When I am not able to plan a trip abroad, I love finding ways to explore home. Although I have been to New York City many times, I always discover new things. Here are some of my favorites:

Brooklyn Bridge

The last time that I was in New York, I was visiting my friend Katie, and we decided to have our own little photo shoot on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Central Park

Central Park is HUGE. There are so many things to see/ do in the park. One of my favorite places to visit is Strawberry Fields. No matter how many times you have been here, it always looks different. I love seeing the different flower designs each time I visit!

Bow Bridge

This is within Central Park. This is a great place to watch the boats go by, and have your own little photo shoot.

Charging Bull, Wall Street

I am not sure when bull balls became “good luck” but I made sure to rub them just in case.

Tiffany’s & Co. 

The first time I explored New York with my friend Katie, I dragged her all across the city. Katie is a HUGE Audrey Hepburn fan, so I decided to surprise her with Breakfast at Tiffany’s. We started with breakfast at Ess-a-Bagel (which I would not let her eat yet), then I made her walk with me to 727 5th Ave. Of course this meant that, while eating breakfast, we also had our own little photo shoot.

 

Places to see

• High Line – I love walking along the High Line. It is a great break from the hustle and bustle of the city
• Brooklyn Bridge
• Strawberry Fields
• Statue of Libery
• Empire State Building
• Chelsea Market – this is such a cute place to explore and grab some food.
• Top of the Rock – a little pricey, but great view!

Places to Drink

• The Dead Rabbit
• O’Reilly’s Pub
• RARE View Rooftop Chelsea
• The Press Lounge – panoramic views of Midtown and the Manhattan skyline
• Met Roof Garden Cafe & Martini Bar – they have live performances on Friday & Saturday from 5–8 pm
• Rockwood Music Hall – Great place to grab some drinks, while listening to music
• Shrine – Again, another great place to listen to music while you grab some drinks
• The Bitter End – I saw my friend’s band perform here. I also met Gavin DeGraw here, so who knows, maybe you will run into some other awesome musicians!
• Brandy’s Piano Bar – This place was so much fun! The waitress and bartenders joined in too!
• 1 OAK – This place is super expensive. We are talking $$$$ on Yelp expensive.  That being said, I had a lot of fun here.

Places to eat

• Ess-a-Bagel
• Patzeria Perfect Pizza
• Baked by Melissa – these are the cutest little cupcakes
• Artichoke Basille’s Pizza – Their artichoke pizza was AMAZING. I know it sounds so weird, but this pizza was seriously so good!
• Serafina – This is some darn delicious Italian food. Definitely worth a visit.

Like I said before, each time I visit the city, I always find something new. Check back every once in a while to see any new places I have added!

I currently live in the Baltimore area, so this post will continue to be updated as I explore new areas of my home. For now, here are some of my favorite things/see to do when I am home.

Where to Eat & Drink

Fed Hill

• Banditos – They are a great place for dinner or drinks at night
• Blue Agave – Another great place for tacos
• Crossbar – Beer Garden in Fed Hill
• Abbey Burger Bistro – I love their burgers (they also have a location in Fells Point)
• Pub Dog – This is a great place for cheap pizza and beer

Riverside Park

• Little Havana – They have a great outdoor eating area right on the water!

Hamden

• The Charmery – you all know I love my ice cream. They have two locations, and both are delicious!
• Paulie Gee’s – I am OBSESSED with their pizza
• Five and Dime – I love their upstairs bar

Fells Point

• Sandlot – This is a great bar, right on the water!
• The Horse You Came In On/The Horse You Rode Out On – This is Baltimore’s oldest saloon, and apparently it was the last destination of Edgar Allan Poe before his mysterious death.
• Barcocina – This is one of my favorite summer happy hour locations
• Bond Street Social – I love to people watch at their outside patio
• Max’s Taphouse – They have so many drink options, it’s insane!
• Waterfront Hotel – I love going to this bar for live music at night!

Canton

• Smaltimore – This bar is super cool and uses stock-market pricing system, where beer prices rise & fall based on demand
• Boathouse Canton – Another great summer place!
• Walt’s Inn – this is a small, hole-in-the-wall bar, but if you like karaoke, then you will have fun here!
• Southern Provisions – I love going here for open mic night on Tuesdays

Mt Vernon

• Owl Bar – Cute little speakeasy
• Brewer’s Art – I have never been to the restaurant, but I love their downstairs bar!
• Brew House No. 16 – This is an old fire house that was turned into a bar.

Harbor East

• The Elk Room – Another cool speakeasy
• Loch Bar – I went here for live music. It is a bit pricey, but I loved the outside patio area

Other

• Guinness Open Gate Brewery and Barrel House – This is the first Guinness Brewery in the U.S. since 1954! It is super new, and only has their Test Taproom open right now.
• PaperMoon Diner – Definitely a weird cafe, but worth a visit
• Belvedere Square – This is an indoor marketplace with a ton of options. I love going here during the summer for their Friday night concert series
• Vaccaro’s Italian Pastry Shop – Their cannolis are so good! I would definitely suggest going to their Little Italy location

What to See

• Federal Hill Park – Federal Hill is a neighborhood in Baltimore, and nothing beats watching the sunset from the top of Federal Hill.
• Light City Baltimore – This is an annual FREE large-scale festival of art, music and innovation

What to Do

• American Visionary Art Museum – This place is so cool, and only $15 ($9 if you are a student)
• National Aquarium – The tickets are a little pricey ($40), but it includes access to all exhibits and daily presentations, including Blacktip Reef, Living Seashore, Australia: Wild Extremes, Upland Tropical Rainforest, Amazon River Forest, Shark Alley, Jellies Invasion and Dolphin Discovery.

Places on my Bucket List

• LB Skybar
• Topside
• 16 On The Park
• The Elephant
• Poets Modern Cocktails & Eats
• 13.5% Wine Bar
• The Bluebird Cocktail Room
• Dovecote
• Miss Shirley’s
• HandleBar Cafe
• Maisy’s
• R. House
• Tapas Teatro

I had so much fun visiting my friend Dan in the Little Apple! While I was only there for a weekend, we were determined to make the most of our weekend. Here is your Manhattan Quick Guide to help make the most of your trip:

Places to See:

• Aggieville – Explore all the shops and bars along this street!
• Manhattan Hill – Definitely go here to watch a sunset at least once!
• Top of the World – This is a scenic overlook on Top of the World Drive, right off of Highway 113. It was such a spectacular view of the city and is definitely a must.

Where to Eat:

• Liquid Art Winery And Estate – I LOVED this winery. They do concerts on the patio- I definitely recommend making the trip out there.
• Call Hall Dairy Bar – Dan works at Kansas State University, so we also did some exploring on campus. This place had some many unique flavors of ice cream!
• Tallgrass Brewing Company Tap House – You all know I LOVE rooftop bars!
• The Chef – Great place to grab some brunch. It is pretty popular, so make sure you get there early.
• Bluestem Bakery – They do a Sunday jazz brunch, and will make you some DELICIOUS custom made soda!
• Varsity Donuts – Definitely grab some donuts from here or visit them for a late night snack (the grilled cheese mac and cheese is a MUST!)
• Taco Lucha – I love their cute outside patio!

Things to do:

• McCain Theater – Again, this is on the Kansas State campus.
• Sunset Zoo – Only $5 for admission!

As I have said before, I am from the United States. Even when I am not traveling abroad, I like to find time to explore my home. Stay tuned for my posts about some of the trips I have taken within the United States.

Washington, D.C.

Click here to read all about my recent trip to D.C. to see the Cherry Blossoms.

Baltimore, Maryland

Click here to see all the places I love to explore when I am home.

New York, New York

Click here to check out all my favorite things to do in NYC!

Syracuse, New York

Coming soon!

Manhattan, Kansas

Click here to read the Quick Guide from my trip to the Little Apple.

Nashville, Tennessee

Coming soon!

Portland, Oregon 

Coming soon!

Austin, Texas

Coming soon!

Cherry Blossom Festival

I grew up 20 minutes outside of Washington, D.C.. Each year I wanted to see the Cherry Blossoms, but always had something that got in the way. When I went away to school, I seemed to always be working during the peak bloom. For those of you who are familiar with these trees, you know that, each year in the spring, cherry blossoms surrounding D.C.’s Tidal Basin bloom creating a beautiful display of pink gems. The downside is that the peak bloom period only lasts a few days, and peak bloom varies from year to year.

In the past, when I have been unable to make it to the peak bloom, I will watch the Cherry Blossom Cam to see the live video of the Cherry Blossom trees that line the Tidal Basin. You can also read all about the latest news and information on the Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom Watch website. They have a ton of helpful information for tourist like: Where to Stay, When to Visit, Monuments of the Tidal Basin, and more.

I would suggest trying to take a day off of work and visiting during the work week. The peak bloom week is very popular, and the crowd is almost impossible to manage on the weekend. I went around 11:00AM on a Thursday, and, although it was still crowded, I was able to get some cute pictures without having to wait too long for a spot to open up.

Parking in D.C. can be hectic, but taking the metro can add to you travel time, thus taking away from your time in the city. I used the SpotHero app to find a cheap (for D.C.) parking spot and reserved my spot ahead of time. There is also a ton of street parking along Independence Ave if you are skilled in parallel parking (I honestly was just too excited to be patient enough to find a spot on my own).

As I said before, this was my first time making it to the see the Cherry Blossoms, and I was not disappointed! 10/10 recommend.

 

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