travel guide: brooklyn and manhattan

in december I travelled to the U.S. for three weeks, and spent most of my time in nyc. it's such a busy city and has so many things to do, three weeks didn't even feel long enough! enjoy this (very) comprehensive guide to brooklyn and manhattan. xx

brooklyn 

we stayed in a cute little air bnb in downtown brooklyn, and i couldn't recommend this neighbourhood enough. if you are looking for a quieter area to stay a bit off the beaten track, but still want easy access to manhattan, dumbo (a suburb sitting right between the manhattan and brooklyn bridge) and downtown brooklyn is the place for you. 

there were so many hip and new cafes and shops everywhere, but a definite highlight for me was bluestone lane coffee. after a couple of weeks overseas, i was in serious need of a milo fix and this aussie cafe did it for me! they also have breakfast options including the classic avo on toast. 

if you're in brooklyn over the weekend, another must-visit is the brooklyn flea. it's nestled away in an old building, and has some serious finds. i bought a few vintage band tees for only $5 each - what a steal! there was also heaps of handmade jewellery, super-reflective sunnies and ugly christmas jumpers. they even had a little food market downstairs, where i got a delicious cinnamon doughnut and iced tea. 

travelling into manhattan from downtown brooklyn is super easy. a short 10 minute walk away from my air bnb was the  brooklyn bridge, which you can either ride a bike or walk across. it gives a great view of the manhattan skyline all day long, nothing beats it! 

manhattan

everyone knows that if you go to nyc, you have to go to the art galeries. I could spend days in MoMA, the Met (gotta get that blair waldorf stair pic!), and the Whitney. a stand-out for me was the 80s collection at MoMA - they had walls filled from floor to ceiling with old band posters and ads from my fave decade. 

the high line is an aboveground railway track thats been converted into a walk-through garden. with street art, performers and cafes scattered through it, it's a great way to get from one place to another! so so pretty. 

if you're looking for some classic american food, black tap burgers is the place to go! their HUGE burgers are delicious, but its their crazy milkshakes they're known for. i ordered a cookie shake, which had three scoops of icecream, a cookie sandwich, choc chips, and the rim of the glass was even coated with icing and cookie pieces. definitely go here with a friend, there was no way i could finish everything by myself. 

on our last day in nyc, it snowed! we woke up to snow-covered roads, it was a dream come true because i knew in 24 hours i'd be back in 35 degree heat. we caught the subway into central park early in the morning before the snow turned into slush and it was so beautiful, such a great end to our trip!