Mum and Daughter Trip to NYC!

We stayed at The Wythe in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a great place for an authentic neighbourhood feel away from the ‘concrete jungle’ of Midtown. It has fab bars, restaurants, independent stores, vintage shops and street art. The Wythe is a designer boutique hotel with rooftop bar in an old brick and timber building that used to be a factory making barrels!

We had 6 days to explore NYC and I'd like to take you through day by day. to hopefully give you some tips and inspiration!

Day 1 - Midtown and the iconic landmarks! We started our tour in Midtown NYC to see the iconic landmarks that were top of Jodie’s list. We planned to see the Flatiron Building before moving on to Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, Times Square, Broadway, the Empire State Building and the Rockerfeller Center - in that rough order!

Grand Central Station was one of my favourite landmarks on our trip. It is a truly beautiful, majestic building – a station that is so much more than a station! We were blown away by its scale and grandeur and as we stood overlooking the main concourse we recounted all the movies we had seen featuring this iconic view.

Bryant Park was a little gem - styled like a Parisian park in the heart of Midtown and definitely worthy of a visit.

We arrived at the Empire State Building about 4pm – a little bit cloudy but the views over Manhattan didn’t disappoint and we pinched ourselves again that we were actually at the top of the Empire State In New York together!

We headed into Times Square and Broadway – there is nothing quite like the buzz and bright lights of Times Square but it was crazy busy so we strolled on through Broadway and finished our day with a visit to The Rockerfeller Center and ice rink.

Day 2 – A rainy day in New York. We awoke to a rainy morning so decided to start our day at the Guggenheim.

Before we set off we headed to 'Bakeri' on Wythe Avenue. A deliciously cosy Swedish / French neighbourhood bakery that feels like being in a country kitchen. We felt like proper locals!

The iconic architecture of the Guggenheim was just stunning. Whilst busy, we took our time weaving our way to the top and admiring the artworks and views of the interior at the same time.

We walked through a wet but blissfully empty Central Park ending up at the Plaza Hotel for a glass of champagne in the elegant surroundings of The Palm Court - a sophisticated way to dry off!

We then jumped on the subway to China Town – improving on our subway navigation with each journey – to enjoy delicious Dim Sum and noodles at ‘Nom Wah Tea Parlor’. Amazing comfort food on this damp day which really hit the spot. Highly recommended.

Day 3 – The Villages of NYC. At last, the sun was shining so the perfect weather to tour Greenwich, West and East villages. It was a joy to amble along the tree- lined streets of West Village admiring the grand Brownstone houses and quirky shops.

As we strolled along Bedford Street we found ourselves staring up at the famous ‘Friends’ apartment with groups of tourists taking snaps - so of course we joined in! And then had a fab brunch at the charming little restaurant underneath called ‘The Little Owl’ which was delicious.

We then moved on to explore Greenwich village and Washington Square Park – one of the highlights of our trip. We sat for ages in the sunshine listening to jazz, watching skateboarders, pop-up stall holders and locals playing chess. The park, with it’s arch honouring George Washington, still embodies it's bohemian and political past and is a great spot to just hang out.

From there we walked through East Village and into SOHO for some shopping and early evening drinks at ‘Jack’s Wife Frieda’ and more people watching!

That evening we ate at local French restaurant in Williamsburg 'Cafe Colette' followed by drinks at 'Teddy’s bar'– our new favourite!

Day 4 Dumbo and Financial District. We changed things up today and took the ferry down to Dumbo and then back over to Manhattan. The Wythe was a short stroll from the North Williamsburg Pier and a short ferry ride down to Dumbo. The views from the East River were fantastic.

Dumbo was charming with a wooden boardwalk along the East River to sit or stroll and admire the skyline of Manhattan. Our first stop was breakfast at the ‘Time Out Exchange’ - a food hall which also houses a vintage market. We wandered along the cobbled streets and under Brooklyn Bridge to Washington Street to take the ‘must have’ photo of the Empire State Building peeking through the arch of Brooklyn Bridge.

The ferry journey to Pier 11 in Midtown was equally as spectacular as our journey from Williamsburg with close-up views of Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges.

Our next stop was the 9/11 museum and memorial. The museum was both moving and informative and deserves time to view all the exhibits in detail.

We then headed over to Battery Park to catch the Staten Island ferry to see the Statue of Liberty in the fading sunshine - we were lucky to get a great viewing spot. We then caught the ferry back to Midtown and to ‘Top Of The Rock’ to see Manhattan at sunset.

Back in Williamsburg we headed to Teddy’s Bar for cocktails and a slice of the famous Joe’s Pizza!

Day 5 Meatpacking District, Chelsea and the High Line. Today was a trip to Chelsea and the Meatpacking District, and a walk along the High Line. Chelsea Market is a gargantuan food hall, housed within an old biscuit factory, with every kind of cuisine you can imagine. We ate our gourmet finds in the sunshine as we listened to jazz - a very New York experience!

After a brief trip to Pier 57 nearby we jumped in a cab uptown to Central Park and a wander along the quaint streets of Upper West Side to the 91st Gardens. The 91st Street Gardens were high on my wish list as the iconic setting for the final scene of ‘You’ve Got Mail’!

For our final night, we enjoyed some Espresso Martinis at 'Bar Blondeau', our hotel rooftop bar, whilst savouring our last views of the Manhattan skyline at night. just perfect.

Day 6 - Bus Tour. We had time to squeeze in a bus tour on our last morning to revisit the wonderful places we had seen over our week in New York.

We loved every minute of our trip to NYC. I would heartily recommend staying in Williamsburg as an alternative to Manhattan and spending time with my daughter was extra special and a treasured memory for both of us.