Things To Do
Central Park
As upstaters, Central Park has been our escape during our time living in the city. We like to call it our backyard now that we live on the Upper West Side! We love taking long walks and picnicking on the lawn. Anthony proposed to Sara on the edge of The Lake (you'd recognize it from pictures you've seen of the row boats). Look up "Hernshead" if you're curious to find the spot, it's a short walk from the west side of the park! We also love the Reservoir and the Bethesda Fountain. If you're feeling ambitious you could walk through the park to the east side see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of Sara's favorites! Our wedding ceremony and reception venues are located on opposite sides of the park!
Riverside Park
Our current apartment is sandwiched between Riverside Park to the west and Central Park to the east. We love the long promenade for calm morning and evening strolls. The park has so many beautiful gardens and trees! The paths here connect down to another promenade directly along the Hudson River. This is a place you will only find locals!
Hudson River Greenway
The Hudson River Greenway has a long uninterrupted bike path. Rent a Citi bike and take in the views going south down the Hudson. This is one of our favorite things to do on a warm day in the city! Sara's mom loves doing this when she's in town visiting :)
Lincoln Center
On a special occasion, you may find us attending a performance at Lincoln Center! This is the home of the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera, as well as the New York City Ballet and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. If you don't have time to see a performance here, we would recommend you still stop into the Opera to view the Swarovski crystal chandeliers, they are pretty impressive! Lincoln Center is in the lower portion of the Upper West Side, and the surrounding neighborhood is great to walk around and explore.
Cafe Fiorello
This is a classic Italian American spot with chicken parm the size of your plate, and amazing Italian wedding soup! Anthony's parents want to go here every time they come visit us :)
Sala Thai
A very chic Thai restaurant in our neighborhood. They have an expansive menu. We ordered take-out from here for dinner on the day we moved into our apartment together and it has been our go-to ever since!
Felice 71- Columbus
Great service and great food! Both the Upper West Side and West Village locations are go to places for dinner with our siblings and friends.
Miriam
A great Mediterranean restaurant nearby. Sara's favorite dish is the chicken schnitzel and Anthony's is the lamb shawarma terracotta. We first came here for a drink when we were touring apartments in the area!
Maison Pickle
A French twist on a classic American brunch. Huge portions and creative dishes. We love their fried chicken and challah French toast!
Broad Nosh Bagels 86th St
Our local bagel shop, located across the street from our apartment. This is a classic spot with bins of fresh bagels, and all the cream cheeses and breakfast sandwich combinations you could imagine! Grab a bagel and take it to a bench in Riverside Park, something we love to do on a Saturday morning!
Maman
A charming cafe with very cute blue dishware and an expansive menu. Come here for a sit-down brunch or grab a coffee and pastry to go!
Irving Farm New York
Delicious coffee with a charming local atmosphere. Grab your coffee and take a stroll around the neighborhood!
Levain Bakery – Original Location, 74th St
The most iconic cookie in NYC. Very thick and crunchy on the outside, but soft and gooey on the inside. We love to stop in on our way home from the park to grab a sweet treat!
Breads Bakery
The name says it all, lots of incredible breads and baked goods, and they also have great coffee. Try their famous chocolate babka!
Rosetta Bakery
Specializes in sandwiches on fresh baked bread and other delicious pastries!
Broadway Shows
When Anthony first moved to the city, he would enter the Broadway ticket lotteries almost daily! To date he's seen over 40 shows and loves to collect the playbills! When we started dating, he would enter the lotteries to get us tickets, and we've seen many shows together. For a weekend show, we recommend planning ahead to buy tickets! Our favorites are Wicked, Moulin Rouge, Hamilton, Hadestown, and The Phanton of the Opera (when it was showing, RIP), but you can't go wrong with any of them!!
Junior's Restaurant and Bakery
A classic stop after you see a Broadway show. Originally based in Brooklyn, they are famous for having some of the best New York style cheesecake,
Los Tacos No.1
These street-style tacos are delicious! We love to come here to grab a quick bite. The adobada pork tacos with pineapple are a must have!
All'Antico Vinaio
This popular Florence sandwich shop opened a location in NYC a few years ago a few blocks away from Anthony's old apartment! They're known for serving Italian style sandwiches on freshly made focaccia bread.
Lillie's Victorian Establishment
This cocktail bar is filled with antiques and wild seasonal decorations. Their elevated cocktails are beautifully crafted and delicious! It is located below Anthony's old apartment building so we would go frequently.
Arthur and Sons Italian
One of our all-time favorite guilty pleasures. You must try the spicy rigatoni alla vodka. Everything else on the menu is delicious as well! Heads up, portions are very large and designed to be shared.
Fiaschetteria “Pistoia”
This is a tiny hole in the wall in the West Village serving some of the fluffiest gnocchi we've ever had. Fair warning, it is walk-in only, and there's always a line but they keep it moving. We love to come here to celebrate our joint birthdays together!
da Toscano
We frequent this cozy spot for a nice date night. It has a great selection of appetizers, entrees, and creative drinks. Some of our favorites include the rosemary focaccia, agnolotti, and the crispy potato vinaigrette.
L’industrie Pizzeria West Village
Sara used to live around the corner from the original location of this popular pizza spot in Williamsburg, Brookyln. Now they expanded to a West Village location and are serving up the same great slices. We love the burrata slice and the bacon fig jam slice!
Da Nico Ristorante
One of our favorite spots in Little Italy for dinner. Take a stroll along Mulberry Street and stop here along the way.
Prince Street Pizza
A small pizza shop mainly known for its Sicilian style slices. The spicy spring is their most popular and a fun take on a classic pepperoni slice.
Veniero's Pasticceria & Caffe
Our favorite bakery in the city! Located in the East Village and established in 1894. We love to sit in their back dining area and have an espresso martini with our pastries!
Grand Banks
A fun summer spot to have cocktails on a boat docked alongside the Hudson River. We love to bike down the Hudson River Greenway on sunny days to get here!
Domino Park
After dinner on our first date, we walked along the Williamsburg piers and through Domino Park. It has great views of the city skyline. We also came back here the night of our engagement to take photos with our family! <3
Fini Pizza
Our absolute favorite pizza in the city!!! This was close to Sara's old apartment in Brooklyn, we would go together possibly too many times when Anthony came to visit! Anthony's favorite is the tomato & parm Sicilian and Sara's favorite is the white with lemon.
Westlight
An elevated rooftop cocktail bar in Williamsburg with sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline. We love coming here on a special occasion or bringing friends when they are in town visiting!
Misi
Some of the freshest pasta we've ever tasted! This popular Williamsburg restaurant is very hard to get a reservation at, but we highly recommend trying, you won't be disappointed! Anthony booked out the room where they make the fresh pasta for our engagement dinner with our parents and siblings, it was such a special surprise!!
Oregano
We had our first date here. It was March 2021, when indoor dining was still not allowed in NYC. We sat in their sidewalk shed and had dinner outside when it was 45 degrees!
