things to do in nyc (aka things i did on my recent trip to nyc other than eat....)

(New York, New York).  I've been to New York many many times so I don't usually do a lot of touristy things when I visit now - other than eating, which is always top of the list, but will be addressed in other posts.  In this post, I want to focus on the activities I enjoyed on a recent trip in the spring.

First - I always try to spend some time to stroll through Central Park.  It's vast, beautiful and offers a wonderful sanctuary in the middle of the bustling city.  Even if there are crowds of people, I find it serene as I walk through aimlessly, discovering new sights each time.  This time I found a quiet bench to people-watch while listening to music.  

Afterwards, I walked towards Rockefeller Center and while there are always new restaurants and shops or installations there, I somehow always find my way to La Maison du Chocolat to have a nice treat.  I had some tea and chocolates at the coffee counter - but the servers were sweet and kept giving me "extras".

The Museum of Modern Art is also near this area and is always worth a visit.  Some of my favorite paintings of all time are housed here by Henri Matisse and Gustav Klimt.  

And if I get peckish - I can stop by Joe's Shanghai Dumpling for soup dumplings.  The Midtown location is not as good (and actually more expensive) than the original location in Chinatown, but there's something to be said for proximity.  Or if I'm here during the winter, I may want to go to the soup place that was made famous in Seinfeld.

It has been a few years since I've attended the theater in New York, but on this trip the play Waitress was in preview.  The songs and music are by Sara Barailles who is super talented and amazing so I couldn't wait to see it.  No tickets for the preview were available at any of the discounters (e.g., TKTS Discount Booths) so I contacted the theater directly and paid full price.  

But it was worth it - such a wonderfully, uplifting show.  I can't wait for it to travel to Los Angeles - perfect outing for the girls!

Another old standby for me is a morning or afternoon at Chelsea Market - which is an enclosed area of shopping and eating - similar to the Ferry Building in San Francisco.  I had already eaten breakfast but I still managed to squeeze in a snack of mini donuts (yum).  

My main goal on that day was to find a jeweler at the Artists and Fleas Market inside Chelsea Market because I wanted to see some stack rings.  However, I guess the jeweler became too big for the flea market but fortunately I stumbled upon masongrace jewelry with loads of lovely, dainty jewelry.  And yes, I couldn't resist so I ended up buying a few stack rings.  (masongracejewelry is actually located in Los Angeles so I have to support my local peeps!)

After about 20+ trips to New York, I find doing casual, local things to be more appealing.  Easy is also appealing.  There's very little appeal in standing in long lines, getting secret passwords, etc.  For live music, Rockwood Music Hall fits the bill.  They have two stages and multiple acts almost every night and it's pretty affordable (cheap tickets and a 2 drink minimum).  I stayed at LES Sixty (review here) right next door so it was very convenient to pop in and listen to some music whenever I felt like it.  There are also so many delicious restaurants and bars nearby - just yelp nearby restaurants when you are there and you will get bombarded with yummy recommendations.

I expect to return to New York many more times in the future, and I will likely continue to do these things.  To me they remind me of "New York" and, more to the point, they make me happy.