Okay so our islands are a bit different to Manhattan, but let’s not get caught up in details.

The important thing is we love New York. We’ve spent quite a bit of time talking about the best way to see this city – and there are a lot of options.

Strolling through the chaotic streets of the Big Apple is definitely one of the best ways to see this amazing island city. There’s nothing like that street level in-the-thick-of-it feeling.

If you want a bird’s eye view, head to one of the many tourist-friendly skyscrapers. Or if you’re Donald Trump, hop in a helicopter and do it in real style!

For us though, the most unique views of Manhattan were from the deck of a boat. Mrs Romance has wanted to sail the Hudson River for ages. She’s no sailor, but the words ‘cruise’, ‘sunset’ and ‘romantic’ in a setting like New York loaded her imagination.

Mrs Romance’s imagination wasn’t to be disappointed.

After a hot tip from Nikki from Styling You, Mrs R booked a sunset sail on the Schooner Adirondack. This 80-foot schooner sets sail regularly on the Hudson. She holds up to 42 guests so you never feel too crowded.

The cruise lasts for two hours and takes  you south along to the tip of Manhattan and out to get a closer view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. As we sailed out along the river – Manhattan on our left and New Jersey on our right – we drank in the views.

Talking of drinking, every guest is served a few complimentary beverages during the cruise. Choose from local craft beers, sparkling wine or soft drinks.

As we sipped our refreshments, the low-rise of the Meatpacking District and the West Village gave way to the towering skyscrapers of the money district and Wall Street. We finally came to Battery Park and the end of the island.

We headed towards Staten Island, passing the beautiful Statue of Liberty.

By the time we turned around and started on our homeward leg, the sun was perched on Lady Liberty’s shoulder, dipping towards the western horizon.

Ellis Island – historically more important but visually somewhat less dramatic – looked dark and industrial in the fading light. We wondered at all the people coming to America all those years ago. Seeking their dreams, a new life, a new world.

Manhattan looked amazing as we coasted back to port. The lights of the metropolis glimmered and sparkled in the night sky, and the sleepless city showed us her bright eyes.

We docked back at Chelsea Piers with the rest of the evening ahead of us.

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There are other ways to explore New York by water. The Staten Island Ferry, the Circular Line Ferry… you could even kayak if you wanted to. But this sailing cruise is definitely the best way to see the greatest city in the world.

Summary:

Who?

www.sail-nyc.com

Where?

The Schooner Adirondack sets sail from Chelsea Piers off West 22nd Street.

How much?

Prices will differ depending on the type of cruise. The sunset cruise was $64 per person.

Tickets are available online at www.sail-nyc.com/schooner-adirondack-sails

How long?

The cruise lasts for two hours and goes as far as the northern point of Staten Island, past Liberty Island.

What’s included?

Drinks are included but not food. On your way to depart at Chelsea Pier, stop in at the Chelsea Market to pick up a picnic for on board. We recommend stopping The Lobster Place for a lobster roll. Delicious!

Images by Mrs Romance.

The post Romance in New York City – Sailing the Hudson River appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Like the Brits, Americans seem to really enjoy a queue. It must be the Italian in me that wants to always get around the system.

For many things in New York you should expect to wait, like tourist attractions, restaurants (even with a reservation) and taxis at peak hour.

I’m not that patient. When our friends told us about how good the Express line at the Empire State Building was, we didn’t hesitate to jump the queues.

Normal ticket prices for the Empire State Building are $27 but for $50 you can get behind the velvet ropes and up to the 86th floor in only a couple of minutes.

The best thing about the Express line are the open-mouthed stares from tired tourists waiting in the queue while uniformed guards call a lift just for you.

Especially when you go at sunset like we did. The queues are often the longest just before sunset so the Express ticket is really worth it. You don’t want to miss the sun set over Manhattan because you’re in the queue.

You want to see this view.

The other best thing about the Express tickets is that they allow you to queue jump on the way down too. You might not mind waiting an hour to get up to the viewing platform, but you will go crazy with the queues to get out of the building.

It’s also worth it if you’re only having a short stay in the city and don’t want to waste any time. If it’s your first trip to New York, you’ll want to check out our first-timer’s guide to NYC for our complete city tips.

If you’re cheap and don’t want to pay the extra for the Express tickets, you’ll have to go outside the peak times to beat the queues. The Empire State Building is open from 8am to 2am daily and arrive first thing or after 11pm for the shortest queues.

But the question remains, do you prefer the views from The Empire State Building or Top of the Rock?

Images by Mrs Romance.

The post How to beat the queues at the Empire State Building appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

When people ask me why I love NYC, I say it’s because it has something for everyone. Whatever you want, at any time of the day, you can do it. You can also probably get it delivered.

It’s impossible to write an exhaustive list for New York so please leave a comment with your NYC hot tips.

Our first-timer’s guide to New York City:

Navigating NYC

They say New York is an inch wide and a mile deep.

It’s a perfect description for Manhattan. Each part of the city is like a separate village and has its own personality. Have fun exploring all over the island.

Some village names refer to where they are eg SoHo (south of Houston St), NoHo (north of Houston), Tribeca (triangle below Canal St), Nolita (north of Little Italy), so it’s even easier to work out where you are – providing you know the locals’ code!

Navigation tips – looking at a map:

• Avenues run vertically. Count from 1st Ave, on the right of Manhattan, through to 12th on the left.
• Streets run horizontally. Numbering starts Downtown in the southern end (Lower Manhattan) and counts up as you go Uptown.
• East/West streets are labelled depending on which side of 5th Avenue they are.
• Broadway runs diagonally across the avenues and at each intersection is a square (Union Sq, Madison Sq, Washington Sq, Lincoln Sq etc).
• Once you get into the pointy end at the south, things cross in funny ways, eg 4th St crosses with 11th St and there are more street names.

Nb. Houston St is pronounced ‘Howston’ not ‘Hewston’, which confused me as I thought it was said the same as Houston, Texas.

The clear street system makes it so easy to know where things are.

Taxis

Taxis are cheap and easy to use. They all take card now as well. Cab fare from JFK Airport is a fixed rate and there’s a cab queue as you exit baggage claim. When you get in a cab, even if you know the street number, you have to give a cross street so they know where to go (and all cabbies know where to go, which is awesome) eg. 7th & West 11th or 56th & 8^th.

When you give taxis directions like this, you always give the avenue name then the street name – so 7th & West 11th means 7th Avenue and West 11th Street.

The subway

If you’re in town for a week, buy a weekly pass. It also includes buses. When using a non-US credit card at the machine, put 99999 as your zip code.

So you don’t look like a tourist, have your ticket in hand when you go down into the station so you can swipe and go straight through the turnstiles. You don’t need your ticket to exit. Download the NYC subway app, which is really useful.

Things to do in NYC

• Empire State vs Top of the Rock – I love both and think they are very different views of the city. We’ve included links to both buildings’ websites below.
  Our tip: if you’re on a tight schedule (and hate queues), splurge and buy the Empire State Express tickets. They’re not even really that expensive and you get to queue jump everyone. Sunset is the best, and most popular time to go.
• Walk the High Line – an abandoned rail line is now a thriving urban park. It runs from the Meatpacking district to Midtown. It runs under the Standard Hotel, where there are food carts. Buy a popsicle and enjoy the beautiful space and great views of the city.

• Get some culture – MoMA is not to be missed. it’s free from 4-8pm on Friday nights but the crowds are bigger then. You must also go to the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met). If you’re not into culture, you should still go to the Met just for the rooftop views over Central Park. They usually have a special exhibition up there and there’s a small bar too.
  Your Met ticket also gives you access to the Cloisters, which is way uptown but feels like you’re not in NYC anymore. It’s really worth a visit if you have time.
• Central Park – Stop by Wholefoods at Columbus Circle and take a picnic lunch to the park. You can spend days exploring this huge park, and just relax and enjoy the green space in the middle of the city. Hire a bike to get around if you want to explore further.

• 9/11 Memorial – Explore downtown and pay your respects at the memorial. You must book online before you go.
• Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge – get great views as you walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. Take the first exit off and walk back under the bridge back to the shore and go to Grimaldi’s for pizza. There’s always a queue but it’s worth the wait. It’s popular with locals and tourists alike.
  Then head down to DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Brooklyn Overpass) and take the East River Ferry back to Manhattan.
• Explore Brooklyn – The ferry is a great way to visit Brooklyn. It goes from the bottom tip of Manhattan via Brooklyn & Williamsburg to Midtown (34th St). Brooklyn Flea is an amazing market on weekends. Smorgasburg is a food market on Saturdays at the Williamsburg ferry stop. SO GOOD. This is a must-do. On Sundays the market is a mix of vintage/craft and food. On Saturdays there’s also a bigger flea market at Fort Greene. Awesome shopping.

• Statue of Liberty – we didn’t visit Liberty Island as you need to book tickets in advance. Book them now before you go. I’ve heard you can give this a miss.
• Staten Island Ferry – a free way to see the Statue of Liberty and which is quite fun. It’s a commuter ferry so don’t go at peak hour.
• Broadway shows – you can buy cheap tickets on the day from the booths on the street. The top shows are only slightly discounted (if available) but other shows are up to 50% off. You can also buy online at Broadwaybox.com. Tuesday nights are best, it’s when locals go out.
• Jazz – there are lots of great jazz bars in the city. It’s not Mr Romance’s thing but on my first trip I went to Dizzy’s at Columbus Circle. Press the button for jazz and go up to level 5. Best to book ahead – but you can just turn up on the night. It’s a smallish venue and it looks over Central Park.
• Sail the Hudson at sunset – One of the most romantic things to do on a summer’s day – book here. Stop by Chelsea Market on the way to the yacht and pick up some lobster rolls for supper. Here’s a bit more about our cruise with more pics too: Romance in New York City – sailing the Hudson River.

Other places to go/things to do

Check out the squares:

• Columbus Circle and Trump Tower – Broadway & Central Park W
• Times Square (for a second) – Broadway & W42nd St (better at night)
• General Worth Square (aka Madison Square Gardens) – Broadway & 23^rd St
• Union Square Park – Broadway & 14^th St

Check out the parks:

• Bryant Park – Behind NY Public Library between Avenue of the Americas and 5^th Avenue (W 40^th St) – lots of summer events including an outdoor cinema
• Battery Park – southern tip of Manhattan
• Washington Square Park – Southern end of 5^th Avenue, Noho

Check out the buildings:

• Rockefeller Center – 45 Rockefeller Plaza, Midtown
• Empire State Building – 350 5th Ave (cnr W 34^th St), Midtown – and here are our tips for how to beat the queues to the top of the Empire State Building.
• Flatiron Building – 175 5th Ave, at 23rd St
• Grand Central Station – 89 E 42^nd Street, Park Ave & 42^nd St, Midtown
• Chrysler Building – 405 Lexington Ave, 42^nd/43^rd Street, Midtown
• New York Public Library – E 42^nd Street and Fifth Avenue, Midtown
• The Plaza (& the Plaza food hall) – Fifth Avenue at Central Park South

Celeb spotting

On Location Vacations tells you where TV shows and movies are filming in the city but you can spot them from the huge trailers parked in the side streets.

Celebs are everywhere, and you can spot them by looking for the people who are trying to look inconspicuous! Just keep your eyes open and you’ll see familiar faces in the most normal locations. Soho, Chelsea and the West Village are top spots. Also the Meatpacking district and East Village.

Shopping

Australians go crazy in American shops. Not only is the exchange rate in our favour at the moment, but the prices are lower and the choices are huge. So many places now offer shipping to Australia, but these are my picks if you fancy filling up an extra suitcase for your return trip (we bought an extra one at Century 21 and filled it, by the way!)

Great shops we don’t have in Australia

• Anthropologie
• BCBGMaxAzria
• Kate Spade
• J Crew
• H&M
• Uniqlo – best value cashmere jumpers and basics – it’s like a Japanese Zara
• Zara is way better in the US too
• Forever 21 (fast cheap young fashion but bargains you can’t ignore)
• Sephora – my beauty superstore
• MAC  – makeup is so much cheaper
• Fishy eddys for cute and cheap homewares
• ABC Kitchen – 7 levels of homewares

Gorgeous department stores:

• Bloomingdales
• Saks
• Nordstrom’s
• Bergdorf Goodman
• Henri Bendel
• Macy’s

Century 21 – discount department store and I mean serious discounts. But be prepared for crowds, elbows and stock everywhere.

Woodbury Commons Outlet Mall – If you really want to shop, get a bus out to the outlet mall in New Jersey. You can do this in half a day but most even those who hate to shop can spend a day here.

Also explore the Manhattan neighbourhoods like the West Village and Soho and head to Brooklyn and Williamsburg to shop at smaller boutiques.

Where to Eat in NYC

Eating is New York is so good! This is just a taste of some of the places we went to.

For most NYC restaurants you can make reservations through Open Table,  except for La Esquina, which is by phone or on its own website.

• La Esquina – 114 Kenmare Street, Nolita – don’t be fooled by the café and taqueria, there’s a secret subterranean restaurant underneath.
• Momofuku Ssam Bar – 207 2nd avenue, cnr East 13^th – no bookings, just have a cocktail next door while you wait. Itls worth going to all of the Momofuku restaurants.
• The Spotted Pig – 314 W. 11^th Street (cnr Greenwich St), West Village –they do an awesome burger and brunch – Jay Z is one of the owners just so you know.
• Extra Virgin – W. 4^th St (near Perry St), West Village – amazing food and cosy atmosphere.
• Street vendors – get a Philly cheese steak (careful, the hot sauce is just that!)
• Whitman’s burgers – 406 E. 9th Street, East Village – try their Juicy Lucy.
• The Shake Shack – Madison Square Park, Theatre District, Upper West Side, Battery Park, Upper East Side – Always a queue but it’s worth it.
• Whole Foods – Everywhere, but the Columbus Circle store is incredible. Best supermarket ever.
• Jack’s Wife Freda – 224 Lafayette St, Nolita – Fab breakfast and brunch.
• Bouchon Bakery – Few locations around the city. Their salted caramel macarons are the best outside of Paris.
• Balthazar – 80 Spring Street, Soho (between Broadway and Crosby) – Divine French bistro open from breakfast to late.
• Union Square Coffee Shop – 29 Union Square West – Open 23 hours! Most of the wait staff are models too.
• ABC Kitchen – 888 Broadway (between 18th and 19th Sts) – Gorgeous store and café, great for lunch.
• Eataly – 200 5th Avenue (between 23rd and 24th Sts) – Shop and eat at the same time in this Italian food hall. Also check out the Birreria on the roof.
• Cafe Cluny – Corner of W4th and W12th great brunch and cocktails
• The Waverly Inn -? 16 Bank street (at Greenwich Avenue) cozy bar and restaurant
• Tremont – 51 Bank St (at West 4th) great brunch and dinner
• Joe Coffee – scattered all over the city, these places do good coffee! Thanks to our friend Declan from jettjacobs.com for the recommendation.

For more restaurant tips check out A Taste of Travel.

Where to drink in NYC

• The Bar Room – 117 E. 60^th Street, Upper East Side
• Waldorf Astoria – Peacock Alley  –  301 Park Avenue
• Le Bain on top of The Standard – 848 Washington at 13th Street, Meatpacking District
• Dive bars in Nolita and Little Italy.
• Gallow Green, McKittrick Hotel – 524 W. 27^th Street, Chelsea (closed during autumn & winter)
• Birreria above Eataly – 200 5th Avenue, Flatiron District
• Beauty & Essex –  146 Essex St – Looks like a pawn shop but is really a very cool bar inside. The ladies’ bathroom even has its own champagne bar. We also ate here but you must book ahead
• Employees Only – 510 Hudson St (between Christopher and W 10th St) – Look for the psychic and go through to find this very cool, hidden speakeasy
• The Mermaid Oyster Bar -? 79 MacDougal St (at Houston) – Fab happy hour from 5-7pm
• Ofrenda – 113 7th Avenue (at Christopher street) – Outdoor seating in summer for Happy Hour
• Lure Fishbar in SoHo – 142 Mercer Street at Prince – Another good happy hour from 5-7pm

Where to stay in NYC

• Ace Hotel – 20 W 29th St, (at Broadway)
• Soho House – 29–35 Ninth Ave, (at 13th St)
• The Standard – 848 Washington St, (at W 13th St)
• Wythe Hotel – 80 Wythe Ave, (at North 11th St)
• The Plaza – 768 Fifth Ave, (at Central Park South)
• Algonquin Hotel – 59 W 44th St , (between Fifth and Sixth Aves) ?
• Hotel Americano – 518 W 27th St, (between Tenth and Eleventh Aves)
• There are some great deals to be had here via TripAdvisor and here via Travelocity.
• Rent an apartment – Accommodation in New York is notoriously expensive so if staying for longer, consider renting an apartment. We love booking through Airbnb (last time we stayed in this apartment)

Wi-Fi

Just look for a Starbucks to find free Wi-Fi.  Yelp.com is a great app to help you find places on the go.

Ask a local

Our final tip is to talk to New Yorkers. They love to share their favourite parts of the city and will always have great advice for where to go.

Thanks to The Blog Stylist,  A Taste of Travel and Ms Critique for their invaluable travel advice. We wouldn’t have been able to write this list or have such an incredible time in the Big Apple without their travel tips.

PS. wear comfy shoes – you walk a lot in NYC x

What else would you add to our NYC list?

Images by Mrs Romance.

The post The Ultimate First-timer’s Guide to New York City appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

New York City really does have everything. But how are its burgers? A city’s burger – after all – is the window into its culinary soul! Mrs Romance and I decided to check out two places that had been recommended to us for their patties.

It proved to be a journey that would take us from the West Village to East Village – across the southern end of Manhattan Island. We would venture along the notorious Christopher Street (someone we know got mugged there at gun-point) and almost the full length of 9th Street.

On our way we have a chance encounter with a West Village local who, though clearly mad, was a very nice lady. Hilary Swank used to live next door to her and ol’ Hils would have a ladder from her back garden into Barbara’s so she could avoid the paparazzi.

Anyway, onto the burgers.

We began in the West Village – mostly because that’s where we were staying. The Spotted Pig on 314 W. 11th Street, is well-known in the area for its burgers – among other things.

The Spotted Pig Burger

Cost: $20

Comes with a huge pile of super SUPER skinny fries that look more like string than potato. The fries are really good but they’re kind of hard to eat. They twist up and fall out of your fingers and they’re too small to work well with a fork.

But they’re salty and delicious and you just can’t stop stuffing them into your fat mouth! Even better, they come with deep-fried rosemary leaves and fine slivers of deep-fried garlic!

The burger was supreme. Well-rested, it wasn’t messy and my plate was virtually dry by the end of it. The meat was cooked perfectly – medium-rare to order. The gruyere cheese was sharp and buttery and the brioche bun was soft, sweet and spongy.

The only thumbs-down: it doesn’t have any other filling or garnish. No pickle, no tomato, not even any lettuce. Just meat, cheese and a whole lot of happy!

Scores out of 5:

Mrs Romance: 4.5
Mr Romance: 4

Trekking across Manhattan to the East Village, we avoid all gun menace but did bump into Barbara – dear mad Barbara. She’s the pensioner I mentioned earlier who lived next door to Hilary Swank. Barbara has had her rent frozen at about $1700 since 1980. She also has a garden. In Manhattan. In the West Village.

Anyway, Whitman’s is at 406 East 9th Street, East Village and is a burger joint. That’s all it does. We were excited.

Whitman’s

Mrs Romance went for a Juicy Lucy and I had a Bluicy (with blue cheese and now discontinued). Both burgers were $11 each.

The fries here were good – a few stuck together but on the whole they were thick, tasty and moreish. I stopped Mrs R ordering sweet potato fries. Regret.

The Juicy Lucy lived up to her name big time! The mess on Mrs R’s plate was almost visceral. The Bluicy was much less messy but very tasty.

These burgers were unusual in that the cheese was stuffed inside the patty, so as you bite into the meat, you’re greeted by an oozy cheese pocket. Lovely stuff!

Both burgers came with garnish – lettuce, tomato and pickle. The Juicy Lucy also had an excellent onion relish and the Bluicy had an enormous slice of red onion with it.

The Bluicy

Mrs Romance: 3.2
Mr Romance: 3.0

The Juicy Lucy

Mrs Romance: 3.75/4.0
Mr Romance: 3.5

Over all, we both preferred the Spotted Pig but for a simple burger joint, Whitman’s provides a stomach-gurglingly good meal.

Also, the Spotted Pig has a bit more of a budget behind it; I mean, it is owned by Jay Z after all.

Images by Mrs Romance.

The post Where is the best burger in New York, NYC? appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Mrs Romance loves it here. The views are incredible – all the way south over the villages and the financial district, and then west over the Hudson all the way down to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We find the atmosphere this time of the afternoon is as chilled as the margaritas, which aren’t too expensive.

Here’s our full review of Le Bain and the Top of The Standard.

We discover Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. It’s full of people having fun, performing, playing chess or just taking in the scene. It even a marble arch, as every great city should. This one’s almost 120 years old.

Hunting the LOVE sculpture in New York is something people like to do. I – on the other hand – just bump into it as I wander the streets eating a giant pretzel.

This is the giant pretzel I’m eating as I stroll around Manhattan. It’s only $2, which I’m pleased about. It’s really weird. On the other hand, I’m pretty sure I’ve made a good choice. The hotdogs the guy’s selling from his little cart look quite dodgy.

Evidence of Mrs Romance’s shopping spree. To her credit, she’s very excited about her new shoes. I’m still a little confused as she only has two feet. Anyway…

Heading to 30 Rockefeller Center, we take a trip up to the Top of the Rock. The views from here are incredible. North, we can look out over Central Park. It’s a vista you don’t get from the Empire State Building – the other top view of the city from these parts.

Looking south over Manhattan, you get a real understanding of what an incredible place you’re in. These old binoculars are great too, with important buildings marked out as you pan round.

Our apartment in the West Village is right in the heart of Brownstone territory. The view from our living room window shows off the neighbourhood at its leafy best.

Some of the buildings on our street are the very picture of New York. We’re living next door to Willem Dafoe, and across the street is where Sex in the City was filmed.

We’re not huge Carrie fans but her famous brownstone stoop have forced the building’s real occupants to put up a rope and signs to stop visitors climbing up to the door.

Round the corner from our place is this beautiful little park and fountain.They’re all over the city and make us wish we lived here even more. We can both imagine spending time on one of these little oases, reading, writing, talking, eating…

Thinking of eating, we stopped by Bleeker Street Pizza for this late-night cheese fest. The bottle of Brooklyn Lager in the corner is a full-size bottle by the way. Needless to say, we had some left over!

Another rooftop bar we visit turns out to be even cooler than Le Bain. Gallow Green is about as cool as you can get before people think you’re just putting it on. Great drinks, perfect atmosphere, a train carriage we can’t work out how they got up to the roof and probably the best people watching outside Grand Central Station.

At the top of the McKittrick Hotel, its rail theme comes from being so close to the High Line park and the Hudson Rail Yards redevelopment project in Chelsea.

We meet up with the exceptional Reagan of @reagan_b and of Hairdresser on Fire fame on the High Line. It’s the first time I’ve had the pleasure but Mrs Romance – in her Hair Romance capacity – is old friends with her.

Mrs Romance spotted this flower stand on the street somewhere. She insisted on including this picture. I don’t mind because it gives me the chance to tell you about a very important post. Here’s what He Said, She Said when men should buy women flowers.

Here’s our swan song before we head for the airport and home: our last American burger. And it’s a belter! Mrs Romance is very happy with the amount of onion involved. I’m just happy with this one in general!

We found this on our doorstep in the West Village: an excellent little restaurant called Extra Virgin.

Goodbye New York! We’ll be back as soon as we can… you never know, it might be sooner than you think!

As a little addendum to our diary, we thought you might like to see this incredible lightning storm we saw pass under our plane on the way home:

Ever seen lightning at 30,000 feet?! Here’s a vid of the storm we flew over! #AmericanRomance #cloudporm #storm #lightning by @mrandmrsromance

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Here are some more of our Instagram diaries from across the USA:

American Romance – Instagram diary: San Diego Part 1.

American Romance – Instagram diary: San Francisco.

American Romance – Instagram diary: San Diego Part 2.

American Romance – Instagram diary: Chicago.

American Romance – Instagram diary: New York City Part 1.

American Romance – Instagram diary: New York City Part 2.

Images by Mr and Mrs Romance via Instagram: @MrAndMrsRomance, @HairRomance and of course @AngryBastard!

The post American Romance: New York City – Part 3 appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

It’s an incredible place where anything can – and often does – happen. It’s like being on a movie set. This is partly because you’ve seen it so many times in films but also because it just has that vibe. At first you’re finishing your meal or a conversation and you expect to hear “Snap! Okay, guys that’s a wrap. Let’s break for lunch.”

Obviously, that doesn’t happen.

Our trip up to the Empire State Building makes us feel like film stars though. Not just because of how famous this beautiful building is but because how we go up there.

Most people are willing to wait (lord only knows why) up to two hours to get to the top floor, and then another 45 minutes to get back down. Our friends Paul and Sarah, who we randomly met in Manhattan a long way from Sydney, told us to get the express passes.

Best. Advice. Ever.

Here’s the page for tickets to the Empire State Building. Go for the Main Deck + Top Deck Express Pass. No regrets! You get to queue jump everything.

Yes, we get a couple of filthy looks and yes, we have to wear Kevlar stab vests as we walk past the much more patient folks waiting in line. But take the feeling of a friend picking you up from the airport right next to the taxi line and multiply it by a million.

As the sun sets over Manhattan, we watch the the city lights come on. It’s quite a show.

The next night we (and Sarah and Paul) go to Momofuku’s Noodle Bar on 1st Avenue in NoHo. We have a cocktail while we wait for a table. The food there is amazing – the steamed pork buns are insane.

Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge is something you should definitely do while you’re in New York. It’s often very busy, and the cyclists hurtling up and down the narrow path don’t make things any easier, but it’s well worth the walk.

The beautiful Brooklyn Bridge.

The view of Manhattan from Brooklyn. We get back to the Big Apple on the East River Ferry. It’s not expensive and it’s a lovely way to see the shores of New York.

Mrs Romance chooses a fig mojito in one of our favourite bars in NYC – The Bar Room. Beautiful cocktails, beautiful service and a beautiful place. Here’s our review on the Bar Room.

The lovely Darragh, working behind the bar, tells us to go the Peacock Alley bar in the Waldorf Astoria.

The Waldorf is one of the most beautiful hotels in the whole of the New York. It’s full of glamour and glitz, and the Peacock Alley is a favourite bar to some of the world’s biggest film stars.

And the cocktails in the Peacock Alley… awesome!

We finally find a decent coffee in New York – the rosetta’s not up to much but flavour-wise it’s the business. This is in a cute little cafe – Jack’s Wife Freda is on Lafayette Street in Nolita.

I have the Mediterranean breakfast and am well happy. Mrs Romance gets the eggs and haloumi and isn’t disappointed either.

Our generous AirBnB hosts leave us some delicious cupcakes from the famous Magnolia Bakery just around the corner. Mrs Romance enjoys the best of both views: cupcake and our balcony!

We head west to New Jersey and the Woodbury Common outlet centre. It has some serious designer bargains for serious shoppers. Getting there and back can be a hassle though. Our bus takes an hour to get there but traffic makes the return trip a 2-and-a-half hour drive.

Mrs R heads to a business meeting and I set out on my own Ghostbusters tour and find the lions of the New York Library: the opening scene of the first Ghostbusters. Awesome!

Up on the Upper West Side, I hunt down Spook Central – the apartment block in Ghostbusters. It’s much smaller than I’m expecting – and the gargoyles are somewhere in LA. Still, this is a very nice building right next to Central Park.

It’s very hard to go past a burger place in the States. Especially when it’s a Shake Shack burger.

Here’s the queue for Shake Shack. It moves mercifully quickly, but I’ve never seen a line this big for a burger… but you know what? I’d queue up again!

Here are some more of our Instagram diaries from across the USA:

American Romance – Instagram diary: San Diego Part 1.

American Romance – Instagram diary: San Francisco.

American Romance – Instagram diary: San Diego Part 2.

American Romance – Instagram diary: Chicago.

American Romance – Instagram diary: New York City Part 1.

American Romance – Instagram diary: New York City Part 3.

Images by Mr and Mrs Romance via Instagram: @MrAndMrsRomance, @HairRomance and of course @AngryBastard!

The post American Romance: New York City – Part 2 appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

There are several techniques I employ to cope. In fact here are some tips for shopping with your partner. Even in the midst of a Bloomingdale’s shoe sale, Mrs R knew the importance of a post-shop drink. She put me in charge of finding a nearby.

I consulted Yelp.com and discovered The Bar Room on 60th Street between Lexington and Park avenues in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. It proved to be the best off-the-cuff decision we could make.

Only open a few weeks, The Bar Room has done an incredible job creating a space that felt like it’d been around for a hundred years. It has an old Parisian speakeasy feel, which is beautiful, old-worldy and something you’d expect to find in the middle of New York City… but not these days.

Behind the bar, Darragh explained it all – and she certainly knew her stuff. The bar itself was designed and made from African Mahogany in the 1880s. It’s one of only eight like it left in the world; five are in museums, the others are scattered around Manhattan.

Darragh served us a couple of delicious cocktails from the excellent drinks menu and we soon forgot about the efforts of shopping. I was almost tempted by the whiskey cabinet next to the beautiful old grandfather clock, and the food menus look good too.

There’s a small but interesting range of tap beer available too, but we were way too taken by the feel of the place (and the cocktail menu) to not be extravagant. The Bar Room really is a place to live (and drink) like you’re in the roaring ‘20s. If there were ever a place to escape prohibition, this is where you’d go.

The Bar Room’s not on its own either; it shares ownership with Bar 6 in the West Village. Both places are often incredibly busy and quite loud with the after-work crowd. But when we were there in the late afternoon, things were peaceful, just for a while.

The Bar Room
117 E. 60th Street
New York, NY 10022
btwn. Lexington & Park

Images by Mrs Romance

The post Where to drink in NYC – The Bar Room, Upper East Side, New York City appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

One of the first things we do while we’re here is go on a sailing cruise of the Hudson River. It’s an excellent thing to do and gives you a great new perspective on Manhattan, New Jersey and the other islands.

It’s also pretty glam, we reckon! Book through sail-nyc.com, who set you up on 80-foot sailing schooners with no more than 39 more shipmates to keep you company.

We sail right past Lady Liberty. She certainly strikes an impressive figure right out here on the Hudson.

Our street in the West Village is lined with brownstones full of famous people. Ours is apparently next door to Willem Dafoe’s. He’s a pretty good neighbour though – we don’t catch sight nor sound from him.

As we explore the streets of the Big Apple, we hit Times Square for as little time as possible. It’s crazy, and full of tourists and randomly naked, body-painted weirdos.

It’s true you can see anything in New York. Here’s a burn-out van on Broadway, metres from the Flatiron Building and Madison Square Park. If you look closely, you can even see the Empire State Building peeping out from the background.

The cheese section (or one of them) at Eataly, next to the Flatiron Building, Manhattan. I want a bed of cheese! #AmericanRomance #cheese by @mrandmrsromance

While we’re in the area, we drop in at Eataly for lunch. The cheese counter – or at least one of the many – is awesome.

Upstairs on the roof of Eataly is Birrera. The list of brews puts a smile on my face!

The views from Birrera are as good as the food and the beer. This is how close we are to the Flatiron.

The shopping in New York is another must. Everything’s here. For Mr Romance…

My spiritual home – if only the States would lift the embargo and sell Cuban cigars Still, a two-storey humidor is a pretty cool I must admit. by @angrybastard

…and for Mrs Romance.

We spend half a beautiful day exploring Central Park.

The view of the Pond from Bow Bridge is pretty special.

We finally make our way to the roof bar of the Met Museum. Here’s the view of the Upper East Side. Now let’s play Where’s Wally!

And looking the other way, the Upper West Side. This time Wally’s much easier to find!

Views of the Manhattan skyline & Central Park from the roof of the Met Museum. And a cameo from @hairromance! #AmericanRomance #nyc by @mrandmrsromance

The sun sets behind the Lady of Liberty, but the city of New York is just waking up…

—

Here are some more of our Instagram diaries from across the USA:

American Romance – Instagram diary: San Diego Part 1.

American Romance – Instagram diary: San Francisco.

American Romance – Instagram diary: San Diego Part 2.

American Romance – Instagram diary: Chicago.

American Romance – Instagram diary: New York City Part 2.

American Romance – Instagram diary: New York City Part 3.

Images by Mr and Mrs Romance via Instagram: @MrAndMrsRomance, @HairRomance and of course @AngryBastard!

The post American Romance: New York City – Part 1 appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Working your way into this almost painfully cool roof bar can be difficult. It’s quite tempting to laugh the bar off completely when the door staff try to fob you off with silly stories of the place being closed for private events.

Our advice: don’t give up. And don’t try to get in on a Saturday night in shorts and a T-shirt. Instead, head there just when the place opens – 4 pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and 2pm the rest of the time.

As and when you do get in, the venue delivers with an impressive initial indoor bar. This is where the place gets its name. Le Bain has a spa bath you can have a dip in if you so wish!

We chose not to do so. Even if it were open, we got the impression you’d need to be some kind of supermodel to get away with having a dunk here.

Further on and up a set of stairs we finally came to the roof bar proper. Much more laid back but still taking itself quite seriously, we felt much more comfortable here. It was as if being out in the sunshine and fresh air, the cooped-up coolness of the lower bar was set free up here.

It could also be the view: I think it trumps what even the coolest people have going on. Views south downtown and along Manhattan’s riverbank shores, west over the sparkling Hudson River and further out over New Jersey… you can even see down onto the famous High Line Park.

The bar itself is very New York. Beautiful people serving well-made cocktails in a breath-taking venue. And it’s worth every effort it takes to get here.

Le Bain is cleverly decked out to look like a sophisticated garden party. Low chairs and tables carefully scattered around the place… it even has grass. Well, fake grass, but it’s very realistic fake grass if you know what I mean.

So grab a margarita, find a seat and stare out downtown or over the river. The atmosphere when we were there – about half an hour after opening – was very chilled.

It’s also one of the most fascinating people-watching venues I’ve been to!

For a more exclusive experience, head to the Top of The Standard, left as you come to the matre d’ from the elevators. It’s another bar, but also a restaurant. We got the impression bookings would be hard to come by here and the dress code was strict.

Views from here were amazing even though it’s completely indoors.

It’s a different world up here at Le Bain and the Top of the Standard. As you head back to the bustling grubby streets below, a part of you wishes you could stay forever. And in some way, a part of you does.

Le Bain, NYC is on the top floor of the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District:

848 Washington at 13th Street
New York 10014
Tel: (212) 645-4646
Fax: (212) 645-5656

Images by Mr and Mrs Romance.

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