Sometimes you get spontaneous days off or randomly decide to book a trip to a different city for a change of scenery. For me, this happened a couple of weeks ago and my first instinct was to pack my bags and head to New York. As much as I love New York, I have to say I miss New Jersey as well. Therefore, I spent some of my time in Weehawken/Edgewater in order to experience the best of both. Keep reading for suggestions on where to stay, where to shop and where to eat (of course).

New Jersey

Where To Stay

Residence Inn by Marriott Port Imperial Weehawken

Nestled along the Weehawken waterfront, the Residence Inn by Marriott Port Imperial Weehawken is adjacent to their autograph collection property. This hotel is conveniently located near light rail, ferry and Lincoln Tunnel providing a variety of transportation options into Manhattan. Residence Inn by Marriott also offers a complimentary hot breakfast for guests which is fantastic. Definitely worth staying here, if you plan to explore both NYC and NJ.

Where to Shop & Dine

Mitsuwa

Mitsuwa is a Japanese grocery store and food court located in Edgewater, NJ. Mitsuwa has some of the best ramen and other food items to enjoy within their in-house food court. Tucked within Mitsuwa is Ito En’s Matcha Love store where you can get some of the best matcha ice cream. I highly recommend trying the roasted sesame flavor as well. It is rich and nutty without being cloyingly sweet.

Brooklyn

Where to Dine

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream

For the vegan and non-vegan ice cream aficionados alike, Van Leeuwen serves up some of the best ice cream in New York. Their stores are filled with decadent options and you can even take home a pint or two to treat yourself. Recently, I dug into their blueberry breakfast and earl grey flavors. I couldn’t be any more happier with those choices as they were unique. refreshing and perfect for the early fall season.

Juliana’s Pizza

While I can’t say this is the best pizza in New York (it is certainly over-hyped and I’ve had better fancy/authentic pies in Philly from Barbuzzo and Porta), it does the job. The ambiance is pleasant and there is a line streaming out the door most nights. I would probably skip it and seek a slice/pie elsewhere.

Manhattan

Where to Dine

Negril Village

Negril Village is adjacent to the NYU campus and offers great Caribbean favorites and live music on weekends. We stopped in for lunch and ordered the most delicious vegetarian entree, the Calabash stew. The calabash, also known as bottle gourd, was seasoned to perfection and came with delicious, golden plantains. Their cornbread appetizer was also fantastic and I am looking forward to returning and sampling more of the menu. Their restaurant is spacious and decorated to the nines. As for lunch, the specials are affordable and a great option on weekdays.

Abiko Curry

Abiko Curry serves up traditional Korean curry that is slowly cooked over 100 hours. The menu is extremely flexible as you build each order to your taste. Choose your spice level, protein and toppings. When I say their food is SPICY, I mean it. I had spice level 4 and my mouth was burning. With that being said this was some of the best curry rice I have had to date. All I suggest is turning down the dial on the heat for those sensitive to spice.

Maman Tribeca

Maman is one of my favorite shops to visit in NYC any time I need to spend a couple hours relaxing. They have the best chai lattes and cookies here. Within the front of the store lies Paper Source. There you can browse through gifts, greeting cards and stationary. I have also sampled some of their brunch items and always believe a visit here is well worth it.

Dim Sum

Where to Shop

Glossier

Glossier began as solely an e-commerce brand with skincare and makeup products. Since then, they have opened a couple of flagship stores in the United States. The New York store always has a line but do not let this deter you. It tends to move quickly and prevents over crowding in the store itself. The store itself is visually appealing, smells fantastic and has so many cute photo opportunities. Being able to try out the products also makes it worth visiting since you can get swatches and matches before you buy a full size item. If you make a purchase with a store associate, they will have it ready for pickup through a cute conveyor belt system in the front of the store.

Shopping on Broadway

Broadway is filled with every store imaginable. From Zara to Urban Outfitters, there is something for everyone. It is worth a quick browse to help digest all the food suggestions above.

If you enjoyed this guide, you can view more of this trip on YouTube. Happy travels!

xo,

Christine Celine