48 hours in NYC {edition: girl’s trip}

Don’t we love when the spontaneous trips actually make it out of the group chat?!

Our 48-hour NYC getaway was one of those “say less, book it” moments. Two girlfriends, cheap flights, a friend from New Jersey, and suddenly we’re on the way to the city that never sleeps — and trust, we barely slept too. Here’s exactly how our quick little escape went down.

Day 1

We landed at Newark, where Ju picked us up (shoutout to friends who pick you up from the airport). We decided to stay in New Jersey to save money since we had a car to take us back and forth into the city — honestly, 10/10 hack if you’re balling on a budget but still want the NYC experience.

Before anything else? Bottles. We grabbed a Don Julio and a prosecco because the plan was BYOB brunch… keyword: was.

For brunch we ate at Blended Flavors Caribbean Cuisine in Linden NJ.

Plot twist — we accidentally went to their second location, which isn’t BYOB. So if you go, double-check the address. We just put our bottles away in the car for later and ordered passionfruit cocktails and a Red Stripe to set the vibe.

Food rundown:

• Two of us got the jerk chicken with rice and mac & cheese
• One friend ordered wings + yams
  Tea: DO NOT skip the jerk chicken. Also, try the yams they were hitting.

After brunch we headed to our Airbnb to chill, unpack, and get cute for the night.

Dinner at Sei Less

Aka: rapper central. Every time we’re in NYC we end up here, and every time we see someone. This trip it was Cash Cobain, but you can run into anyone from G Herbo, Natalie Nunn, and Ice Spice.

Real talk:

• Food is good
• Prices? Kinda crazy for what it is
• Atmosphere? Vibes every single time — definitely a splurge dinner spot

I had the fried rice + glazed salmon, which never disappoints.

Times Square

After dinner, we headed to Times Square for a late night NYC stroll lights, chaos, and a million tourists.

DAY 2

Quick Breakfast Run

We stopped at Blank Street Coffee, and listen… amazing isn’t even the word. I’m talking genuine shock, life-changing, unforgettable. Easily the best coffee I’ve had, and it carried me through the whole day. Right on the corner from Blank Street was this tiny deli called Heavenly. We doubted them at first, but the bacon, egg and cheese was actually fire. Even my friend who’s from Jersey but swears she’s a NYC native said it was one of the best she’s ever had.

The Empire Hotel — For my fellow Gossip Girls

As Gossip Girl fanatics, we HAD to go. We ordered their signature cocktail made with vodka, peach purée, and egg white foam. The pink + white layers? So cute. The taste? Refreshing, girly, and honestly so different from the usual drinks we get.

SoHo Shopping

We wandered around and did some shopping for new handbags (because what’s a NY trip if you don’t buy something you definitely didn’t need?).

Central Park Debrief

We ended the night sitting in Central Park, people-watching, meeting random NPCs, and just debriefing the whole trip. Calm, cute, and the perfect way to wrap things up before our early flights.