We booked our flights to New York at the end of November last year to visit our friends who had just moved there. 

We were very lucky and had to opportunity to stay with them the whole time, in their apartment in Upper West Side Manhattan. Whilst they continued with their week - working, gym etc it gave us the opportunity to explore during the days and hang out with them in the evenings and at the weekends, where they had lots of great things planned for us! It also kept us in our routine and getting up and out of the house early to explore. 

They already had loads of great recommendations for us from food to local bars! We wanted to explore Manhattan from a local point of view so staying with friends really got us stuck in! They knew all the great spots for happy hour, amazing food and great places to walk to see the city from a different perspective. We did alooot of walking and exploring different neighbourhoods, catching up with old friends and I even got a photoshoot in! 

During the days we visited loads of different areas, we got across to Dumbo in Brooklyn, down to Chelsea and found some great food spots, shops and walks. 

I feel like we only scratched the surface, but there are some many incredible things to do!

I’ve listed all the things we did for your next trip!