I’ve now been to New York three times in my life and I am always eager to recommend little hidden gems that other people may not know about to check out. Below are four places in New York City that I’ve checked out on every trip and absolutely adore.

The Strand Bookstore
Location: East 12th Street & Broadway
Website: https://www.strandbooks.com/

The ultimate destination for bookworms, everywhere. The Strand has kiosks set up in Times Square and Central Park, but the bookstore on East 12th Street is where the party is really at. Filled to the brim with every single genre you could think of from newly released young adult fiction to secondhand classics to even a section on banned books. You can also buy from a huge range of bookish inspired gifts from tote bags to magnets to mugs and more. The Strand has a very homely feel to it and I love visiting every time I’ve been to New York.

Dylan’s Candy Bar
Location: 33 Union Square West
Website: https://www.dylanscandybar.com/

Down the road on Union Square is the ultimate candy paradise. Every single piece of American candy that you can think of resides in this store. With a pick’n’mix section to die for and a huge wall of sweets assorted like a rainbow, Dylan’s Candy Bar is guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth. If candy isn’t your thing though, they do sell chocolates, fudge and even flavoured popcorn. They also have a huge apparel section, including some incredible unicorn slippers that I wish I had picked up. There’s also another store based on Third Avenue (near Macy’s!) if you don’t fancy trekking out so far. And it’s the one where they filmed Impractical Jokers so even more of a bonus.

Schmackary’s
Location: West 45th & 9th Avenue
Website: https://schmackarys.com/

Just down from Times Square, in the middle of the hustle and bustle, is Schmackary’s, a quaint little cafe just down the road from some of Broadway’s best shows that contains the most incredible cookies. It’s a very cute pit stop for coffee and a snack when you need to have a sit down and take a break from the busy Times Square. Schmackary’s always has an incredible smell of freshly baked cookies and their cookies & cream flavour is my favourite. They also have an incredible selection of mugs including this one which I picked up.

Old Navy
Location: West 44th Street & 7th Avenue
Website: https://oldnavy.gap.com/products/new-york-ny-store-3444.jsp

Part of the GAP family, Old Navy is a wonderful clothing store that is full of casual everyday wear that is comfortable and affordable. I like to think of it as America’s answer to Primark, you can really find some absolute bargains and hidden gems in there. The first Old Navy I went to on my second trip to NY is located at West 34th Street, near Macy’s. But there is a brand new store that has opened in the heart of Times Square and it’s absolutely MASSIVE. Definitely one to check out if you’re the extensive clothes shopping kind.

And of course, you can’t go to NYC without checking out at least something on Broadway. My recommendations out of the shows I’ve seen are Dear Evan Hansen, Mean Girls & Pretty Woman. There’s plenty more shows that have arrived since I went that I really want to check out such as King Kong, The Prom & American Son. That doesn’t include the list of shows that are incoming such as Beetlejuice, Moulin Rouge and Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus.

Have you been to New York City? What are your favourite hot spots in the city?

Until next time,