Weekend getaways with girlfriends are always a good idea. It's an opportune time to kick back, laugh too hard, splurge a bit, and forget about the day-to-day back home. As best friends of ten years, we decided to take a Thursday-Sunday weekend trip to New York City in late August to refresh our minds for the fall season. Enjoy our travel tips, and comment below with YOUR favorite New York hotspots, dolls!

Stay:

We had the dear pleasure of staying at Hanna's sisters apartment, Emma, whom lives just two blocks from the Empire State Building. Honestly, the best way to experience NYC and save some cash is finding a friend or Air B&B in the heart of the city (try for Midtown Manhattan). If you'd rather splurge on a nice hotel, you'll have no shortage. A few of our favorites include the Intercontinental, the Viceroy, the W, the Waldorf Astoria, the Conrad, Trump Tower, the Quin, and the St. Regis. These all include lovely restaurants with yummy breakfast and room-service, so breakfast in bed on the 52nd floor with a view is an obvious to-do!

NYC 'Diner' Experience:

The Murray Hill Diner! This 'hole in the wall' diner serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and is fabulous! This is a typical 'mom and pop' family restaurant with a tremendously extensive menu and very reasonable prices. We went twice during our stay, both after 10 PM for a late night snack. In total, we ordered the chicken salad, avocado toast, and the chicken sandwich throughout our stay, and it was all yum!

Fancy Dinner:

The Nomad. We went to the Nomad the first night we were in town and spared no expense! Emma opened our eyes to this dark-lit gem in the city, known for being one of the fanciest places in all of NYC. We ordered the same menu Kim and Kanye ordered from Nomad last February for Valentines Day, and it is officially our favorite meal of all time. For the main course, we ordered the whole-roasted chicken stuffed with foie gras and black truffles. For dessert, we ordered the (drumroll) Milk and Honey crumble (resturant shown below)!

Healthy (Vegan) Meal:

By Chloe IS A MUST, GIRLS. It is cutesy and classy and girly and healthy and lovely. With yummy black bean burgers and sweet potato fries and vegan ice cream and beet ketchup (!!!), this order-in-line restaurant is perfect for a light lunch between shopping and sightseeing.

Dessert:

Magnolias Bakery has the best peanut butter banana pudding in the entire world. Seriously, the line is out the door for this delicacy. There are a few of these bakeries around the city, and a cup of the pudding is perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up. Even if you don't like bananas, it's a must to try! We finished a huge cup (see below, yummmm!)

Shop:

Easy. Go to Fifth Avenue and Park Avenue! The prices are much higher than other cities, so brace yourself and prepare to spend a little more than usual! There's of course H&M, Zara, and Forever 21, which are standard stores and a bit cheaper than some of the high-end spots. We did more shopping than anticipated, but NYC is the prime spot to buy CLASSIC pieces you will have for a lifetime (business suits for work, etc).

Juice:

Pressed Juicery is originally based out of Los Angeles, but Pressed has been popping up all over NYC! They are a handy-dandy pressed juice go-to's. They usually have samples of new flavors to try, which is always fun. For a super healthy choice (to make up for the banana pudding above) choose any of the six 'green' based juices.

Workout:

Simple - walk, don't uber (when you can handle it). We walked anywhere between 12 and 17 miles based on the day (according to our iPhones) and wish we would have packed better walking shoes! Walking is the ideal way to get to know the city, however, and we found ourselves adventuring around ChinaTown, SOHO, and Brooklyn just by foot! Definitely walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, but beware of its length! There's always SoulCycle classes if you want a little extra, too!

Escape:

Central Park, duh! We walked the entirety of the park, which spans a couple miles long, and saw everything from the zoo to the waterpark. There is an adorable restaurant (famous from the movie '27 Dresses') called the Loeb Boathouse. The prices aren't terribly high and the view can't be beat! It sits on a little pond in the park and is a perfect lunch spot!

Art:

The MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art) is a definite. It's right next to Central Park and is a great, air-conditioned stop after a hot morning in the park! The cost to get in is voluntary, meaning you pay whatever you feel is fair! We paid (don't judge us) $1 since we didn't have time to stay super long, anyways. As soon as you walk in, there are a couple different wings to choose from, including both modern and historical art. We chose to look through jewelry from the B.C. era's and had a great time! The MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) is also a great spot, although we didn't get a chance to stop in!

ENJOY NYC, BABES!