Once a huge fan of New York, it took me quite a while to make it back to Manhattan. My last visit to NY was in 2010 and despite being a fan of the city, it didn’t make me come back for more than 10 years. However, after visiting California twice lately, we wanted to spice up our 3rd Californian road trip with another american city.
New York seemed to be the best option for an extender layover of a couple of nights, before making it to California. I was looking forward to see how things had changed after all these years. And man…things did have changed.
From expensive to crazy expensive.
The first things we had noticed, was the price difference of almost anything that we would spend money for. The taxi rate from Newark to the center of Manhattan, a simple hotdog, a bottle of water, street food, Über. Just anything had increased in price, not to mention the hotel rates.
Almost any business is using touch screens, to finalize your receipt. Fast food stores, pizza restaurants, fashion shops, coffee bars… just any employee would flip over the screen towards you, and you had to choose your tip option : 5%, 10%, 15%… or no tip. As we are used to the American system, that employees are heavily relying on their tips, we kinda felt forced to leave a tip after every single purchase. This wasn’t the case 13 years ago, you mostly tipped in restaurants and bars. A taxi tip that went from a couple of dollars, rose to the triple amount.
The first two days, we played their game, however during the holidays we just used the “no tip” button more frequently on their screens. If the city is asking for tremendous prices, the tourists shouldn’t bleed to death, by just tipping any service that absolutely took no effort in the end.
After spending 110$ on a cab, we headed straight to a fast food truck, as most shops were closed at midnight. I spent 10$ on an Indian biriyani dish, which seemed ok, for a monstrous portion, however paying 15$ for 3 small bottles of water, was insane. I had spent 150$ the first 60 minutes in the US.
What makes NYC very unique?
NYC feels like a constantly moving city, at any time of the day. The flow of people never stops. It’s alive, it’s loud, it’s smelly… but somehow in a good way. If you’re into photography or videography, you could describe the city of New York, as “cinematic”. There’s a tiny part of the city’s soul in every frame you will take a photo of. I could spend hours, sitting in a corner, sipping on a coffee, and watching people passing by.
New York has a huge foody scene and absolutely fantastic nightlife. The cocktail scene might be among the top 3 in the country. Legendary bars are still alive, some had to close over the years, new ones are in the process of opening.
Shopping … there’s a shop for almost any kind of interest. Music: record stores, live gigs, music bar, they’ve got it all. Entertainment is endless.
The melting pot of people makes NYC a very diverse city, where you can bump into any culture or cuisine. The city never sleeps. Do you feel like getting bored in the “big apple”? Move over to Brooklyn, Williamsburg, or drive west, towards New Jersey.
New York. New York.
We started our first hour of the next morning visiting the new World Trade Center, which happens to be a train station with a quite impressive architecture. It was a very peaceful place, every 10 minutes the main entrance door of the lower floor would open, and people would rush through the main hall of the modern building. After that, quietness would kick in again. We spent easily 40 minutes there to witness its beauty from every angle.
Little Italy was our next stop, as we were heading for a light breakfast with Italian coffee and some pastries, however, most places were still closed. The streets Little Italy were over packed with outdoor-terraces. During the day, the place looked lively, but it was really hard to get a descent photo of the Italian neighborhood. Things had changed again. Most shops were run by Indians or Pakistanis. Many restaurants were run by Hispanics. So much to “Little Italy”, which turned out as a tourist magnet, with no soul anymore. We had two glasses of wine (which was too warm, a common thing in the US during summer season), one Aperol Spritz, and some bruschette…. food was ok, but drinks were bad. However each drink was 15$ a glass.
As we had seen most tourist attractions on our previous visits in New York, we tried to do new things, even though if they seemed less spectacular. For example the Roosevelt Island Tram, a cable car that takes you over Queensboro Bridge. The ride is quite spectacular, however Roosevelt Island is pretty boring. Just enjoy the view from the other side, grab a photo, and head back to Manhattan.
We headed over to BEST PIZZA, a pizza joint in Brooklyn, that my girlfriend saw on Instagram. A popular Italian chef & food influencer was hyping up the place online, as being one of the best pizza places in New York. I like the typical look of the restaurant, the vibe inside and outside, however the pizza just felt like another New York pizza. The pizza was good, but hyping the place up, didn’t seem obvious to me.
Dumbo was another point, that we were checking out. I don’t know where the name comes from, it sounds like another stupid name for a tourist trap. The first time I was in New York, I went to “Dumbo”, as it was one of the most famous locations from the movie “Once upon a time in America”, a splendid mafia movie. Without a doubt, you do get a fantastic view of the Manhattan bridge, however the place was overcrowded with tourists. We enjoyed the stroll along the river, right next to the Time Out Market. Our daughter enjoy the vintage carousel with a unique view of the NY skyline.
Coney Island was almost a must, as we were visiting in summer. The location with its long beaches, felt very summerish, and it took you out of the big city hustle and bustle. The vintage look of the theme park, and the classic look of the food joints, looks quite intriguing for people that didn’t grow up within the American culture. We loved spending some time there! Definitely a great spot for photos and observing people. The place can get sketchy, as there are lots of weirdos walking around.
We did our mandatory walk to the Central Station and the Brooklyn Bridge. Iconic places in New York.
While being NY we were attracted by the biggest tourist trap, the EDGE. Maybe because of labor day, it turned out as a horrible experience it took us 90 minutes to make it on top of the building. The daytime tickets were all sold-out, so we had to take a night-ticket. Thinking it would be less crowded, we were so wrong. Somehow they couldn’t manage that big amount of people. Making it to the top floor, it took us 10-20 minutes to take some photos in the dark. The view was ok, nothing that we wouldn’t have seen before from the Empire State or from the Top of the Rock. Well, as this place was overcrowded it took us another 90 minute, to make it to the Elevator. So we spent almost 3 hours waiting in line. Horrible experience.
Foodwise to didn’t manage to find a great spot, or visiting any other popular bars or restaurants. We thought the Mercado Little Spain was quite impressive. Having a vaste choice of spanish dishes, high quality food, and some cozy bars within the same building, made us love the place. It was right next to the Chelsea High-Line walk. Chelsea Market was around the corner as well.
One night we had a dinner at Eataly - Downtown which was great as well, even though it’s a huge chain-brand that you can find in several big cities all over the world. We were surprised that you could find any Italian food product in that store. Talking about Italy, the Italian pastry shop, Angelina Bakery Times Square is definitely worth a visit. Expect to wait in line! However, the food might have been the best we had for breakfast during our stay in the US.
Time Square at night was terrible, a crowded place with thousands of sketchy people. Another thing that had changed, to the bad. It was more pleasant during the day.
This would have been our experience in NY, before heading over to California.
California: first stop San Francisco.
For the last 3 years, we were traveling on Labor Day, and because we only spent 2 nights in San Francisco, the 2nd day was very quiet. We didn’t feel like spending too much in the city, as we were visiting the Bay Area in 2022 and 2021. I do love the city, but I felt like not wasting too much time.
It was the first time that we had our accommodation in the china town area (Hilton Hotel). And it was actually a good spot to start the day.
This year we noticed instantly how the city was fighting against its downward spiral, that was pulling SF into a total mess of poverty, addicts, and drugs. Homeless people and drug addicts were always a part of the city, however this year it looks horribly bad. Now that I was traveling with a kid, even me who was used to the street life of the city, had to change the sidewalks to avoid hysterical maniacs screaming and throwing fists during business hours. Mission district became a total mess, I couldn’t enjoy the area anymore. We rushed over to the main playground at Dolores Park, to avoid the crazy people, and gave our daughter a good time. Funnily we bumped into a jazz musician from Luxembourg, and had a chat with him for half an hour. Such a small world.
Cocktail scene in San Francisco.
There were two spots that I wanted to visit: Smuggler’s Cove & Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant.
Smuggler’s Cove released its self-titled tiki-bible about cocktails, and the tiki history and obviously the current tiki-scene in the US. Due to that book, a new world had opened for me and I became a total fan of how a couple of dudes created a whole new “fake” world in the 1940 with fantastic cocktails, and still are getting a kind of revival 80 years later. After trying almost every cocktail from their book, I had to visit this fascinating bar.
Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant, is also a place with a lot of history. In numerous cocktail books you will find the drink that goes with the name “Tommy’s Margarita”. The cocktail which is made of tequila, lime juice and agave syrup, was created in this little family-run Mexican restaurant. The owner Julio Bermejo is also a well-known ambassador for Tequila. Luckily, we had the honor to him in person, and he gave us the best welcome we could have expected, with a free tasting, free shots glasses, a couple of photos, and numerous stories of his world of Tequila. I used to hate Tequila as a spirit. Since I started with “Tommy’s Margarita”, I started to discover the world of Tequilas and Mezcals. Mr. Bermejo, if one day you’re reading this post, thank you for the amazing evening! By the way, the food was good as well, traditional Mexican food. No shi-shi… everything looks authentic.
On this trip, I made my first steps into exploring the cocktail scene with a certain knowledge. After getting more and more intrigued about creating drinks at home, I also loved reading about the historic places where drinks had been created, and where people definitely must have had countless unforgettable nights. San Francisco, New York and New Orleans are highly cultural about their booze scene and history.
Next stop: Santa Cruz
As we only had one and a half day in the city, it felt like we were out of time to enjoy our limited hours in San Francisco. We had lunch in “North Beach” (SF’s little Italy), had a stroll through China Town, went to the touristic Pier 39 with Valentina, so she could witness the sea lions making their funny noises. And a mandatory walk through Height Street, where we discovered a middle-eastern gem of a restaurant called "Abu Salim Middle Eastern Grill”. I think we passed by that restaurant so many times, but never felt like checking it out. Definitely a must-do if you love middle-eastern cuisine. It’s affordable and super delicious.
Before heading towards Santa Cruz, we had a stop in Sausalito, where we had a stroll along the coastal shipping street, where you get a view on San Francisco’s skyline if it’s not too foggy.
After sharing three different Italian sandwiches, we drove southbound to Santa Cruz. We were looking forward for a fun night at the arcades next to the beach, a vintage theme park with all kind of amusement booths and food stands.
The first hour that we spent at the beach in the afternoon was a disappointment as the sea was pretty rough with powerful and high waves, impossible to play around close to the shore. It was windy, and wasn’t actually that warm. We headed back to the city center, as beach time wasn’t an option on that day. It was the first time that we were visiting downtown of Santa Cruz, and it’s a pretty charming and cozy area, however super dead the time we were there.
Later we found out that the theme park was closed as well. We still haven’t figured out if the theme park was only open on weekends, or because of its “private event” that took place that night. No beach, no carousels for our daughter.
The following day, we had planned to move south to Pismo Beach, however noticing the weather situation on the coast with lots of winds, we decided to skip that stop and drive straight to Palm Springs, which should have been our 3rd stop in California. It was a long drive, about 7 or 8 hours, but I was glad that we could spend more time in Palm Springs.
Palm Springs: the hip desert.
This was our 2nd stay in Palm Springs, as we enjoyed it on our first trip, even though we barely discovered anything interesting, as the city center was dead in the evening, when we were visiting in 2019. But we enjoyed the temperatures, the views of the mountains and the zillions of palm trees in and around the city. The city vibe is a mix of hip, chic, snob and arty!
Even this time, we wouldn’t discover the world in Palm Springs, however we had the time to visit its fascinating art museum (well just the outside:). Enjoyed some cocktails, had delicious Mexican food and poke bowls, and were chilling at a pool, with our own tiki-bar in a tiki-liscious motel called “Caliente Tropics”. I loved that place, even though it was just a motel. The tiki decoration, the A-frame entrance of the lobby, the vintage colors from the 60s, it was a hidden gem, super affordable with a lot of charm. And they had their own tiki bar right next to the pool. Our daughter was having fun in the pool, and I was shazam-ing hundreds of songs that were playing in the background, while sipping on my Mai Tai.
Tiki in Palm Springs.
What I do love about Palm Springs, would be the amusing “the dolce far’niente”, while feeling the heat on your skin, laying in the shadow by the pool, while watching the mountains and palmtree with a drink in your hand.
Surprisingly Palm Springs has three “well-known” tiki bars in its city center.
Bootlegger Tiki
Tonga Hut (there’s another in Hollywood)
The Reef (the poolbar in our hotel)
Tiki bars, were almost non-existent in Europe for a long time, and the ones that opened, still wouldn’t convince like their american pioneering bars, which were a big thing when the whole tiki movement exploded in the 1950s until the 1970s. So I was glad, that I could discover them, while they are still open. Some of them, had been torn down, or had to close over the years.
Sadly when you’re traveling with a kid in the US, you’re only allowed into tiki bars, if they’re serving food, some would turn “+21” after 8pm.
Los Angeles & Disneyland.
I’ve been to Los Angeles countless times… and still every time I get there, I discover something new.
The Santa Monica Pier, 3rd Street Promenade, Venice Beach and Venice Shopping were mandatory spots. Every year we have to stop at “Salt & Straw” in Venice, for their amazing ice-creams.
This year I discovered Redondo Beach Pier for the first time, and I was surprised that it’s actually the coolest pier among Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo. It’s a pier, where many people are coming together to enjoy a dinner with sunset, with their families. The pier was busy, full of locals, many Mexican families. On the lower level, are a bunch of bars, and big fish restaurant that serves the freshest seafood dishes.
We had a drink at “Old Tony’s” bar, which isn’t a tiki bar. It does however come with a similar vibe, as it’s a maritime decorated old vintage bar, where you get a free “maitai” glass as a souvenir, if you order their cocktail. The glass looks pretty cool, and “tony’s maitai” was alright, for the price you pay for with a free glass. The location with a view on the ocean, was definitely enjoyable.
Besides getting my mai tai glass, I think Disneyland surprisingly convinced me as well. It was my first time in a Disney theme park, and also the first time for my daughter, who had a blast. If you make it to the park, you got to forget about your wallet, and don’t mind the prices. Everything is crazy expensive (15$ for 2 bottles of water, 35$ for Mickey Mouse ears"), but the fun you get is worth the price. It was funny to see, that there more adults enjoying themselves, than little kids. We were visiting on a weekend, and the whole place was packed. Definitely a memorable day as a family.
And of course… another tiki bar at Disneyland: Trader Sam’s enchanted Tiki Bar. The drinks were fantastic, good service, the crowd obviously Disney fans, but that was ok. I emptied two drinks within 10 minutes, bought 2 mugs, and went back to my girlfriend and daughter, …quite tipsy.
California, mon amour.
California never gets tiring, nor boring. It’s a fantastic state, that comes with surprises on each trip. The food is great, most of the people you meet along are overly friendly, the weather is awesome (on most days), but nothing comes for free, and nothing’s cheap. Despite being unlucky with the “beach weather” in Santa Cruz, we made the best out of it.
Doing New York and California on the same trip was quite interesting as well, however we noticed that on our future trips, we will have to spend more nights at the same place with our daughter, as changing the accommodation on a daily basis, was a little too much for her, as she wouldn’t feel “at home”, if we are changing beds every night.
