Tag Archives: NY style pizza

Broadway & New York City March Trip 2026

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Best drink: Venchi hot chocolate with whipped cream
Best pizza: Fig jam and bacon from L’industrie
Best beef: Kobe beef from Cote
Best dessert: Apple strudel with schlag from Peter Luger, followed closely by the matcha ice cream matcha latte from Matcha Cafe Maiko
Most overrated food item: potato salad with uni from Sip & Guzzle
Best piece of sushi: The uni in the Sushi Sho bento box

Friday

  •  Austin Airport – Austin Jetset Market for pre-flight drinks
  • Flight (AUS → EWR, United – 2 people)
    • $933.32 but moved Monday flight later in the day to get → $77 flight credit
    • Used 5,300 points for seat selection (flight was mostly and there weren’t 2 seats together without paying)
  • Hotel – Hampton by Hilton Times Square
    • 3-night stay (Hilton sale): $693.84
  • Famous Original Ray’s Pizza
    • 3 slices: cheese, pepperoni, Hawaiian
    • $18.06
    • Delicious and very greasy
    • Friendly crew, great communication

Saturday

  • Gumption Coffee
    • Large cappuccino: $7.08
    • Excellent, smooth coffee
  • Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart (K-Town)
    • 3-tart box (Matcha, Original, Black Sesame): $13.75
      • Delicious interior, pastry too thick
    • Black sesame cream puff: $4.25
      • Amazing craquelin texture, but cream is not a favorite
  • Venchi
    • Hot chocolate with whipped cream: $7.70
      • Amazing (possibly better than Ghirardelli SF)
    • Pistachio chocolate: $2
  • Tompkins Square Bagels
    • +20-minute wait in line
    • Pastrami lox + cream cheese bagel: ~$23
    • Chewy, filling, excellent, busy, but able to find a standing table outside
  • Peter Luger Steakhouse
    • Reservation made at opening (11:45 AM)
    • Ordered:
      • Steak for 2: $155.90
      • Bacon: $8.95 (thick, salty, shareable)
      • Luger burger + cheese + fries: $29.85 (very flavorful)
      • Creamed spinach: $18.95 (good texture, not worth price)
      • Baked potato: $9.95 (very large, overpriced)
      • Apple strudel: $14.95 (highly recommend, especially with schlag)
      • Coffee: $3.50 (excellent with schlag)
      • Drink: ~$20
    • Total: $284 (left $350 with tip)
    • Large portions, good service, excellent meal, would book again for a splurge/celebration meal

  • M&M Store
    • Quick visit, lots of M&M’s
  • New York Public Library
    • Saw the iconic lions
  • Sushi Sho (Pickup Bento)
    • Weekend 4 PM pickup
    • Bara Chirashi box: $70
    • Delicious, beautifully presented
    • Great alternative to omakase (which is spendy!)
  • Washington Square Arch
    • Large, good for photos
  • Harry Potter Shop
    • Full walkthrough
    • Empty at open, fills quickly after 30 minutes
  • Sip & Guzzle
    • Potato salad + uni: $36 (not very good)
    • Soft serve: $19 (different but delicious)
    • Wagyu Old Fashioned: $23 (I loved the beef on top, but Jon did not)
    • Saketini: $21 (not that special)
    • Total with tip: $127.80 (would skip next time unless you line up for the first reservation at 4PM and get one of the 12 infamous burgers)
  • Hampton Rooftop Bar
    • Separate elevator
    • Outdoor area closed but gorgeous view
  • Every Brilliant Thing (Show)
    • Stage seating CC row: $400 (2 tickets)
    • Daniel Radcliffe
    • Immersive, interactive experience
    • Would see again
    • Love how Jon is more likely to be chosen for these things

Sunday

  • Harry Potter Shop
    • Hot butterbeer: $13.50 (too sweet)
    • Butterbeer ice cream: $9.50 (too sweet)
    • Very sweet, the ice cream had a great texture
    • Ice cream unavailable for ~40 minutes after opening
  • L’Industrie Pizza
    • Burrata: $5.50
    • Fig jam & bacon: $6 (my fave)
    • NY slice: $5.50
    • White: $3.50
    • Tomato (2 slices minimum)
    • Very delicious, fast-moving line
    • Tight space, large dessert selection

  • Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
    • $789 (2 tickets, Row E aisle)
    • ~3-hour show
    • Short intermission (~10 min)
    • Narrow but overall comfortable seating
    • These seats had an AMAZING view for a live show
    • One of the best shows I’ve seen
    • Wouldn’t mind seeing it again
  • Fushimi (Brooklyn)
    • Dinner with family
    • short ribs were delicious and very flavorful
    • Miso soup was okay
  • Hamburger America
    • Tried smash burger + fries
    • Very flavorful
  • Ghostbusters Headquarters (Firehouse Co. 8)
    • Visited around 9 PM, empty

  • The Mini Bean
    • Small reflective sculpture
  • One World Trade Center (and Subway Station)
    • Large, clean, not busy subway station
  • Cote
    • Total (before tip): $471.44
    • Kingpin drink: $24
    • ZBiotics drink: $11
    • Butcher’s Feast (2): $164
    • A5 Wagyu tasting (2): $170
    • Steak & eggs (2): $64
    • Large portions are better for groups
    • Highlights: hanger steak, Kobe wagyu

Monday

  • Nintendo Store
    • Quick visit
  • Matcha Café Maiko
    • Difficult to find (inside mall, lower level near Rockefeller Center)
  • NBC Store
    • Gift shop with collectibles
  • Sushi 35 West
    • Total: $189.53
    • Omakase chef choice: $130
    • Toro Toro roll: $23
    • High-quality sushi, good value
    • Limited seating (2 tables)

Spending Distribution

  • 🍔 Food & Drinks — 29.2%
  • 🚗 Transportation — 24.8%
  • 🎟️ Event Tickets — 23.2%
  • 🏨 Hotel — 13.6%
  • 🛍️ Souvenirs — 9.2%

 

Notable Trip Highlights and Lowlights

    1. The medical emergency
      Our United flight was held at the gate for ~20 minutes for a medical emergency (one of the flight attendants)! I’m not sure I’ve ever been on a flight where EMTs were brought on board. They also asked for a doctor before landing. One lady offered her EPI-Pen (we didn’t know what kind of doctor or help was needed).
    2. Spotted a rat
      I think that “rats” and “NYC subway” are often mentioned together as a joke, but they really do exist in the subway.
    3. Aggressively yelling subway dude
      He was singling people out by description (the lady yawning, etc.) and saying he would fight them on the platform. He walked up and down the car, carrying a large box and punching the air. Several passengers moved to the opposite side of the car, and I decided to leave that train and grab the next one to avoid this unstable character.
    4. Santa Barbara vs. Hokkaido uni
      The uni add-on at Sip & Guzzle was listed as Hokkaido uni. When the runner (not our server) set down the dish, he said it was Santa Barbara uni. I flagged our server and asked about it—she immediately whisked the dish away but came back with it two minutes later. She stressed that it was indeed Hokkaido uni and that the runner had been mistaken; however, they had run out of Hokkaido and were serving Santa Barbara uni previously. They had only been open for 45 minutes at this point. We appeared skeptical at the conflicting information, and she brought out an unopened frozen package of uni from the Ogawa brand. The uni was $17 and quite plentiful on top of the potato salad. It was not that good. Was it just not great, Hokkaido uni? Not fresh Hokkaido uni? Or actually Santa Barbara uni? We will never know.
    5. Rude Cursed Child seat neighbor
      I usually take the seat next to Jon’s aisle seat so he can have legroom (I’m 5’2” and he’s 6’2”). The couple next to us were already seated—two larger adults. The man sitting next to me had his arm and elbow settled on our shared armrest. His shoulder was in my space, touching my shoulder, and his arm/elbow was also occasionally touching my side. I was completely in my seat, not using the armrest. I politely asked him to stay within his seat area, and he defensively stated that he was in his seat. He then explained that since I was able to use my right armrest, the left side was his armrest. I pointed out that he was over the armrest, and he said something to the effect of “deal with it.” Jon saved me by switching seats with me. The man was not happy with this taste of his own medicine, but didn’t say anything else (or stop using the right-side armrest).
    6. United seat map game
      After paying for a middle seat so Jon and I could sit together on the flight back (I switched the flight a few days before, so there were limited free Economy seats), I swapped our seats about 75 minutes before boarding. The standbys and upgrades had been assigned, and I spotted an empty 3-seat row in the back. The flight was mostly full but had several empty rows in the back, so Jon and I had an entire row to ourselves. Thankfully, too, since the 737 MAX had smaller seats and Jon’s 6’2” frame didn’t fit lengthwise without turning his body. Even my petite frame just barely fit within the seat width—but how many people are 5’2”, petite, and 120–140 lbs? Who are these seats made for anymore?
    7. Lines to get into shows
      It surprised me how slow the security/ticket entrance process was for the two shows we saw. We lined up for Every Brilliant Thing about 10 minutes after they opened the lobby, and the line didn’t move at all for a good 10–15 minutes. There were already so many people in line. It took forever to get inside. The line for Cursed Child moved faster but was still slow, and by the time we entered (we got in line before the lobby opened), it was chaotic and packed inside.
    8. The hotel elevator – be warned
      Our hotel was fine, except for one day when the elevator situation was not. I chose the 35th floor (original booking was the 12th), and there were ~38 floors total. To use the elevator, you select your floor on one of two kiosks in the lobby and scan your room card. The kiosk assigns you an elevator (P5–P9). It doesn’t account for how many people or how much luggage is going in. I had to redo the process when the elevator filled up because it told everyone to take the same one—15 people weren’t going to fit. On Saturday morning, we tried to go down and called the elevator from our floor. After 10 minutes, one finally showed up. It stopped multiple times on the way down and quickly filled up. While still in the 20s, it began stopping at nearly every floor—opening, showing waiting people it was full (some still tried to squeeze in), then continuing. It took forever to reach the lobby. Someone mentioned waiting 30 minutes; another said it was their sixth full elevator. And who is going to walk down 20+ flights of stairs? Poor planning/infrastructure that the system can’t recognize or adjust when elevators are full to improve efficiency. I’m glad we weren’t on a lower floor (unless just a few floors up), so we could still use the elevator most of the time without issue.
    1. Is traffic better or worse in NYC?
      Is it my imagination, or is traffic not as bad in NYC? Are rideshare prices not as high? The bus from the transit station to the airport wasn’t much cheaper than an Uber for two people. Public transit ($3 per swipe) was very inexpensive and almost as fast as a car. In some cases, you could walk as fast as taking a taxi. When the subway was running smoothly, it was the cheapest and most efficient option—but when it didn’t show up and then told everyone to leave, we wasted 20 minutes when we could have just walked and gotten to our destination.

48 Hours in New York City – From New York, With Love – Hugh Jackman

by in Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I think we heard Empire State of Mind 50 times during our quick 2-night trip to New York City. There is a soundtrack and a smell to NYC that is different from my last visit in January of 2017 (with my mom to watch my sister perform). During that trip in 2017, we visited Zabar’s, Kismat Indian in Washington Heights, Thai Sea in Brooklyn, Donut X, Donut Pub, Carwash Donuts, Carlos Bakery, Rue, and a rooftop bar. This visit (8 years later), we snacked our way around Manhattan before and after watching Hugh Jackman perform.

We planned our trip around seeing Hugh Jackman’s “From New York, With Love” show at Radio City in New York. We had lovely seats in ORCH 3 that were not too far back from the stage. I watched the stage during the show and not the side-mounted televisions that were zoomed in on Hugh Jackman and the other performers. The seats are quite comfortable and just large enough to feel adequate for most people. The orchestra sloped gently, and the stage was elevated so I could see without the row in front of us getting in my view. The venue seats ~6000, and my main comment is that there are not enough restrooms! There are four levels of restrooms, and the lines were halfway down the hall for some of them 15 minutes before the show. There were only 6 stalls in the mezzanine bathroom I was able to use before the show started.

Hugh Jackman’s show itself was great! We went to the matinee on the last day of performances for this show. He was personable, charming, and funny. There was a good mix of songs throughout the show (with songs from The Greatest Showman to Music Man to Les Mis). Though he spends an entire short piece jump roping (as a fun spoof of the Deadpool and Wolverine movie’s NSYNC dance), he is not doing as much moving around/dancing. For one of the songs (Never Enough), there was a guest singer. Kate Hudson also came out, and she and Hugh did a few songs from their upcoming Neil Diamond movie. Clearly, Hugh Jackman is talented, and this was a super-fun show to watch live.

🥂 Bar 54
Rooftop bars are one of my favorite activities in a new city. I looked for one within walking distance of our hotel near Times Square, that took reservations, and had good reviews for the views. Reservations were easy, and while the glass barrier means you can’t look straight down, the vibe is still worth it as a rooftop bar. A glass of champagne and a cocktail set us back approximately $67, including gratuity. There is supposedly a time limit to the table reservation, but we were not hurried at all by the waitstaff. It was a very relaxed time, and it was gorgeous outside in early October.

🍗 Dave & Buster’s
We booked a table to watch the UFC fights on Saturday night. They have plenty of TVs. When we arrived, they sat us in front of one that wasn’t currently showing what we came for, and it took them 20-ish minutes to switch it over. By the time the main fights were on, almost every TV was playing UFC. Service was great. Food was okay. Of the two finger foods we ordered (Philly egg rolls and boneless wings), they were mildly overcooked, dry, and overpriced. You’re paying for the space, not the food.

🍕 F&F Pizza, Brooklyn
Recommended by Babish (YouTuber), this pizza spot is in Brooklyn. We accidentally booked a table at the full restaurant next door (thanks, Google), but they let us leave our reservation and head next door for slices. We ordered clam, pepperoni, cheese, and Partanna. The Partanna was our favorite, though the clam slice was unexpectedly delicious. A chewier crust, great flavor, and solid prices ($4–$7 per slice) make this one worth the trip.

🍕 Joe’s Pizza
A must for classic NY-style slices. The OG location was not ready with slices when they opened, so we hit the Times Square spot instead. The line was just outside the door when we arrived before noon. Everything smelled delicious! We got a slice each of cheese, pepperoni, and white. Solid choice for NY-style pizza.

🍜 Ichiran Ramen
This was the priciest Ichiran we’ve ever been to, and not the best quality. The setup included privacy dividers we couldn’t remove, but we were seated side by side. The matcha pudding was a fun menu addition that we tried, but overall, not quite worth the $79 tab or 45-minute wait for two bowls of ramen, drinks, and a dessert.

🍩 I’m Donut?
We went all in here, ordering eight donuts (Pistachio white chocolate donut, custard donut, PBJ donut, Caramel Espresso Cream Donut, Sake Cream Donut, Matcha Cream Donut, Scrambled Eggs Donut) and a matcha latte. Fortunately, the donuts are not too large, but 8 is too many to eat in one sitting for two people. I would go back for the Matcha cream donut again and again. It was some of the best matcha I’ve had in a pastry. The scrambled egg donut was a trip. Definitely worth a try, but far from your standard donut flavor. The line was managed well outside, and the inside is cute and appealing. Pricey but memorable.

🥪 Katz’s Deli
I’ll have what she’s having at Katz’s Deli. This is a confusing place to walk into for the first time! They hand you a little ticket when you walk up, and you join a line in front of the deli counter and wait your turn to put in your order. They cut your meat and build your sandwiches at the deli counter, and then tag your ticket with what you ordered. You pay at the exit (with cash) or in the back (with a credit card). The place is full of really fun décor and plenty of tables. It can get crowded here, but if you stop by in the morning early enough, you won’t be waiting long in line and will probably have plenty of options for a table. Sandwiches are large (easy to share) and priced accordingly. We tried a pastrami sandwich, a half egg salad sandwich with a cup of split pea soup, and got it with a can of soda for ~$75.

🍪 Levain Bakery (NoHo)
Soft, thick, and gooey cookies that are everything social media promised. I’m team chewy cookie, but even I had to admit these were impressive. The chocolate chip walnut is their OG flavor.

🥐 Paris Baguette
A quick breakfast stop that felt calm amid the city rush. The mocha was the least sweet mocha I’ve ever had, but the pastry cases were stacked high and looked appealing.

Since my last visit to NYC, transportation has gotten easier now that you can tap and pay using your phone. Prices have gone up minimally for public transit. $2.90 for a single tap vs. $2.50 last time I was in NYC. $8.50 for the airtran to/from JFK. $8.25 for the LIRR to JFK. We took one Uber from Brooklyn’s F&F pizza to our hotel in Times Square for $44. Our Delta flights were ~$400/each round-trip in the 2-seater exit row (twice as expensive as my flight last time but from a different city). We spent ~$500 on food and snacks – a lot for a quick trip, but not too much considering all the places we tried and all the food we ate. Travel is always more expensive than staying home, and there are more costs than I expect every time we travel, but prices seem reasonable for NYC (hotel ~500/night downtown near Times Square, orchestra seat ticket ~$340 at Radio City, $30 for a souvenir t-shirt, ~$5 for a nice slice of pizza).

Some other things we noted during the trip… The Hop on/Hop Off buses always looked full, with a line down the block to get on. I’m not sure you’d be able to get a seat if you got off and wanted to get back on. I didn’t see anyone smoking cigarettes (smelled Nicotine only once), but saw multiple people smoking weed (several times in the subway). I expected more lines at some of the places we went for snacks/food, but we never waited very long in lines (the longest was for Ichiran). Things/food were both more expensive and less expensive than I expected in comparison to Austin food/merch/travel expenses.