A Bite Out Of The Big Apple And Beyond

Flight attendants, Connecticut commuters and drug mules - they all spend just a few hours in New York City.

On Friday, you can add my name to the list, too.

I am so jazzed to jet off to the East Coast this weekend with one of my dearest friends. She's speaking at a startup conference focused on web and mobile applications, and I'm tagging along to play tour guide and soak up some of my old stomping grounds.

My trip starts solo in NYC, where I'll take in the sizzle of the streets from about 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The entire day in New York? I'll take it! I love any opportunity to wander the mean streets of Manhattan, and my taste buds are already drooling at the prospects of taking a self-guided macaron tour. 

The one random thing I Googled in planning this trip: "best places to take a nap in NYC."  Let's face it, the 7 a.m. flight means this girl is going to be rising well before the sun, so I will probably need a bit of downtime unless I decide to mainline a few hits of Five Hour Energy.

As it turns out, I'm not the only one who wants to sleep in the city that never does.

YeloSpa offers a special treatment room where you can dim the lights, enjoy some aromatherapy and recharge your batteries. A 40-minute nap runs $30, and you can pay less if you don't mind sleeping less.

A haven of serenity amidst the melee of humanity. I heart.

Next up. Lunch. We don't just stroll through the city. We conquer the concrete and steel with reckless abandon, and we do it thanks to a great lunch with local flavor and a friendly price point. 

On Friday, I will probably turn to the resources of Midtown Lunch - a great site with the following definition: "mid • town lunch n. (mid-toun lunch) 1. An inexpensive (under $10), authentic, unique and interesting quick service lunch, preferably near where you work. 2. An adventure in urban lunching."

I dig.

I started running in June and have since lost 30 pounds, meaning my wardrobe could stand a few updated pieces. Thankfully, Zagat's tells me Vintage Thrift is the best second-hand store in the city. The Gramercy Park-near venue features clothing, accessories, fine and costume jewelry, and other great finds.

Screaming Mimi's, Buffalo Exchange and Tokio 7 look like great options, too.

Relaxation. Food where the locals graze. Recycled high fashion.

What more could a girl ask for in New York City?

Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.