40th Birthday in NYC
This past week, we celebrated my sisters 40th birthday in NYC. We had the best time! I always get asked for NY recommendations after a trip out there so here is the full list of everything we did in case you need some ideas for your next trip to NY.
Find good pizza immediately. San Remo in Ditmas park (near our AirBnb) never disappoints.
Check in to your hotel/AirBnb then get your subway card and head into the city for a little stroll and maybe some ice cream before you have to go back and collapse for a few hours because you took the red eye. Our favorite is Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory in DUMBO.
Rally and go to a nice dinner and a show or baseball game. I went to Tessa on the Upper West Side with my sister and her friends before they went to a Tori Amos concert. I went back to get unpacked a bit while the boys were at a Mets game.
Sleep in and find a cute spot for brunch. New Yorkers are very serious about brunch so options are plentiful. Two of our favorites near our place are Catskill Bagel Co. & Cafe Madeleine.
Take the train the the West Village. After brunch we met up with the fam to visit for a bit then into the city for lunch at Saigon Shack in the West Village before heading back to get ready for the big birthday party.
Time to party. Em’s party was at The Night Hawk, an old movie theater in Prospect Park my brother in law rented out for the night. We had dinner and drinks and cake then watched Em’s favorite childhood movie Now & Then with a slide show of old and new family & friend pics throughout the years. It was the sweetest celebration.
Celebrate some more because you only turn 40 once. The next day was the *real birthday and FULL of all the best things. First, was mother/daughter matching tattoos at Vestige in Williamsburg. We could not be happier with how they turned out. A forever symbol of protection, healing, grace & Joyce.
Tea Time. Next was more girl time with tea at Alice’s Tea Cup (Upper West Side) for tea and the the best scones I’ve ever had. Seriously incredible.
Kill some time enjoying the views. We had some time before our dinner reservation so we enjoyed a few hours at our friends apartment rooftop with incredible views of the skyline and Central Park and a tasty non-alcoholic rose.
Go to dinner at Serra, the rooftop restaurant at Eataly on 5th Avenue. It was absolute summertime perfection. Drinks, pasta, more cake…what’s not to love.
The last two days of the trip were a mashup of new things we’d never done before: The Poster House museum, scouting out my brother in laws new theater (the Perelman) in Tribeca which is right next to the World Trade Center memorial fountain, Oculus Beer Garden to meet up with a friend, dinner at Grand Banks, shopping for (more) books at Strand in the East Village, and of course we ended the trip the same way we started it, with PIZZA!
I posted a reel of the trip on my instagram @__elizabetholson__. We are always looking for new things to do in the city. What are some of your favorites?
