There is never a shortage of things to do, see and EAT in New York City. My sister lives there and we recently spent a long weekend in NYC in early November, and I honestly think we picked one of the best times of year to visit.
The weather was perfect for exploring on foot, the fall leaves were at their peak in Central Park, and the city was just starting to transform for the holidays. In fact, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was delivered while we were there! The holiday season in New York is certainly magical, but there's something special about visiting just before the biggest crowds arrive, when you can still enjoy the warmer fall weather.
Between incredible restaurants, a little culture, historic landmarks, shopping and the start of the holiday season, it was the perfect getaway.
If you're planning a trip to New York City, here's a look at our long weekend itinerary, including where we ate, what we saw and a few places I'd absolutely recommend adding to your list.
WHERE TO STAY: LOEWS REGENCY NEW YORK HOTEL
We stayed at the Loews Regency New York Hotel on the Upper East Side, and it was such a great home base for our long weekend in the city.
The location is hard to beat! You're just a short walk from Central Park, close to some of the city's best shopping along Madison and Fifth Avenues, and conveniently located for exploring so many parts of Manhattan.
Beyond the location, we loved the hotel itself. The staff was wonderful, the accommodations were comfortable, and there are so many amenities.
Active Stays by Loews Hotels: The hotel has introduced new fitness-focused offerings designed to make it easy to stay active while traveling. Whether you want to squeeze in a quick workout or explore the city on foot, the idea is to make movement fit your schedule.
The Regency Bar & Grill: A beautiful spot for a meal or a drink without leaving the hotel. Their breakfast was WONDERFUL.
Local Experiences: Through the Local by Loews program, guests can enjoy exclusive experiences, including tours with The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Holiday Fun: During the holidays, they go all out! Offering complimentary champagne and hot cocoa in the lobby on Fridays and Saturdays in December from 4–6 p.m. Plus special cocktails and menus at their onsite restaurant. Plus the decorate so well!
Our room at Loews Regency New York overlooking Park Avenue.
WHERE TO EAT IN NYC
One of my favorite parts of any New York trip is trying new restaurants. There’s literally never going to be a chance to try every place on my list (I saved my favs and your tops recs to a Google Map!). But we packed in as much as we could over the weekend, from classic New York bagels to pizza, ramen and a great dinner in Brooklyn.
You can't visit New York without getting a bagel! Apollo Bagels was our first food stop of the weekend, and a great way to kick things off. The line was WORTH it.
Lox and Everything Bagel at Apollo Bagels
This was one of my favorite food stops of the trip! It’s next to my sister’s place in Brooklyn so it was top of the list. The Greek-inspired diner gets BUSY and doesn’t take reservations. We arrived about 25 minutes before opening, and by the time the doors opened there were already around 20 people in line. The Zorba plate and pancakes are a must order.
Zorba Plate at Baby Blues in Brooklyn.
My goal was to try as many bagels as possible and I was deciding between Apollo and Ess-a Bagels, luckily they had Ess-a-Bagels at Loew’s Regency Hotel breakfast, which was such a treat!
Brunch at Loews Regency New York was fabulous!
Pizza is a must in New York and Mama’s Too has been all over my FYP so I had to try it and this too lived up to the hype! I got the bruschetta and it was perfect.
Mama’s TOO Pizza was a must try!
Cozy ramen is a need in the fall and Tonchin was a perfect late night dinner in Midtown Manhatten.
I Cavallini was top of my list of places to try on this trip. The new Brooklyn Italian spot is a touch reservation to get. They open two weeks ahead and you have to get on right when they open. But we secured a time and had a fabulous dinner. All of the pastas were fabulous. Their sister restaurant Four Horseman is another spot high on my list.
The housemade pasta at I Cavalli was delicious.
Common Meadows Creamery
This is my sister’s favorite gelato in the city and we had to try it! You can have up to three flavors and they have such unique flavors it’s hard to choose.
Variety Coffee:
This is always a go-to stop when I visited New York! There are multiple locations around the city and they have the best coffee.
WHAT TO DO IN NYC
There's so much to see and do in New York that you could easily spend weeks exploring. Here are a few of the stops we enjoyed during our long weekend.
Visit Poster House
Our first stop after breakfast on Friday was Poster House, a museum dedicated to the art and history of posters. This was such a fun stop and something a little different from the traditional NYC museum experience. We met up with Brittni here, which made the visit even more fun!
Explore the Historic Hotel Chelsea
We also made our way to the iconic Hotel Chelsea. Even if you're not staying here, it's worth stopping by to see this historic New York landmark.
The hotel has such an interesting history, and we stopped in for a drink at the café. It's one of those New York spots that makes you appreciate just how much history is tucked into every corner of the city.
Catch a Show at 54 Below
Friday night we had tickets to a 7 p.m. show at 54 Below. If you love Broadway, live music or cabaret-style performances, this is such a fun experience.
It's an intimate supper club-style venue featuring Broadway performers and some incredible talent.
Visit The Met
Next, we headed to The Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the Costume Exhibition. The Met is always worth a visit, but if you love fashion, design and all things creative, the Costume Institute exhibitions are especially fun.
You could easily spend hours exploring the museum, so plan enough time to wander.
Enjoy Fall Foliage in Central Park
No NYC itinerary feels complete without a stop in Central Park, and we couldn't have picked a more beautiful time to visit.
The fall foliage was at its peak, and the leaves were absolutely gorgeous. With the temperatures still comfortable and the sunshine out, it was the perfect afternoon to walk around, take in the scenery and enjoy one of New York's most iconic spots.
If you love fall, early November is such a beautiful time to experience the park.
Shop Fifth Avenue & See the Holiday Decorations
You can't visit New York in November without taking a stroll down Fifth Avenue! This was one of my favorite parts of seeing the city just as the holiday season was getting underway.
The storefronts and window displays were starting to get festive, the holiday decorations were going up, and there was already so much excitement in the air.
We also spotted the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree being delivered while we were in town, which was such a fun reminder that the holidays were right around the corner.
Fifth Avenue is always a great shopping destination, but there's something extra special about walking this stretch of the city in November. Between the department stores, beautiful displays and iconic landmarks, it's worth building some time into your itinerary just to wander.
Visit the Bryant Park Holiday Market
One of the reasons we planned this trip for November was to experience a little bit of New York's holiday magic.
We made our way to the Bryant Park Holiday Market around 11 a.m. and it was the perfect time to visit. It wasn't too crowded yet, and we enjoyed strolling through the stalls and checking out all of the vendors.
We didn't get to try as much of the food as we would have liked, but the hot chocolate from Cocoa Cabin was SO good. Definitely stop for one if you're visiting!
The market is such a fun way to get into the holiday spirit, with little shops, festive treats and plenty of things to browse. I'd recommend going earlier in the day if you want to enjoy it before the bigger crowds arrive.
WHY EARLY NOVEMBER IS SUCH A GREAT TIME TO VISIT NYC
If I could recommend one time to plan a fall getaway to New York, early November would be at the top of my list.
You get the best of both seasons. The fall colors are still beautiful, especially in Central Park, and the weather is typically comfortable enough to spend the entire day walking around the city. At the same time, you start to get a taste of the holiday magic that makes New York so special.
The Christmas decorations are beginning to appear, holiday markets are opening, storefronts are getting festive and there's an excitement in the air as the city gets ready for the busiest time of year.
While I absolutely love New York during the holidays, I have to say that visiting in early November was pretty perfect. We got to enjoy the festive atmosphere without the full-on winter temperatures, and the beautiful fall weather made exploring so much more enjoyable.
I'd go back again and again at this time of year. It's such a special window between fall and the holidays, and I can't recommend it enough!
