TIPS:
- Advice:
- Trip advisor is actually right! NYC has AMAZING restaurants but also HORRIBLE ones (and sometimes you cannot guess at the first sight). Check out on the internet a place before you go.
- There are often fees when you withdraw money (even with an international card) so withdraw a lot at once to save some dollars.
- To take the bus and not the subway is a great way to discover the city.
- Check uber for some trips: it's sometimes almost the price of the subway!
- Top of the Rock is a great rooftop to go to (and not the Empire State Building) because you actually see the Empire State Building.
- The MET has no entrance fee: you give what you want. Wardrobe is free.
- Cliché but still amazing every time: go on the Brooklyn bridge / walk in Central Park / walk in Brooklyn/Williamsburg / Go on a rooftop / Go to the MET and the MOMA.
- Foodies:
- Five Leaves: Brunch
Recommended: the pancakes!!!
- Sunday in Brooklyn: Brunch
Recommended: the pancakes.
- Two Hands: Brunch
Recommended: avocado toast.
- by CHLOE Soho: veggie Brunch and lunch
Recommended: the banana bread.
- Chai Thai Kitchen: diner.
Recommended: The pad thai
- City Bakery: for a nice break.
Recommended: the hot chocolate!
- The Meatball Shop: Lunch or Diner.
Recommended: the ice-cream sandwich.
- Maman: coffee break or lunch.
Recommended: cappuccino.
- Franklin GuestHouse: diner
Recommended: the veggie noodles.
- Little Dokebi: diner.
Recommended: Bibimbap.
- Public Hotel: drinks.
Recommended: the design/atmosphere.
- PHD: drinks
Recommended: the view.
- Fada Bistro: diner and drinks
Recommended: the patio in the back.
- Del Posto: A bit too fancy for me but good food.
- Fitness:
- Soul Cycle: spinning classes.
Recommended: Mantas' class.
- ShadowBox: boxing studio.
- Y-7: yoga studio.
Recommended: hot yoga with Bee.
- adidas Runners NYC: running team.
Recommended: weekly and "Weekend + Brunch" runs.
- Shopping:
- OAK: the store on Nassau avenue, Brooklyn, has huge discounts.
- Williamsburg in Brooklyn: the all area has great concept stores and vintage shops.
THE TRIP:
Dates: 26-01-18/04-02-18
Departure: Nuremberg.
Arrival: New York (stop via Paris).
O-M-G 😉
SO happy to go back to NYC!
It's my third time so I do not have the "pressure" of doing all the touristic spots and I know I will have the opportunity to enjoy quietly (if possible) the city.
I am going there for work. It's the annual Summit of the adidas Newsrooms (our Social Media entities all around the world) and for the annual Summit of adidas Runners (Join us! Check if there is a team in your city!).
I also have the chance that my cousin Laure is living in NYC so I will spend the weekend before and after the Summits there with her 😇
DAY 1:
REALLY early wakeup (4am) and direction Nuremberg airport. To be honest I did not see the trip pass by. I have the amazing capability of sleeping whenever and wherever I want (yes, lucky me) so the trip NBG-Paris-NYC went super fast.
So here I am, JFK airport. I feel like a teenager in a TV-serie!
Direction my cousin's place. She leaves in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Perfect.
It's only 2pm so FOR SURE I feel the need to go for a run. It's what I prefer when I arrive somewhere: go for a run to discover my surroundings.
I run 10km in Brooklyn: each corner, each street, each shop is so cliché but so perfect. When I arrive by the river, I have my first real view over Manhattan... I am speechless and I cannot take off the smile of my face.
Once back, I have the chance to catch-up the sunset on the rooftop.
Are you serious NYC?! Are you THAT beautiful everyday?!
We then go for drinks (= cappuccino for me!) at Trix. I love the super big marble bar there. Ambiance really local/american.
After we have diner at Chai Thai Kitchen. Good padthai.
Jetlag is kicking hard so I go to bed early.
DAY 2:
I am on a marathon prep' (Goal: Paris marathon <4hours) so i need to go for a long run during the weekend and today is the day!
My cousin joins me, I am so happy to have a running buddy (and guide)! We go from Greenpoint to Manhattan Bridge, cross towards Manhattan, run along the river, cross Williamsburg bridge and run back.
How can i write it without sounding too cheesy... Ok I don't even try: it's GORGEOUS! No seriously, WTF?! It's amazing.
We run 17km, what a run.
Afterwards we go for a brunch at Five Leaves. It's "the" brunch in Greenpoint and indeed it is adorable and delicious.
I HIGHLY recommend the pancakes, there are HUGE and come with brown sugar butter!
We then walk in Williamsburg to see the vintage shops and then head back to the flat.
It's my cousin's birthday today! We celebrate at Fada Bistro. Super nice spot with a cute patio in the back.
Once again jet lag so I go to bed early and no crazy techno party as scheduled.
DAY 3:
Today is Manhattan day! So happy to go on the island.
We head directly to the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art) but then decide we should have lunch before: BAD idea 😂 For SURE there is just nothing around that's healthy, cute and not too expensive. We end up at the Nectar Cafe: DON'T GO THERE! The food is disgusting and expensive, but we had a good laugh!
I ordered the "healthy salad and here is what I GOT 😂
Gelatine over weird yogurt, on top of salad and fruits...
Why?
We are lucky, at the MET there are the David Hockney and the Michel Angelo exhibitions. Anyway, just the permanent collections are breathtaking. It feels like walking through Arts and History books. The Egyptian section is also amazing.
We then grab a bus from the MET to the Flatiron building. Great way to see all the 5th Avenue (I spot the adidas store 👀).
We do our tourists at Madison Square and go for a break at City Bakery. OMG please order their hot chocolate! It's like a cream of pure chocolate: delicious (yes, super fat, but whatever). The cakes are also good.
Then it's sport time! In Germany I met Mantas who is coaching at Soul Cycle and we have the chance to join one of his classes.
I love to end my weekends with a good sweat sesh!
It's also a great opportunity for me to discover one of the most famous spinning class in NYC: dark room, neon lights, high volume music, motivated coaches... it has it all!
On the way back I grab... a Kombucha. WHY don't we have this in Germany?! I am officially addicted.
We head back home and have homemade diner on the coach in front of OSS 117.
Yes, we are Frenchies in NYC after all 😉
DAY 4:
Back to work!
Direction the Newsroom office on Hudson Street.
On the way I grab a hot chocolate at Dunkin Donuts...
This is my weakness!
I discovered it during my first trip to the US 11years ago and I love it even if it feels like liquid sugar, butter and chocolate 🙊
At lunch I go to by CHLOE Soho with a friend. They offer a good variety of veggie/vegan options. I also recommend the banana bread! Then I go for a coffee with another friend (so cool to have the opportunity to catch up with everyone here!) at Maman. Super cute place and really nice personnel.
Walking back to the office and crossing Soho, I realize that sometimes I would like to be rich and go shopping 💸
After work we check-in at our hotel, Dream Downtown. Nice place, well located, nice personnel, amazing rooftop, but a bit too "fashion club" for me. I prefer more nature/design/clean vibes. Also, to be noticed: the gym is ridiculous! It's literally 5-6 machines in a corridor. There is an outside pool but clearly just to chill with a cocktail at summertime, not to swim (yes, I had hopes ^^).
Making the most of the gym's space.
I go for a quick abs circuit at "the gym" and then join the team for Diner at The Meatball Shop on the 9th Avenue. Really nice place, with veggie options and large choice of sides. I also recommend (well, not if you are on a diet) the ice-cream sandwich. Yes, you red it right: ice-cream sandwich! It's a huge scup of ice-cream between 2 cookies... Really fat/good/american.
Early sleep because tomorrow morning early run!
DAY 5:
Wake-up 5am, ouch!
Indeed I am meeting some colleagues for a run at 6am but I want to run before to be sure to hit my training plan's goal (10km with specific paces). It's snowing, it's freezing, it's dark... BUT it's NYC, it's gorgeous and we have an amazing team! 💥
Quick yoga/stretch sesh' in my room and direction the Newsrooms summit!
It's amazing to be part of the team managing the Social Media tactics for adidas on a Global Level. Also great to catch-up with all the teams: I usually just talk to them via emails or calls!
All day at the summit.
I use the breaks to check-up on my instagram community ;)
At night we have diner/party on the rooftop of the Hotel, I highly recommend the place for the view!
DAY 7:
Wake-up 5:30am, ouch again!
Reason: I want to go for a short run before going to a yoga class at Y-7.
I join a "Hot Yoga flow" with Bee Creel. It was really nice! For once the room was really dark and hot (most of the "hot yoga" classes I went to it was not the case) and Bee has a great way of building the flow. Funny fact: the music is kind of hip-hop/commercial and I really had the feeling to flow/dance.
On the run back I witness a gorgeous sunrise in NYC's streets.
Sunrise in NYC's streets.
Once again I spend the all day at the Summit.
I am still really sick (I know, WHY did I go for a run and yoga then? 🙄) and I think I fell asleep at 6pm in my room.
DAY 8:
Now direction: the adidas Runners Summit!
SO excited.
FYI my first "touchpoint" with adidas was via adidas Runners Paris in 2014! I joined the adidas Runners Bir-Hakeim team and it became my family ❤ I also discovered Instagram and Twitter with them (and now my job is Social Media!).
So I am really proud to be part of the "Global Committee" of adidas Runners.
The summit takes place in the Public Hotel, I love the atmosphere.
Great moments spent with the team and I take advantage of the rooftop to create some handstand content 😉
AT THE END OF The Summit WE decide to explore New York City!
First stop: the adidas store on the 5th Avenue!
We had to take the pic with Adi 😉
Then we go to Time Square.
It is FREEZING (-12) so we do not stay long but still, this place is so impressive! It's the representation of the american consumerism/marketing but also of the american dream.
Time Square.
It's sunset time, so it's Top of the Rock time!
OMG NYC, how can you be so beautiful?
I witness a gorgeous sunset with a perfect view on the Empire State Building and on Manhattan. One of those moments that will make me smile for a long time ❤
Then direction Brooklyn because it is the week-eeeeeend.
We go for diner at Little Dokebi. Really nice atmosphere and really good Bibimbap.
Ok... it's Friday night... but i still feel sick and I want to run a half-marathon tomorrow 🙈 So bed!
DAY 9:
Difficult wake-up but no excuses: the marathon prep' is waiting for me!
Today is a 2hours run so I tell myself 21,1km.
Route: from Greenpoint to Williamsburg bridge, cross, run along the river until the Brooklyn Bridge (I knooooow, the dream), and run back (I did not want to go back through the industrial Brooklyn and I enjoyed the first half of the run too much).
To run on the Brooklyn Bridge is just a dream coming true.
As a reward we were supposed to go for brunch at Two Hands but it's a one hour waiting line and... I need to eat!
We then stop Around the corner at The Sosta...
DON'T GO there!
Worst avocado toast I had in my life. even the cappuccino was bad.
We then walk to the World Trade Center and the Oculus Shopping Mall via the financial district. The architecture there is really impressive.
We then have a walk in Central Park for sunset... one more iconic and unforgettable moment.
Once back in Brooklyn we go for diner at Franklin GuestHouse. Super nice place. A bit noisy (music load) and the portions are small but the food is really good.
DAY 10:
Last day 😢
I injured myself yesterday at the run so I cannot run. Hence we go for a walk in Brooklyn. We start by passing by the adidas Brooklyn Farm and then by Williamsburg. We end up at Sunday in Brooklyn for a brunch. It was so nice! The place is adorable and the menu looks promising. I take the pancakes (yes, once again ^^), so good, and a kale/quinoa/avocado salad, so good too.
Time to head back to grab my suitcase and direction the airport!
What an amazing trip I had...
A bit disappointed about myself that I got so sick and injured myself but I know I always overdo things 😒
I have the feeling I always end my articles by this but it's true: the people made my trip ❤
It was so nice to see my cousin and her husband and to see all the adidas teams!
Ok, the amazingness of NYC also played a role 😉
NYC, I will be back!
If you welcome me, I could even move here!