NYC Fall Travel Journal

October is probably one of the best seasons to visit NYC – and I was so happy to have experienced such a sunny, carefree weekend in one of my favorite cities with my sister. Here, I’ve shared a travel guide-style recap of some of the spots we loved visiting.

Supermoon Bakeshop

We made an early morning stop for some fresh pastries at this delightful bakeshop, created by the same pastry chef of the more local (to me) Mr. Holmes Bakehouse in SF. The cruffins looked enticing but we couldn’t help but gravitate to my all-time favorite – the kouign amann. Such a fun place to stop in for snacks to share when in the Lower East Side!

Café Leon Dore

A chic, Greek-inspired concept café in Nolita, this spot featured cozy outdoor seats and was the perfect place to enjoy a cup of coffee over some conversation (love their freddo espresso with oat milk + honey).

Lower East Side Wanders

We stayed at the delightful Sister City hotel (more on that to below) in the Lower East Side, which happens to be right next to the oft-photographed Freeman’s Alley, famous for the vintage blue door and hanging lights of Freemans, and street art. A few steps away from this is another LES gem, Green Fingers. We loved popping our heads in to check out their lush greenery.

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Canal Street

My favorites in this area include the must-see Canal Street Market, a curated retail market and food hall that featuring eats like Joe’s Steam Rice Roll for dim sum style rice rolls, and Kuro-Obi (ramen by Ippudo). We loved discovering retailers like Leibal, which featured a curated selection of objects focused on quality, minimalism, and functionality. There is a beautiful bonsai gallery, Dandy Farmer, from which we picked out a willow leaf fig to get shipped to me back in California, as well as a flower shop I always love stopping at. I was excited to receive my bonsai in the mail in one piece this week back at home, which I’ve added to my shelf (thank you to my lovely sister for buying this as my early birthday present!).

Sister City

We stayed at the recently opened Sister City in Bowery, which was really the most ideal location given all of the places we wanted to explore. Created by the people behind Ace Hotel, Sister City was “inspired by the philosophy of Less, But Better” – as such, I knew I could definitely get behind this place and what it’s about. I was also excited to book this hotel upon discovering that their rooms were inspired by the functional perfection of Finnish saunas and Japanese bento boxes. Indeed, this hotel features minimalist hotel rooms, a beautiful lobby and easy check-in system, and a stunning rooftop bar. I’d love to stay in their Terrace Room next time! I was also impressed by their thoughtful inclusion of Public Goods travel care items in their lobby, a brand that I’ve personally worked with and love for their clean products. It was overall a clean, beautiful place to stay – and we were silly to have discovered their rooftop bar only at the end when we were about to leave. I can’t wait to come back!

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Old and New Discoveries

Although one of my favorite parts about NYC is its dynamic cycle of new restaurants that makes the dining scene so exciting, I also can't go through my trips without stopping at some old favorites, including Raku for their Niku (beef short rib) and Chikara (chicken + mocha) udons; Cocoron for their soba noodles, and Goemon for their curry bowls. My sister and I are pretty simple people to please – put some warm noodles and flavor in some hot soup and we are very, very content. Nonetheless, we were excited to try a few new restaurants as well, including Hwaban, which was a delicious modern Korean dining experience in Flatiron.

Hwaban, New York City

Hwaban, New York City

Yakuzen Soup Curry with Chicken + Vegetables | Goemon, New York City

Yakuzen Soup Curry with Chicken + Vegetables | Goemon, New York City

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