My good friend Ben asked me if I had been to the White Horse Tavern. No? I thought. What's that? He explained how it is a famous literary hangout that has seen the likes of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, James Baldwin, Norman Mailer, Anais Nin, James Laughlin, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac.

The first thing I loved about this area was that it wasn't crazy busy. It seemed to slow down a bit here. There weren't people cramming the sidewalks, and I felt like I could take a breath.

Inside, it was fairly empty (though it filled up afterward), and we found a table with the much-coveted electrical outlet so we could charge our phones. It's cash only, so keep that in mind. I ordered a Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner.

To be honest, it wasn't my absolute favorite beer. I thought it was an OK beer, but I could've spent hours at this place. It just felt comfortable, and I was hoping to soak in some of the literary greatness from people past.

Grade: A

Affectionately known as "street meat," sidewalk vendors and foodtrucks are all over New York City. One of the most sought-after is The Halal Guys, found at 53rd and 6th (and other locations now).

This food cart had quite a long line - especially compared to other vendors nearby. The line moved quickly, though, and once we were at the front, we chose our meal:






Chicken, beef gyro, falafel, or a combo (over rice or as a sandwich). I went for a combo over rice.

I think this is one of my favorite meals in NYC. A huge portion of well-seasoned, delicious food (and the white sauce they give you is PERFECT all over it!) outside, watching as the world whips by. I think my expectations were also super low, and I was slightly terrified food poisoning wasn't out of the picture.

But the flavors of the meat, the fresh veggies and that delicious creamy sauce brought all of this together. I see why there's a line day in and day out now.


Grade: A

Josh instructed us to go to Bouchon Bakery and pick up a selected number of goodies. No problemo! He wanted some macarons, a brownie, and a TKO (Thomas Keller Oreo). Easy enough - he made my shopping list for me, too :)

In May 2011, Chef Thomas Keller opened the second New York location of his signature Bouchon Bakery at Rockefeller Center.

Bouchon Bakery at Rockefeller Center offers Keller’s unique twist on traditional French boulangerie fare. The menu includes a wide selection of soups, salads, sandwiches and viennoiserie. For the sweet tooth, the Bakery presents a wide assortment of classic desserts including hand-made chocolates, pastries, cookies, tarts, and traditional French confections.

Designed by premier restaurant designer Adam D. Tihany of Tihany Design, Bouchon Bakery at Rockefeller Center is at the heart of this New York landmark, directly across from the studios of The Today Show. Large hand-painted murals by French artist Paulin Paris adorn the walls above the retail area, echoing elements of Keller’s acclaimed Bouchon restaurants in Yountville, California and Las Vegas. [SOURCE]

The TKO is an elegant oreo. The chocolate shortbread cookie is thick and a bit more bitter - rather than sweet. But the inside was this very sweet, white chocolate center. Truthfully, I didn't love the cookie part of this, but I ate the cream out of the middle.



The brownie was kind of the same for me - it was chocolately, with chips inside. Not my most favorite, but I understand why others love it. It's in the shape of a cork, bouchon, which is cool.




My favorite part was the macarons, though! A mini caramel and a mini vanilla found a place right in my belly. I noticed their regular macarons are actually quite large. But they were out of the caramel, so I looked toward the mini ones and luckily found both a caramel and a vanilla.

These are really, really good. I often overlook trendy dessert foods - like cupcakes - but macarons are totally worth the hype. The light crackly outside that gives way to soft meringue. Lots of texture and sweetness. Get all the macarons you can!

Grade: B

After a hot dog on Coney Island, it was only appropriate to get something sweet. We went just a few stores down to Paul's Daughter. This restaurant serves corndogs, ice cream, fries, beer and cotton candy. 

As the blue and pink striped candy cotton swung in the wind ... I knew it had to be mine. How often do you get cotton candy? Only at carnivals, and this is like the ultimate carnival.

It was good - cotton candy is always good. Pricey, yes, and could've been more bang for my buck. But good.









Grade: B

One day of my trip to NYC was devoted to getting to Coney Island. We were spending our nights in New Jersey and riding the bus into Manhattan each day. From there, we had to take the subway all the way down to Coney Island. There were so. many. stops. I seriously think there were like 29 stops. And once we finally got to Coney Island, I realized the rides weren't open. It was too late in the season.

Fortunately, the beach was still open, as were the restaurants. And Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs is the place I've heard about for quite some time. So I ordered a hot dog with chili. And, I must say, I don't love that chili. It's weird. Maybe I'm spoiled by delicious hot dog joints in West Virginia? But this one was chunky, closer to actual chili and pretty runny. I think, next time, I might choose a different place.



Grade: C