In this post, I’ll share the highlights of our New York trip; where to get the best deals, have delicious coffee (and of course insta-worthy coffee 😉 ) and where to enjoy great New York views.
One of my favorite destinations I visited in 2019 was New York. I had visited before, so I had ticked off the major highlights. For this trip, I was mainly looking forward to soaking up the daily life and to have plenty of time for shopping. Between you and I, I was a little overly successful in reaching my shopping goals (my poor creditcard).
Shopping
Outlet shopping at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets
During my visits to the US I have experienced how amazing premium outlet centers are. The prices are so much lower when compared to prices here in the Netherlands, or Europe even. From New York, you can head over to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets.
How to get there
From Manhattan it takes about an hour to get to Woodbury. There are different coach companies offering a transfer from Manhattan to Woodbury. Most of them depart from the Times Square Port Authority Terminal or from a hotel near Times Square. We found a great deal for a transfer on Groupon and paid $27 per person for a return transfer. Normally, prices for a coach transfer are in the $42-$49 price range.
Preparation
Make sure to look over the stores on the Woodbury website first. Come up with a game plan on which stores you absolutely want to visit. I also saw a lot of people bring an empty suitcase. I can’t blame them, I wish I had brought one as well. But we ended up renting a locker for about $20 for the entire day. It was definitely worth it, as it made it so much easier to walk around.
Once you get there, you could pick up a voucher booklet from the visitor center. Most coach companies have this included in the transfer price. The first time I visited in 2014, I really liked the booklet and made use of the coupons. But this time around, the deals were already in effect in the different stores without actually needing a coupon.
We had taken the very first bus and arrived before the stores had opened. It was so surreal, there was Christmas music and it felt like we were walking around a theme park. But instead of roller coasters there were luxury stores waiting to be explored.
The stores
We started off with the high luxury brands, such as Dior, Chloe and Gucci. Although the stores were beautiful, it did not carry the signature items we were hoping to find, which we had already expected.
But when we entered the Coach store we were honestly so amazed by the huge discounts they had. We actually decided that we had to leave the store and come up with a game plan because I was afraid we were going to buy everything we could get our hands on. After a quick Starbucks run, we bought a cross body bag for only $99 and a couple of jewelry travel boxes for $25. That’s a lot better than buying everything in the store, isn’t it?
Then we headed over to Kate Spade, my absolute favorite brand. The store had an additional 25% off most items. I purchased a cross body bag for $80 (originally prices at $359), a wallet for $40 and earrings for $12.
Michael Kors also had similar deals, 70% off most items with some of them having an additional 20% off if I remember right. Because I’m not a huge Michael Kors fan anymore, I did not purchase anything there.
Other stores like J. Crew, Old Navy, Levi’s, Nike and Tommy Hilfiger had some interesting items, but not any huge discounts. For example, I bought jeans at Levi’s, but saw they had the same deal in their ‘regular’ stores in the city.
Discount stores in Manhattan
Two of my favorite discount stores are Century 21 and Nordstrom Rack.
Century 21 has two locations. The one in the Financial District is the largest one, and the one I recommend visiting. During our first visit, we stumbled upon this store and we spent a couple of hours. It really is huge and, if you’re lucky, you can find some great items.
Nordstrom Rack isn’t as big as Century 21, but it is worth a quick visit in my opinion. I was very excited to find they had a great selection of Kate Spade accessories PLUS I found a beautiful Kate Spade coat there.
Where to drink coffee and eat cakes
I’ll gladly skip a meal so I can have coffee and cakes. And I know there are so many great places to eat in New York, but I decided to stick to coffee and cakes. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite places to enjoy just that:
Carlo’s Bakery
Along with many other visitors, I really wanted to visit Carlo’s Bakery. The original bakery is in Hoboken, but they have also opened one near Times Square. Even though it doesn’t the atmosphere doesn’t feel particularly nice, the pastries and cakes really are good. My favorite is the Lobster Tail.
Time Out in Brooklyn
If you make your way to Dumbo in Brooklyn, which I’m sure you will because the views are amazing, you can grab a meal or snack at Time Out in Brooklyn. Here, you’ll find different venues in the same brick building. If you go to top floor, you’ll enjoy amazing views of New York skyline.
Dominique Ansel Bakery
I’m sure you are familiar with the world-famous cronut. It was created by Dominique Ansel. We walked by there on one of our first days, and only noticed it because there was a huge line and I heard people in the line arguing. Then I realized they were waiting for cronuts. I wasn’t about to put myself through that line, so we just moved on.
A couple of days later we decided to see if there was a line… and there wasn’t! We walked right in and even found an empty table. I was asked to bring home some cronuts by a family member, but the employee pointed out that their new creation, the ‘DKA’. He also mentioned you can perserve it a bit longer. So I got a box of those, and a frozen s’mores and cronut to have there. I had the frozen s’mores which was alright but a bit to marshmellow-y for me. But the cronut was divine and I understand now what all the fuss is about.
Chelsea Market
We combined our visit to the High Line with the Chelsea Market. It was super crowded, but I totally get why. There are so many options for food and the smell and atmosphere is just amazing. I realized I had even had a bagel yet while I was in the city of bagels, so I opted for a bagel for lunch.
Remi Flower & Coffee
I had really been looking forward to visiting Remi Flower & Coffee. I had been following their instagram account prior to my trip to New York, and I just HAD to visit. It wasn’t on our way to any other place we wanted to visit, but we made the trip there, and I am so glad we did. It’s small and cozy inside, so we were happy we were able to find a place to seat at a sort of communal table. We chose the lavender and rose latte. I would describe the rose latte as more subtle, whereas the lavendel latte had quite a strong lavender taste.
Sweet Moments
Another place I found online before visiting is Sweet Moments. This one I actually found on Pinterest and we made our way to Little Italy to try it out. I was a bit disappointed in its service (they seemed a bit distant), but the drinks and waffle were good enough.
Lady M
We kept on running into Lady M. They even had a mini bakery at Woodbury Premium Outlet. Because I love eating chestnuts, I had been looking up bakeries that sold chestnut themed desserts. I then found out Lady M had a beautiful chestnut cake, so I quickly planned a visit there. The chestnut cake was so good, and light and airy. The chestnut flavor wasn’t overpowering at all. I definitely recommend trying it out!
Maison Kayser
Another place I wanted to visit specifically for the chestnut desserts is Maison Kayser. This time it was a ‘Mont Blanc’. It tasted quite nice and the service was friendly as well.
New York Skyline
If it’s your first time visit, I do recommend investing the time and money into visiting the rooftop of either the Empire State Building or Rockefeller Plaza. We had visited the Top of the Rock during our first visit. We chose this one, because we wanted the Empire State Building included in our view.
Another great place for New York views is the waterfront in Dumbo, Brooklyn. With views on both the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge, and Jane’s Carousel, it’s just a magical place. I absolutely recommend spending some time there.
I can’t wait to visit New York again. Have you started planning your NYC trip yet?
