NYC in 2021
Stealth trip! Alex and I hopped on a plane to NYC in early December and posted nothing about it publicly (at least not right away), because I was on a secret mission to surprise Whitney on the Brooklyn Bridge for her proposal! The surprise was a success, and we got to stay a few extra days to explore NYC for our first time since 2019.
Night one, arrival at JFK. Then dinner in Hell’s Kitchen with Alex’s friend Alicia.
The food was good but odd. I got duck pasta which was a bone-in duck leg over pasta…
And Alicia got ravioli which was ONE giant ravioli that looked like a plate-sized nacho. Anyway, good to catch up with you Alicia!
Our first full day, we started off with a visit to the Christmas Market at Bryant Park.
Wagamama with Walter & Fiona.
A walkthrough of Fish’s Eddy.
And on to the next Holiday market, at Union Square.
Then it was time to go photograph the proposal! And afterwards, celebratory drinks at The Little Shop, a great little spot that’s just a regular bodega in the front but has a cute little speakeasy bar in the back. They even encourage you to buy a snack from the bodega, and they’ll plate it up for you in the back. We chose Pringles, haha.
Congrats to the newly engaged couple!
The next night, dinner at Llama San, a Peruvian Japanese restaurant in the West Village.
Loved it all. Such specific flavor combinations, all in perfect balance.
The next morning started with a run, since we were running our 10k the next weekend… At least it was a scenic one! Starting off with a walk through the Oculus.
And running up and down the West Side Highway.
Bagel breakfast afterwards.
Lunchtime walk down through Wall St.
And over to Luke’s Lobster. Quick, easy, tasty.
Back through the Oculus at night!
Indian food for a late dinner. And up to go see all the holiday festivities.
Christmas tree at Rockefeller.
We waited forever for the lights show at Saks Fifth, but it never came on. Alas.
Grand Central Station.
Midweek brunch in Brooklyn with our cousins! At the Taiwanese American bakery, Win Son.
Alex’s cousin and my cousin both came to meet up.
Important errand I suddenly remembered… all of the Muji USA locations closed down in the pandemic, including our SF locations. Now they’re only in NYC. I had to go restock on my favorite pens!
Sauntering through SoHo.
And Little Italy/Chinatown.
I spy Jing Fong, the dim sum/banquet restaurant that famously closed during the pandemic. But apparently it’s reopening now! I grabbed lunch from Chikarashi– very tasty.
Dinner at David Chang’s Momofuku Ssam Bar in the South Street Seaport.
Final day in the city! It seems like the panic about cream cheese shortages was a bit overblown?
And our final meal, Taiwanese food at 886.
Always lovely to visit New York! And just in time before omicron really hit. We’ll be back, someday!
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She compulsively documents and blogs all of her daily adventures. Follow her on instagram and view more of her professional work at annawu.com.
