I haven’t visited New York City much in my life until recently. New York City can be so crowded and overwhelming. However, there are so many great places to visit, see, and eat. I went this past May and I became more intrigued to go back.  Nichole and myself wanted to go during the holiday season but time did not permit until after Christmas.  We hoped it would be less crowded and would still be able to enjoy the holiday décor. Even with the temperatures in the teens, we made our way to the train station and hopped on to Grand Central. We had a lot of sights in mind, but let’s be honest this trip was more for the food.

Once we got off the train, we went to Rockerfeller Center first and went to look at the Christmas tree. Most people go to the city just for that purpose. I took one obligatory picture and I was set. I was more into all the buildings and other décor around that area. Since we were close by, we walked over to Times Square to get some more sightseeing in and checked out the Hershey's store. It’s cool to see the massive candy bars but that place is way overpriced.

From there, we went to the Bryant Park Winter Village which includes 176 vendors, an ice skating rink and merry-go-round. Many popular restaurants and food trucks set up shop for the holiday season, bring lots of deliciousness to one spot! The scenery is surreal with the feel of a small village in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world. This was my type of spot to say the least,

First up, Wafels & Dinges. Their specialty was Belgian waffles with various toppings and flavors to choose from. So many decisions but we went with the S’mores waffle which consisted of marshmallows, speculoos spread and Belgian chocolate fudge. This was a splendid first treat/breakfast.

Once we got breakfast in our bellies, we walked around Bryant Park a bit more and Nichole found our next must have...mini donuts! I can’t pass up on some mini donuts.  Doughtnuttery was on my donut list for NYC.  They have pretty intriguing flavors.  Each donut was tossed in sugary goodness. While the flavors didn’t really taste like what they said, they were still pretty good.  The flavors we got consisted of vanilla, lavender, & pistachio and rosemary, roasted cornmeal, & fig.

The Flatiron District was our main destination for the afternoon. After ubering around, I was ready for more donuts. Number one on my donut research was Dough. Fortunately, they did have a location in the Flatiron District. Needless to say, Dough was phenomenal. Some of the best donuts I have had. Definitely blog worthy. If you want see more, check out my previous blog post, here.

The buildings and skyscrapers in NYC are breathtaking. The Flatiron Building is a triangular 22 story steel-framed building in Manhattan. My hands were frozen, my phone kept shutting off, I couldn’t stop taking pictures. You don’t see buildings like that every day. If you get a chance, go see it!

A late lunch was in store as the donuts wore off. Eataly was our food destination of choice.  This large marketplace consisted of a variety of restaurants, bakeries, retail shops to buy fresh pasta & cheese, Nutella cafe, and even a cooking school. Everything Italian. You name it, they had it. You could get yourself a fresh cannoli, a lean cut of meat, or a drink at the bar.

Prior to the trip, we noticed there was a pop up restaurant on the 14th floor of Eataly, called Baita.  This was an Italian Alps themed restaurant. I was sold on that. Once we were seated, I noticed the retractable roof and the intricate heaters throughout to keep that cozy vibe.  There was a view of the city skyline depending where you sat. A lot of the décor resembled what you would find in a ski lodge. I liked the idea behind it. However, the menu wasn’t the best.  And, the food was really pricey. I saw the portion sizes people were eating and they were pretty small.  Ordering just appetizers was our best bet. Polenta was a popular item on the menu so we tried their “Zucca” which consisted of polenta, squash, thyme & parmesan reggiano. The other intriguing items we ordered were wagyu beef skewers seasoned in olive oil and the beer battered fried piave cheese.  The beef skewers were awesome. The Polenta was just okay and the fried cheese was pretty greasy so I stopped eating them not to get sick. In hindsight, we should have just had a drink at the bar. The atmosphere wasn’t worth the disappointing meal. We were still hungry!

 The great part about NYC is that food is literally everywhere. The bad meal didn’t hold us down. I had to find a can’t miss bite. Who doesn’t like grilled cheese!?!?! There was a Melt Shop nearby and this hit the spot. Me and Nichole shared a pepper jack buffalo chicken grilled cheese and a wonderful milkshake. We couldn’t decide what flavor so the server just combined both for us, Nutella and Oreo. Absolute heaven.

For the cherry on top, you can’t leave New York City without a slice of pizza. Before we hopped back on the train at Grand Central, we stopped at Previti’s Pizza. The reviews were not lying. Great slice of pizza. That was a nice way to end our adventurous and gluttonous day in the city. And, our last trip of 2017.  I can’t wait for more adventures and exploration in 2018.

HIKING FOR DONUTS

A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast

Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.

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