My 10 Favorite Museum Gift Shops

I cannot tell you enough how much I love museum gift shops. You find some of the most unique items in these shops, and lucky for us, NYC has some fantastic museums. These are the 10 which I feel you should visit when in the city, and if looking for a gift for someone, you will probably find that special gift in one of these shops. I love original gift giving, I hate giving the same old stuff everyone else has, we want original, artisan items. You can also shop at many of these wonderful places without paying the fee to enter the museum if you are just looking to shop their products. The best thing as well is most of them have online shops so you can shop from your own couch, and have it shipped to you or direct to your favorite person!

In no particular order:

1. Brooklyn Museum
2. Metropolitan Museum of Art
3. MAD Museum
4. Cooper Hewitt 
5. MOMA
6. Neue Galerie
7. The Frick
8. Rubin Museum of Art
9. Museum of the City of NY
10. The Morgan Library and Museum 

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for visiting!  

10 Best Costume Shops in NYC

I can't say Halloween is my favorite holiday. When I was little, my Mom actually made all my costumes and they were pretty cool. She had quite a knack for doing things like that. I never did well in Singer Sewing School, just wasn't my thing. I would be more happy to purchase something, but not a plastic get-up from some basic store. Something unique, cool and maybe even classy! In New York City, there are so many options and even the vintage shops are a great place to get some neat apparel and accessories. The Manhattan Vintage Show is held the end of October, great place for guys and gals to find some very cool costumes!! Actually, any of the vintage shops in Chelsea or Soho would be a perfect spot to pick up some items for a very unique costume.

In no particular order, here is my top 10 list :

Spirit Halloween 
Ricky's Halloween Pop Up 
Screaming Mimi's 
Abracadabra Superstore
Patricia Field 
Early Halloween 
Trash and Vaudeville
Frank Bee Costume
New York Costumes
Manhattan Vintage Show

What was your favorite costume as a child? Mine was a princess, of course! My Dad made my wand and crown with cardboard covered with tin foil. My parents were pretty crafty folks!!

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for visiting! 

The 10 Best Christmas Trees in NYC

Christmas in New York City is always so magical. I know many of you are pretty familiar with the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, but there are many more gorgeous designs to see. I thought a nice Top 10 list here would be a good idea. See how many of them you can find on your visit to the city for the holiday season! They are all unique, in design and that is what makes them so special.

In no particular order:

1. American Museum of Natural History Origami Tree 
2. Washington Square Park 
3. Metropolitan Museum of Art 
4. Bryant Park 
5. Madison Square Park 
6. Lotte New York Palace
7. Le Parker Meridian 
8. Lladro Store 
9. Lincoln Center 
10. Rockefeller Center 

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for being a reader of this blog! 

Instagram / Facebook/ Bloglovin/ Pinterest 

10 Best Easter Candy Shops in New York City

I don't know about you, but I am not sure where this month has gone! I cannot believe Easter is next weekend. Time just moves so darn fast, and I am just getting over a bit of a nasty cold as well. Since many fast on chocolate and sweets for Lent, now is the time to enjoy all those goodies! I decided to give you a list of my favorite candy shops in the city, there are so many talented chocolatiers out there. The amazing combos they come up with really blow the mind! Vosges Haut-Chocolate is famous for their bacon and chocolate bar, I also love their Peanut Butter Bon-Bons. I am really quite a peanut butter egg lover myself! You will make some amazing Easter baskets with items from the folks listed below, and, many of them do ship if you can't get to New York City by next weekend!

In no particular order, here they are:

1. Vosges Haut- Chocolate

2. L A Burdick Chocolate

3. La Maison du Chocolat

4. MarieBelle

5. Jacques Torres

6. Neuhaus Chocolate

7. Li-Lac Chocolates

8. Dylan's Candy Bar

9. Sugar and Plumm

10. Economy Candy

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for being a reader of this blog! 

Instagram / Facebook/ Bloglovin/ Pinterest 

10 Best Unique Candy Shops NYC

When we visit a new place, we always like to take back items to friends and family. Candy or chocolate is a great choice, but to find places that carry unique items is even better. I always like to bring things home that folks have never had before. Better yet, candy that has some nostalgia to it, that you loved as a child but could never find in your local shops. These are some of the most unique candy shops in New York City, if you are a candy lover, be sure to add them to your list! Here they are, in no special order because that would be very difficult :

• Dewey's Candy 
• Sockerbit
• Vosges Chocolate
• Dylan's Candy Bar
• Economy Candy 
• LA Burdick 
• Roni Sue's Chocolate 
• The Sweet Life 
• Dewey's Candy Store
• Papabubble 

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for visiting! 

Would be thrilled if you gave me a follow here: 

Instagram / Facebook/ Bloglovin/ Pinterest 

10 Best Cheesecakes in New York City

NY Cheesecake is pretty much an institution. The city has been famous for this yummy dessert for a heck of a long time. In the 1900s, cheesecakes were very popular in New York. Every restaurant had their version. Around 1929 - Arnold Reuben, owner of the legendary Turf Restaurant at 49th and Broadway in New York City, claimed that his family developed the first cream-cheese cake recipe. The Italian bakeries may use ricotta instead of the cream cheese to create their cheesecake masterpiece. Many of the places below have been around for a very long time, and I would say trying a piece of cheesecake from each place on the list would be a fun idea! I really enjoy Junior's cheesecake, as well as Ferrara Bakery and Veniero's. Carnegie Deli is just classic cheesecake and oh so yummy. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Junior's Restaurant
2. Ferrara Bakery
3. Veniero's Pastry Shop
4. Eileen's Special Cheesecake
5. Carnegie Deli
6. S & S Cheesecake
7. Two Little Red Hens
8. Breads Bakery 
9. F Monteleone Bakery and Cafe
10. Lady M Cake Boutique

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for visiting! 

Would be thrilled if you gave me a follow here: 

Instagram / Facebook/ Bloglovin/ Pinterest 

10 Best Parks in New York City

It's almost Spring in the United States and that means time to enjoy some fabulous NYC parks! The city has quite a few, and some are just so lovely. I enjoy the small ones I come across just walking around the city, to be able to take a seat and relax. Central Park, the most famous, was created due to limited parks within the city. The Spring of 1858, they worked on building Central Park on land that wasn't very good, which created a paradise for those living in the city. It was the greatest work of art in the 19th century! How many of these parks have you visited?

In no particular order:

1. Flushing Meadows Corona Park
2. Central Park
3. The High Line Park
4. Hudson River Park
5. Riverside Park
6. Prospect Park
7. Inwood Hill Park
8. Govener's Island
9. British Garden at Hanover Square 216 E. 45th Street
10. Madison Square Park

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for being a reader of this blog! 

Instagram / Facebook/ Bloglovin/ Pinterest 

10 Best Food Halls in New York City

Food Halls are a craze that is not going away any time soon. I am so glad about that because I ♥ them! It is great for groups, where people may wish to eat different types of food, or singles when you want to try a few different cuisines. I ♥ the fact that you have so many top notch options all in one space. The idea of mixing foods from different places is just so much darn fun! The early places such as Grand Central Terminal and The Todd English Food Hall started it, and we just keep getting more openings each year. These are the top 10 I feel you should check out and I think you will be very pleased.

Everyone is waiting and holding their breath for the Bourdain Market, from Anthony Bourdain, to open in 2016. It is going to show the world travels of  Mr. Bourdain, inspired by Singapore markets. It should have about 40-50 stalls and Jason Wang of Xi'an Famous Foods is possibly to be involved. The location is to be Pier 57, and you can follow their facebook page HERE for up to date details.

Here is your list, in no particular order:

1. Todd English Food Hall
2. The Plaza Hotel Food Hall
3. Urbanspace Vanderbilt 
4. Eataly
5. Essex Street Market
6. Chelsea Market
7. City Kitchen
8. Hudson Eats @ Brookfield Place
9. Gasnevoort Market 
10. Grand Central Terminal 

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for being a reader of this blog! 

Instagram / Facebook/ Bloglovin/ Pinterest 

10 Best Halloween Costume Shops New York City

I can't say Halloween is my favorite holiday. When I was little, my Mom actually made all my costumes and they were pretty cool. She had quite a knack for doing things like that. I never did well in Singer Sewing School, just wasn't my thing. I would be more happy to purchase something, but not a plastic get-up from some basic store. Something unique, cool and maybe even classy! In New York City, there are so many options and even the vintage shops are a great place to get some neat apparel and accessories. The Manhattan Vintage Show is held the end of October, great place for guys and gals to find some very cool costumes!!

In no particular order, here is my top 10 list :

Spirit Halloween 
Ricky's Halloween Pop Up 
Screaming Mimi's 
Abracadabra Superstore
Patricia Field 
Early Halloween 
Creative Costume Company 
Frankie Steinz Costumes 
New York Costumes
Manhattan Vintage Show

What was your favorite costume as a child? Mine was a princess, of course! My Dad made my wand and crown with cardboard covered with tin foil. My parents were pretty crafty folks!!

Let's connect!  

Instagram / Facebook/ Bloglovin/ Pinterest 

10 Best Free Activities in NYC

NYC is considered one of the most expensive cities in the world. The hotel prices are some of the top in the world you will come across. For all the expensive options, what I love is that there are tons of FREE options as well. I personally do not like to skimp on my hotel, especially if I am staying a few days. The hotel should be clean and safe, and the location should be close to activities/public transport. It is pretty easy to do activities in NYC with no charge, and enjoy yourself a great deal. You probably will even learn something along the way! Here is my personal list, not the whole list of course, for top activities that are FREE in NYC. I hope it helps you plan your trip to visit this most wonderful city we are so lucky to have to savor! 

If you click on each place, it will take you to their website with all the information 

1. Central Park 
2. The High Line 
3. Staten Island Ferry 
4. NY Public Library Stephen A Schwarzman Building 
5. The Federal Reserve Bank of NY
6. The Mermaid Parade 
7. Big Apple Greeter Tours 
8. Grand Central Partnership 90 minute tours every Friday at 12:30pm
9. Brooklyn Brewery free tours every Saturday between 1-5pm
10. The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership free walking tours year round every Sunday at 11am

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for visiting!