SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE NEW YORK HAUNTS

On our second full day in the city we split up with Anne C and Louise doing the Statue of Libery tour and visiting Central Park and Lizzy and I taking in two of our favourite places, before meeting up again on 5th Avenue.  

SOHO AND GREENWICH VILLAGE 

SoHo has always been one of our favourites, having a really neighbourly atmosphere, with the added advantage of some amazing shops.  Top of Lizzy's list was a visit to Tibi on Wooster Street.  As an American designer brand it is cheaper to buy in the US than in Europe, and Lizzy made the most of this buying both shoes and some amazing culottes - both of which she has featured on her lookbook (follow this link to view) on You Tube.  I visited a fabulous optical store Ilori on Spring Street and purchased some new optical frames, which I am sure will feature on this blog soon, followed up by a must do visit to Dean & Deluca, the greatest Deli ever.

Before going into SoHo we had walked from the apartment into Greenwich Village and re-visited Jeffrey's Grocery on Waverly Place for brunch. And it did not disappoint - it was as good as the last time we were there in 2014.  

The picture below really just says it all.  Such a simple, fresh breakfast but beautifully presented and oh so tasty. 

THE MAGNOLIA BAKERY 

After visiting SoHo we had taken a cab back into Greenwich Village to pay a special visit to the Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street and W 11th Street as it had been recommended by a friend.  Gosh, it has the most incredible cakes and I couldn't even finish the amazing carrot cake I am seen eating here as it was soooo large.  Definitely worth a trip - and there are a number of them in Manhattan so make sure to check out the website for the locations.  

GRAND CENTRAL STATION 

Later that afternoon we met up again with Anne and Louise and having taken in the Rockefeller Centre and 5th Avenue shops we dropped into Grand Central Station for a look around.  It is a destination in it's own right, with beautiful architecture and a real buzz with people coming and going, it also has various eateries and bars.  Most famous of all is the Oyster Bar but we were a little simpler in our tastes and on Lizzy's insistence we joined the queue for a Shake Shack burger.  Oh my, it was a queue worth joining - truly one of the best fast food burgers I have ever had, and putting that other famous burger joint to shame!