyn or Manhattan). Both times I walked the bridge was at night time. The view was breathtaking, seeing Manhattan glowing at night with Manhattan Bridge hanging out. Lots of people making out though. Ew. Wait I was one of them before.
16. West Village & Greenwich Village. I want to move there. I think honestly it's the most chill side of Manhattan. Financial District is full of uptight busy business people (hello Wall St!) and Times Sq is just full of people. It's filled with tons of eateries and cafes. The apartments are cute. The apartment that inspired the awesome show Friends is there... Bedford st & Grove st. Greenwich is the home of my Pride people. I need a Gay BFF. I need to move there STAT.
17. Upper East Side if you're a fan of Gossip Girls (which I am not). I've only been there once to eat pizza @ Nick's.
18. Harlem. Hello, home of the Apollo Theater. Home of Soul Food. It's near by Columbia University.
19. Washington Square Park and NYU. Such a nice place to people watch and eat your pastry and enjoy your latte.
20. Madison Square Garden. Where amazing concert happens. Home of the NY Knicks.
21. TriBeCa, NoLita, Little Italy, Chinatown. Their all close by. Mind you,when you walk around Little Italy, be prepared to get harassed by cafe managers that are trying to lure you in to eat at their place. But they do have amazing meatballs. Yum.
22. Another favorite: Lower East Side/East Village... Where the hip kids hangout. You can feel the change of vibe when you're there. Filled with artsy kids (I guess like Williamsburg, another hip area in Brooklyn) and wannabe musicians, LES is filled with lounges and bars, and is packed during Friday/Saturday Night. This is where you cue fun.'s "We are Young" where they sing "So if by the time the Bar Closes, and You Feel like Falling Down, I'll Carry You Home... Tonight!" Make sure you take a cab back home. Drunk people in the subway, not cool bro.
23. 5th Avenue and the Macy store. I know you love shopping.
24. Make sure you stop by Grand Central Station. It's massive and very pretty. And it has an Apple Store. Awesome. Free Charging Station.
25. If you want to act busy with your briefcase, newspaper and your coffee to-go and bagel, go down to Wall St & Financial District. Make sure you're Suit Up
26. Oh wait, when you're in Brooklyn Bridge, please play Lady Gaga's "Edge of Glory"! It makes you wanna run and sing the course in leotards
27. Chrysler Building while you're at it
28. If you have time, visit other Boroughs as well, Queens: Go to Flushing for authentic Chinese Food (yum). Rob & I was there 2 years ago, and got out and got confused. Why? Most of the people there don't speak English. We relied on these Chinese Hipster kids with Broken English for some Chinese food. Result: Mouthgasm. Awesome. Bronx: I've never been there, but that's where the Yankees Stadium is at. I'm no Baseball fan, sorry. Brooklyn: HELLO, it's Brooklyn. I didn't get a chance to explore Brooklyn more, but will do next time. Gaby & I stayed in Crown Heights where it's the area filled with Caribbean African Americans with awesome accents. It's also near by a Jewish Area. And there's Williamsburg. Staten Island: I heard it's cool to bike around. Again, I've never been there. Visit also the next door neighbor, New Jersey. I was there last year for a soccer game (Argentina vs USA) and chilled at Hoboken for awhile. Hoboken is a very nice area, home of the Cake Boss (the line to the Carlos Bakery was 2 hours!). The Hudson River Park where they display the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks is pretty... The view of Manhattan from there is super cool.

29. Coney Island. Yes. I went to Coney Island. The Amusement park of New York City. It's pretty interesting. Luna Park (the amusement park) is like a huge Carnival. The decor, the rides, the FOOD reminded me old amusement parks in the past. I love the fact they kept the ambiance like back in the 40s. I got that Vaudeville vibe when I saw the Burlesque show (YES!! I saw my first (and Gaby's) LIVE Burlesque show, only to be ruined by a drunk guy that kept on bugging me and poking me about the tits on that chick. Gah, such a ruiner. Sir, you have a son in college and you're 42, and I have a (fake) wedding ring on (yes, I wear fake wedding bands so jackasses stop harassing me), stop offering me a drink off of your Jack Daniel (my favorite) bottle and let me enjoy the show. (Sorry, I had to rant about this). But over all, when I was in Coney Island, one blogger popped out of my head right away. Alex of Louise Amabilis. GIRL, YOU WILL LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!! Gaby & I rode one ride, and she cussed like no other. It was sooo fun and fast. I was laughing all the time. Too bad I can't post the video due to her foul language (shame. haha)

Well those are some of the MAJOR places (I know most of them are very touristy because, well, I am a tourist) that I recommend while in New York.

Now, let's talk about my favorite thing in the world beside sleep: FOOD.

Disclaimer: As I've been saying, especially this part will be completely biased. It is based on my own experiences and friends' recommendation and YELP finding. Once again, I give you permission to abuse Yelp and your iPhone like no other.

1. Gray's Papaya. They have the best deal called the Recession Deal. 2 wieners on buns + a drink for $5. The Papaya drink is what they're known for and it is indeed awesome especially for the summer. I downed that sucker in less than a minute. Gaby was going crazy over the drink.
2. Nathan's Hot Dog @ Coney Island, the home of the infamous Hot Dog Eating Contest on 4th of July. That place was busy!! I preferred their hot dog over Gray's, since it's more... meatier. Tasty. They serve seafood and other stuff there. YUM. So glad they have Nathan's at the market. That's my wiener of choice when I'm home. Hahaha... wiener of choice. Oh innuendo.

3. Katz's Deli. Uber famous. When Harry Met Sally. I got their Turkey Sandwich and Chicken Noodle Soup. Yum. It's pricey though for being a deli, but hey. It's famous. Haha. It's been there forever. The interior is filled with pictures of celebrities that have been there. So cool.
4. Magnolia Bakery. I went to the one near Rockafeller Center. And of course, I judge a bakery based on their Red Velvet Cupcake. It was fluffy but the frosting was pretty bland aka not sweet. Being the wannabe baker I am, I stood there watching a Pastry Chef frosting a cake for like 5 minutes, studying her technique. I shall master that one day.

5. Halal Carts. The most famous one is off 53rd St called the Halal Guy, but I didn't go there. I just went to 2 random ones and both are good. Gosh, Chicken over Rice? Falafel Pita Sandwich? Gyros? Sold. So good. And makes you full.

6. Harney & Sons. If you love tea, this is the place. The girl in the counter was very, very helpful. Cool tip: If you check in thru yelp and show the badge, you’ll get a free sample. While you’re there, you get a complimentary sample tea of choice to taste. There’s also atea café in the back of the store. Gaby went crazy. I went tea crazy myself.

7. Dean & Deluca. Such a nice café/bistro.The environment is pretty chill. We passed by one somewhere and it actually sells Groceries (I believe in SoHo). Super cool.

8. Artichoke Pizza. OMG. One of the best pizza I ever had. You must get the Artichoke Pizza (duh). Immediate mouthgasm at the first bite. GOSH I want some now. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

9. Ray’s Pizza. I was in the Greenwich location last year. Hmm... Greasy Cheese NY Pizza. And it was cheap too. Can’t beat that.

10. Arte Around The Corner. It’s a really petite café that me managed to Yelp while walking around Upper West Side. It’s cute and I love the way they serve their ice lattes in wine glasses. Too cute. And their pastries are half off after 4.

11. The Room. It’s a pretty famous lounge in SoHo that Gaby and a new friend of mine, Mischa, hung out on a Saturday night. They only serve wine and beer. Sold. Very small, and it gets loud but super chill.

12. Chelsea Market. Like I said above, this is where Food Channel is based at (on the above floors) and is filled, I mean, filled with eateries. I fell in love with this place the first time I visitedit 2 years ago. Sarabeth’s is there (LOVE), also Eleni’s, Amy’s Bread (OMG I was in yeast haven), Fat Witch Bakery (is known for their Brownies), Milk Bar, People’s Pop, The Filling Station (this place is AH-MAZING. They sell gazillion flavored Olive Oils, Salts and Beer. They ship nationwide. I highly RECOMMEND this place. They serve beer in a mason jar. Sold!), L’Arte de Gelato (amazing!), and more. OMG. Seriously food haven. Make sure when you come here, come with an empty stomach. Seriously.

13. Serendipity 3. Hello. That famous restaurant based on the movie. No I did not leave a book with my phone number on it. Recommend: FRRROZEN Hot Chocolate. YUM.

14. Dylan’s Candy Bar. It’s a candy store. What else could it be?

15. Mille-feuille Bakery by NYU/Washington Square Park. Grab a pastry and a latte, and go people watch in Washington Square Park. Oh they sell Macarons too. YUM.

16. Ground Support Coffee Shop in SoHo. Their Almond Milk Latte is the bomb.

17. Hungarian Pastry Shop in Harlem. Pastries and Coffee. Filled with Columbia University Kids. I feel so hip.

18. Bosie Tea Parlor. It’s in West Village. Go there for some High Tea Time with a friend. Gaby and I sip on some fancy teasand talk about our love for West Village and how much we want to live there andjust eat all day and hang out with cool people.

19. Da Nico’s Ristorante in Little Italy. Italian Food. Hello.

20. Sugar Sweet Sunshine Cupcakes in Lower East Side. Such a cute place with yummy homemade cupcakes.

21. Lombardi’s in Little Italy. Really yummy healthy pizza there. I’m not sure, but I think they can make your pizza gluten free and vegan.

Other places that were recommended to me butwasn’t able to go to due to lack of time. DAMN!

• Indochine – a French/Vietnamese Fusion
• Japadog – a Japanese take on the classic hot dog. Think the infamous Kogi truck. But Japan & Hot Dog. Gosh I was hoping to visit this place.
• Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory– uber famous. Get a scoop of their awesome ice cream and enjoy the view under the Brooklyn Bridge.
• Grimaldi’s Pizza by the Brooklyn Bridge. More PIZZA... MORE!
• Bleecker Street Pizza. Me & Gab walked by it but we were full. I just inhaled the smell of awesome pizza and cried inside.
• Buddakkan at the Chelsea Market
• Nobu – fance schmancy sushi. But knowing me, I’m all about cheap yummy food. Nyahaha.
• Ippudo – a ramen place in East Village. I regret not going here... and I love ramen.
• Momofuku Noodle Bar – again, I regret not going here.
• Spotted Pig – they had meat “gastropub” and British. It’s in Greenwich Village.
• Stage Deli – another famous NY deli. I believe they’re known for their Cheesecake as well. Man.

But seriously, I know there are TONS and TONS more of eateries out there in NewYork. I wish I have all the times in the world and have the metabolism of those lucky skinny people and try each and every one of them. Meh.

It’s really important to plan ahead on what you’re going to do in the city. Figure out what’s the purpose of your visit there. Is it to try all these amazing eateries? To shop til you drop? To be a Broadway junkie? Museum Hop?  Or just to be a plain ole tourist and visit every single famous landmark? Whatever you chose to do, enjoy it. Plan ahead and that way you get the most out of yourtrip. It can get overwhelming and it’s true that sometimes it’s impossible to do all that’s on your list. Don’t stress too much about it if it didn’t happen.

Just take a deep breath and absorb that feeling of awesomeness. You’re in freakin’ New York City.

Special shout out to C.D Hermelin that we bumped in to at the High Line. I became an instant fan. Why? One: His hobby is writing fiction; Two: He does this cute thing when he pushes his glasses up his nose (I have a thing for nerdy boys with glasses); Three: He creates a fiction about yourself at the spot on this 1967 typewriter that he got at a garage sale for $10; Four: He's originally from Santa Clarita, CA. We witnessed him write a story about 2 friends that were reunited, a boy and a girl, who recently met up that day and it seems like they were on a date. The story that Mr. Hermelin wrote was so cute. Gaby got the chance to have a story created for her and I loved it. Secretly I envied that I didn't get a chance to have a story written for me since we ran out of time. Homeboy had to leave. Please follow him on twitter @rovingtypist and @cdhermelin 

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