I have always been pretty secluded, not very worldly or well traveled. The only places I have ever been are the Carolinas and Florida. But last weekend I went to New York City with my sister for four days and enjoyed almost every minute of it. It was bright, fashionable, and honestly a little overwhelming. It was my first time ever seeing a real big city. I was really anxious about it, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had seen lots of movies, and they painted a lot of different pictures of the Big Apple. But I put my trust into my sister who had been to New York before.
One of the many highlights of the trip was all the food I got to eat. From pizza to hotdogs to cheesecake to dumplings, I truly ate my way through the city. It was some of the best food I could hope to have, and the experiences that came with it made the food even better. After all, good food becomes great food when shared over something so amazing as your very first big vacation.
The first place my sister and I went was Mei Lai Wah on Bayard Street. The most famous item on the menu is a pineapple bun with roast pork. The bun was crispy on the outside with a sweet glaze and soft on the inside like a lovely sweet bread. The pork inside was so tender almost smokey. I definitely recommend it if you enjoy sweet sauces on meat like a teriyaki. The buns are a decent size, big enough to hold with two hands.
Pretty much immediately after, my sister and I got dumplings from the place right next door, Deluxe Green Bo. The place was almost full when we got in, and we were lucky enough to grab a table right as another was leaving. We ordered green onion pancakes, which were extremely savory with their strong green onion and perfect fried flavor. The steamed pork dumplings were a swirled dome shape rather than being folded over. They were very juicy and had an almost herby flavor which went so well with the pork. I loved the garlicky sauce provided with them. The food came in a steaming basket, which I have never actually seen before.
Later, we got black and white cookies from a bakery called Kossar’s. We got there right as it was closing and the cookies were available to grab off the counter, wrapped in a plastic bag. They were exactly what a black and white cookie should be: a perfect mix of vanilla and chocolate on a bed of soft buttery goodness.
For dinner, I had my first ever slice of New York pizza at Little Italy III on University Place. It was a classic thin slice of pizza, like the kind you fold in half.
For lunch the next day, we got a margherita pizza from Lombardi Pizza. The fresh mozzarella came melted on thin but tender crust with delicious-seasoned sauce and basil. On top of that, I got a vanilla Italian soda in a fancy sundae glass with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
We also shared a Brooklyn Blackout cupcake from the Little Cupcake Bakeshop. The frosting was sweet and buttery in flavor and texture. Next, we got mini cheesecakes from Eileen’s Cheesecakes. We ordered four flavors: the original, strawberry, Oreo, and marbled. The marbled was the best and had such a rich cocoa flavor, it really seemed like it was made with coffee.
Later that day my sister and I saw the Rockettes, and afterwards, I ate a hotdog from a street cart across the street from Radio City Music Hall. There was nothing special about the hotdog. I’m just happy about it.
The next day, my sister and I went on a history tour where we learned some interesting facts and got to stop for both breakfast and lunch. We started in SoHo, went through little Italy, and ended up in China Town. We got pastries at a New York City institution, Ferrara. My sister got a cannoli and I got a lobster tail, which is basically a massive croissant filled to the brim with cream. The flavors of the cream and pastry really balanced each other out.
That night, we went to John’s Pizza in Times Square. The line into the restaurant was like an hour. After 15 minutes, we started looking for other places to go. Then, a woman who worked for John’s walked out of the restaurant and started asking for a party of two. I excitedly held up two fingers and shouted “We’re two!!” We ended up skipping the whole line. By the time we finished our meal, the people behind us in line saw we finished our meal, and said “Good for you guys!”
While there, we ordered another margherita pizza, and it was even better than the first one. The line would have been worth it, even if we didn’t have to wait in it. My favorite part of the pizza was all the fresh basil on top. It added so much fresh flavor.
We saw Monty Python's Spamalot after John’s Pizza, and then we got Junior’s Cheesecake. It was very much classic, thick NY cheesecake with that classic tart bite.
I was endlessly happy with my experience from the last couple of days. New York was a life changing experience for me, and I will for sure want to go again.