Firstly, I am going to start this post with a very simple statement: I have never really wanted to go the USA.  Quite a long time ago now teenage me decided that USA was, to be very frank, a weird somewhat worse version of Australia and for some reason that belief was stuck well into my adulthood. Whether it be Asia, Europe or just good old Australia, there has always been a long list of distances far above the US in my mind. 

However, as luck would have it I got a promotion which meant I was somewhat forced against my will to spend two weeks in very upstate New York. The good news is that I managed to score a few days in the city beforehand and on the weekends which gave me enough time to visit some family, explore, eat and of course shop. 

So without further to do here are some tips and tricks for spending a little amount of time in New York City.

Eat at:  Russ & Daughters for classic Jewish Fare, Champs Diner for vegan diner food in Williamsburg, anything Momofuku particularly Milk Bar, ShakeShack for some fancy arse but still greasy burgers, Katz's when you want to feel like a serious bumbag wearing tourist, Korilla food truck for Korean style tacos, La Esquina for Mexican without the Kimchi and Hometown Bar-B-Que for well BBQ. 

Shop at: Reformation for west coast style on the east coast, Maryam Nassir Zadeh for beautiful shoes, Rachel Comey for massive wide leg jeans, In Support Of for independent designer pieces, Awoke for vintage Levi's (and Aussie accents if you are missing home or just really love the slightly annoying tones of an Australian accent), Thriftwares for more vintage, Glossier for make up with names like boy balm and cloud paint and Frankie for cool tailored suits.

Explore: Visit the Met to feel like Blair Waldorf, take a walk on the High Line and visit one of the cities best art museums with a view, the Whitney, take a trip to MoMa for frankly obvious reasons, lose yourself in the smell of old books in the Morgan Library, explore the FIT museum for some inspiration before cleaning out your bank account, spend some time at some of the cities weirder attractions like Mmuseumm and finally just stroll through one of the cities many parks (it doesn't have to be the most famous).