Last week I ventured up to NYC for the most beautiful weekend in the city I have yet to experience. Everything was blooming, the skies were gorgeous, and the temperature couldn’t be beat. Home of some of the best food in the world, I took a casual approach to the streets this time looking for some unique local spots, and some crowd favorite brunch spots. I was not disappointed! Here are my discoveries. 

NYC Juicing

Everywhere you turn in NYC you run into a juice place. Apparently fresh pressed juice is a major must have in the Big Apple (see what I did there). I’ve seen this trend grow like wildfire and the health benefits certainly can’t be denied. I was partially inspired from my juice find in NYC to find a local place in North Fl that provided a great juice cleanse. If you follow my social media you will know I did and the result were amazing. More on that coming soon…

In NYC I had cucumber, kale, celery, lemon, and apple in it. Amazing! Perfectly refreshing and really hit the spot after a late night of travel and girl time.

Central Park Hot Dog 

My friend told me about this spot right by Grand Central Station. Owned by Dannon, they serve regular and frozen yogurt. I loved their rustic branding and great selections. After a nice long walk through the Guggenheim and a stroll through Central Park, this was the perfect (sort of) guilt free treat. This was Dannon’s first of it’s kind shop, but from what I hear shops like this are popping up all over the city. I admire that they are going for a more wholesome approach and less of a cutesy ultra sweet styling. It reminded me a little bit of where I grew up as a child in Kentucky where there was a dairy farm right across the street. There’s just something comforting about down-home goodness. Especially when it’s set against the contrasting landscape of pavement, concrete, and glass in the big city.

Brunch at Cafe LULUc in Brooklyn

Brunch is huge in NYC. In fact, part of the reason I decided to begin my “Best in Brunch” series on this blog was because I realized what a movement it had become and how that influence had really traveled down to the South East foodie scene. Since I was in the midst of that series I requested a few Brunch dates while I was there. My first time in Brooklyn, I looked again to Yelp to find a great spot. We were not disappointed. Cafe LULUc is a French inspired bistro full of local charm. Loved the eggs florentine and quiche! Order the Sangria for a special treat and don’t miss out on the back patio. Cafe Luluc is famous for their pancakes. I didn’t order any but apparently they are to die for! I received several messages and comments on social media after we stopped here, from my friends who were locals, telling me how this spot was one of their favs. That just proves that when you go where the locals go, you can’t go wrong!

On my last day we did some walking and on the way back we were famished. Once again Yelp provided us a lovely spot for brunch. Loved Spoon & Tbsp’s large portions and hearty fare. Made from scratch biscuits melt in your mouth and large cut slices of bacon satiated our appetites. It was the perfect meal to sustain me for the flight home. The decor was sparse, but had a lovely anthropologie feel to it.

After all that food, you can now understand why I might want to follow it up with a juice cleanse. Stay tuned for my full review and more on my trip to NYC!

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