// NOLITAN //

I took a taxi from JFK to Manhattan, all the while fearing for my life, and landed in the lobby of the über cool Nolitan Hotel. After checking in, I was asked if I’d like a glass of champagne – to which I replied, ‘YESSSS.’ So there I was: squeezed onto the balcony of my hotel room overlooking a busy street, sipping on champagne and taking in the deafening (but glorious) sound of New York City traffic.

Perfection.

I crawled onto the bed after exploring the wonders of the balcony and discovered that the sheets were the most indescribably soft things my skin had ever encountered. Honestly, they were amazing. I think the fibers were laced with cotton candy. That night we ventured around the corner to a little restaurant called Bread, as recommended by the hotel staff. It was delicious. Granted, my husband’s eggplant parmigiana was way better than the meatballs I had… but still, it was well worth the visit.

The next morning we were feeling ambitious and full of life so decided to head down the street to 24 Hour Fitness where we engaged in a little early morning workout. On the way back, we stopped by The Butcher’s Daughter for a little detoxifying juice. Much to my shock the little baby set me back $10 but, I’ve got to say, it was the best juice of my life.

Afterwards we headed out in search of food. I was craving eggs royale and after much wandering we finally stumbled into Cafe Select. It wasn’t until we had already been seated that we noticed the bircher muesli on the menu and the Zurich themed posters on the wall… how, on earth, had we managed to come all the way from Switzerland and wind up in a Swiss themed restaurant on our first morning in New York? Oh well. The food was good and we enjoyed hissing over the hilarious exaggerated accents of the people at the table next to us. Post-breakfast we borrowed some bikes from the hotel (yes, they lend out bikes – so good) and we headed towards the Brooklyn Bridge. Through Chinatown we went and I promise I only screeched from fear of death once. It was an incredibly long and sweaty endeavour but the ride was, without a doubt, my favourite part of the entire trip to the city. If you’re ever in town, man-up and ride a bike around. Just beware of impending traffic. There is obviously a lot of it.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Little Italy. I’ve only been to New York a handful of times but I’ve got to say this was my favourite area of the city I’ve ever stayed in. There are loads of awesome shops and restaurants to explore. The best part is that it doesn’t feel too touristy at all and amazingly it isn’t that crowded. Also, if you happen to be in the area and need a sugar rush you can always pop into the Little Cupcake Bakeshop on Prince Street for some yummy treats…