Looking to safely spend the weekend in New York City during the pandemic? Just before Christmas, I made the trip to visit a friend, and we were able to safely enjoy the city. Here’s what we did:

Friday

After I arrived via ferry, we kicked off the afternoon in midtown’s Bryant Park, home to a lovely holiday bazaar and ice skating rink. Even though there were slightly less stalls than usual, we still enjoyed walking around. Whether you’re looking for hot sauce or mittens, Bryant Park has you covered. We also got crepes, yum!

Next, we headed just a block over to the new location of Angelina. Angelina is famous in Paris for its deliciously rich hot chocolate, and it just opened a location in New York. Naturally, we had to try it. Though the restaurant itself does not quite measure up to its Paris counterpart, it was still gorgeous and well worth it. If nothing else, it was a fun way to get out of the cold for some cozy hot chocolate and pastries.

We then headed downtown to our hotel, the NoMo SoHo in (you guessed it) SoHo. We were able to get a good rate, and our room was great. We had a double deluxe room and requested a higher floor. Luckily, we were placed on the 22nd floor and had a corner room, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning views of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Freedom Tower, AND the Empire State Building. The views alone were well worth the price!

After checking in, we went to dinner at Ciccio Bar e Alimentari. We requested outdoor seating, and the restaurant had a lovely setup that included some much-appreciated heat lamps. The restaurant is quintessential Italian. Even our waiter was Italian! Our food was delicious. We split some burrata as an appetizer, and I had mushroom gnocchi for my main course. Even with all the amazing restaurants in New York I have yet to try, I would definitely come back.

On the walk back to our hotel, we stopped for some late-night gelato at Ferrara Bakery & Cafe, admired the beautiful city lights, and called it a night.

Saturday

The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and headed to brunch. Though we did not have a reservation, we were fortunate to get an outdoor spot at Sadelle’s. All I can say is… how has it taken me this long to come?! Sadelle’s is famous for its bagels and other “New York classics,” but since I do not love bagels, we opted to split some latkes instead. Delicious! I also got what may just be the best blueberry pancakes I’ve ever had. I cannot wait to go back.

Afterwards, we walked around Soho’s amazing shops. A personal highlight was the RealReal (right), which has luxury vintage and lightly worn items. It was so much fun to see such beautiful garments from years past.

Before heading home, we stopped at Levain Bakery for some of their iconic chocolate chip cookies. This bakery is well worth the hype and made for a great end to our weekend.

That concludes my post on my weekend in SoHo, but feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions! Please subscribe and check out my related posts below!