Hi friends, welcome back! I’ve officially been living in NYC for over two years now, how crazy is that!? It seems like just yesterday I boarded a plane with a one-way ticket to NYC, but somehow, it’s been two years from that date! Today I’m sharing an update of my favorite things, what’s new in the city, how I’m feeling, and what I’m looking forward to. I hope you have a big cup of coffee and a comfortable seat!
Experiencing new restaurants is my absolute favorite part of living in NYC. We love the variety and endless date night spots. You can read about some of our favorite restaurants here. For some reason, Jon and I didn’t take full advantage of all the restaurants until this last year, but we are determined to make the most of living in the city while we can. We’ve only scratched the surface of restaurants and I have a whole list of places I can’t wait to try once we are out of quarantine. Off the top of my head my favorite places are Crown Shy, Adrienne’s Pizzabar, Big Gay Ice Cream, Tonchin, Milk & Cereal Bar, and Asuka sushi.
Another favorite thing about living NYC is attending Broadway shows! This past year we saw Frozen and Dear Evan Hansen and enjoyed both of them! It’s sad that Broadway will be closed until the at least the fall, but we look forward to being able to attend more shows in the future, especially during Broadway Week. Hadestown is at the top of my list when Broadway resumes and I’m secretly hoping that Mamma Mia will come back!
Our favorite spot in the city is Governor’s Island! We’ve taken the ferry over twice and it’s been such a nice and relaxing afternoon/evening both times. We also enjoy learning about the history of the island, but the most incredible thing is the view of the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan. The sunsets on Governor’s Island are gorgeous and one day I hope to be able to stay overnight in the upscale tents aka glamping (camping but with fully functioning facilities/electricity). I was hoping to do that for my birthday in August, we shall see.
Our only complaint about living in the city (besides the crazy high cost of rent) is not having a car to use to go hiking/golfing. We both love golfing and hiking, but in order to do so, it requires renting a car or hours of public transportation, and some planning. We simply can’t decide one morning we want to golf, get in our car, and be there within an hour. Hopefully we will get a car soon and not feel so trapped, especially on hot summer days.
Some of the things I’m looking forward to this next year in NYC (virus permitting):
- Glamping in Battery Park
- The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in Sleepy Hollow, NY
- More hikes outside of the city
- Day trips to explore the Hudson Valley area of New York
- Resuming our coffee dates
- Being able to dine in restaurants again
Jon and I were having so much fun trying out new restaurants and coffee shops, and then the virus turned our world upside down. It’s sad going for our walks and seeing all of the businesses shut down and the streets empty. I miss the hustle and bustle and energy of NYC in all its glory. I know that NYC will come back better than it was before, it seems like there is some optimism in the city.
Final thoughts – as of now, if NYC opens back up, I can see us staying here for at least a few more years. I’m not ready to leave, I love living in NYC way more than I thought I would, and I can’t imagine being in the suburbs at this point in our lives. Eventually we will make our way to the burbs when we are ready to settle down with a family, but that seems so far away from now. Jon and I both worry about being bored once we move out of the city because there’s always something new and fun to do now (when not in quarantine). We will see how the future plays out, but as of now we are staying put and riding out this storm for at least another year.
Thanks for reading friends! Be sure to check out my 9 month update if you haven’t already 🙂
You do live in the best city on the planet 🙂
It is, for me, like a dream come true, to live in NYc, enjoy it and please don’t forget to share your life there as well as interesting tips 🙂 have a great week and cheers from Portugal, PedroL
I can’t wait to be able to share more of the city! Hope you have a great week Pedrol, thanks for reading 🙂
Thanks Lyssy 🙂 PedroL
My son has been living there for 2 years now also and I LOVE visiting him there. He’s been back home since the quarantine, so soaking up the time together before he heads back. I also love Battery Park. And lets talk coffee… NYC has some of the best coffee shops ever!!! ❤️
Hopefully you guys will be back in the city soon, fingers crossed thing keep looking up! The extra time together is a blessing in all this craziness!! The best coffee shops, maybe one day I’ll try them all 🙂
I used to get to NYC a couple times a year. But it has been over 10 years, and reading your post is like reading a list of reasons why i need to get back there as soon as the world opens its doors once again. Thanks for sharing your favorites. That glamping spot sounds like a wonderful birthday adventure.
You should come to NYC when travel is safe again, that would be a nice trip to look forward to! I agree – clamping would be a wonderful adventure.
Our son lived in Astoria and worked in Manhattan for the first two years after college. Such an incomparable, maturing experience, and as an extrovert the energy/vibe absolutely agreed with him. We would visit and the city’s pace would wear us “country folk” out after just a few days. But no regrets, especially with such wonderful restaurants, Central Park, Broadway, Madison Avenue shopping, and on and on. I hope the remainder of your time in the city is as fulfilling as it already has been.
Haha I grew up in Michigan so I can totally understand that the city can be very draining! The city truly does have everything you could need. Thanks so much Dave, I hope so too!
I thought I lived in a city … but I guess living in the surrounding areas of Minneapolis-St. Paul isn’t really comparable to NYC. I will say though, during the quarantine, I was so so glad to have places to go and free space to be along in this craziness. I do hope that the world will continue to reopen because the economy is being drug through the mud and if we don’t recover soon I don’t think some business will survive. Do you or Jon have any concerns about your careers due to the impacts of COVID?
That is so nice to have places to go and free space! I wish we had a yard!! I agree – I hope things reopen, NYC is entering phase II next week so we can have outdoor dining and retail. Numbers are still looking good, hopefully it stays that way! We are lucky that we have had job security during this pandemic. I work in Public Accounting and he is in finance, and we’ve both been able to work remotely.
Living in NYC sounds incredible – being from the UK, we’ve only visited once and were overwhelmed with the pace and craziness of the city. Hopefully we get to come back one day 🙂
I hope you can visit NYC again! I totally get the overwhelming feeling the city has, I definitely feel drained after my excursions in the city 🙂
Don’t agree with me, the initial in your blog name city is refer to NYC!! 😅😅
Best city to reside,😀😀😀
Yes! The city is NYC, the best city to live in!!
Nice
The Pumpkin Blaze is worth going to.
Next year I’m making it my mission to go! They also just opened up another location in Long Island
I have heard. Do not know which one is more accessible. I think you may be able to walk from the train station in Westchester, but a cab or a car would be safer. I drove there after work one day and was in the first group getting in.
That would be amazing to have it to yourself! We are in the process of getting a car, so next year I’ll be able to go easily 🙌🏻
Just a small group to start. It was just getting dark. I think most wanted to be there when it was fully dark. You can take your time through it. Just no tripods. Tripping hazard I am sure.