CAG on travel: NYC nostalgia

Luckily I'm off on holiday, and my first stop was New York City. Home to many of my friends and a lot of fun memories, I've been taking advantage of seeing as many people as possible and basically eating my way through New York.

Zucker's

One of my first stops in Manhattan was Zucker's in Midtown for a bagel. Eating bagels in New York is almost a right of passage. There are so many types of bagels to choose from, different spreads, and ways to have your bagel, that I was completely overwhelmed. I finally chose a tofu spinach spread on a wholewheat bagel, that made me feel thoroughly Californian.

Luckily I was also accompanied by my friend, guide, and artist extraordinaire, Jess.

Then we were off to a stroll in the incredibly sunny and spring-like Central Park.

Then on to a little shopping in Soho- the only place I actually know well in Manhattan!

California love!

Being ridiculous with friends at the DASH store Soho

Surprisingly on this trip, I spent a lot of time in Brooklyn. Many of my New York friends live in Brooklyn, but I have always considered Manhattan my main port of call when visiting the city. This time around it was so different to not only stay with friends in Brooklyn, but go out there, shop there, and even run in Prospect Park. It was all pretty new to me and very satisfying to feel like I was exploring a new place despite having visited New York so many times.

Tooker Alley, a dark moody Brooklyn bar

My next night out provided some more Brooklyn love at Montero's Bar. There were some real gem old school telephone booths, a wry bar hostess that you aren't sure loves or hates you, and some unexpected karaoke for the end of the night. Overall, my love for America was rekindled. Just to give a bit of insight into how a night can be jointly amazing and insane, here's a video of the bar lady taking on the karaoke mic, while continuing to serve drinks.