Woohoo, it is summertime! This is the time of year when people want to be outside, be a little adventurous, and are willing to have fun! If you have been following my blog before today, you know that I write a lot about planning for trips and giving yourself enough time to prepare for travel. However, this blog post will be slightly different as I am spilling tea on my spontaneous trip to New York City! 

What sparked this spontaneous trip?

One day, I was scrolling through Instagram, and I saw that a Harry Potter store in New York just opened. This store looked amazing, selling any kind of Harry Potter fan gear you can think of. A friend of mine started joking about booking a trip to go, and well…I responded and said, “let’s do it!”. We booked our trip a week and a half in advance and didn’t have much of a plan. 

Although I blog a lot about planning and adequately budgeting for trips, the spontaneous trip is something that I still enjoy. Sometimes lacking a plan allows you to be a lot more laidback and more receptive to random adventures. As a result, you are more motivated to go with the flow and are willing to see where the day takes you. 

Did you plan any part of the trip? 

Kind of. We booked our plane tickets and hotel, but that is pretty much it. We only had two goals for the trip overall: 1. Try to get into the Harry Potter store. 2. Have fun! 

Now that I have given you a background of how this trip came up, now we can get into some of the adventures we had!!!

Midnight Strolls through the City

We flew in on a Friday evening and had to leave Sunday morning, so my friend and I hit the ground running as soon as we landed! We met up with a friend and had dinner, then decided to hit the town. So we hopped on the subway and headed to Times Square. From there, we walked around Manhattan and enjoyed the nice weather that evening. 

We hit up a few street vendors, stopped for Krispy Kreme donuts, and had some good laughs. 

Harry Potter Store!

The Harry Potter store was both the purpose and the highlight of this trip. However, the store is brand new, so it was not a 100% guarantee that we would even get in. If you are interested in visiting this store, pay close attention to this next part. 

The store has limited capacity. They are also trying to avoid long lines on the street, so they came up with a system of scanning a QR code outside of the store to get on the waitlist for entry each day. The QR code becomes available each morning at 7am so yes, you will have to wake up early and get to the store if you want any chance of getting in that day. Once it is your turn to shop, you will receive a text which will give you exactly 1 hour to return to the store and get in. 

We scanned our code at 7am and received our text around 10:15am. The turnaround was honestly incredible. We heard that some people don’t get in until after 3pm or not at all (I gave credit to our positive attitudes and high vibing mindsets)! 

The store exceeded my expectations! It is not just for shopping; they also have interactive experiences, a butterbeer bar, and cool features around the store to entertain you while you shop. I walked out of there with some great finds, and I would 100% return! 

Brunch in Harlem

Once we left the store, we were super hungry. I’ve been to New York several times, and one thing I always love when I go is the brunch experience! It is something about sitting in the city on the sidewalk, drinking mimosas, and laughing with friends over good food that gets me every time. So we made our way over to Harlem to have brunch at Red Rooster Harlem, and the food was delicious. The staff was super friendly, and the atmosphere was a whole vibe. 

The Vessel

This is a reminder that we did not have any plans for the day, so we allowed our next adventure in the city to come to us as the day went on. While sitting at brunch, I booked tickets for us to go to The Vessel. The Vessel is this huge attraction in Hudson Yards that I always say resembles a beehive. This interactive piece of artwork includes over 154 flights of stairs and mirrored walls that make great for photos and cool videos with your friends. 

Hudson Yards also has plenty of things to do outside of the Vessel. There was an outdoor spin class happening when we arrived, tons of food trucks, and even a shopping mall. 

Museum of Sex

Once we were done at The Vessel, we decided to check out the Museum of Sex. The Museum of Sex displays the evolution of human sexuality in several creative exhibits. Some of the exhibits follow the traditional museum setup, and others are a lot more interactive. 

I only recommend going here if you are comfortable with your sexuality, the expression of sexuality, and are open-minded. I personally found the museum fun, empowering, and educational! 

Dinner at The Wilson

After the museum, we were ready to start looking for dinner. We really wanted to find a good ramen spot, but the place we had in mind was closed. So, sticking with the theme of not having a plan and going with the flow, we decided to walk around and see what we run into. We came across a nice little spot in NoMad called The Wilson, and it worked out perfectly. The spicy margarita did not play any games with me, and the food was great! 

We Walked the Walk

If you have never been to New York, just know one thing you won’t avoid is walking. Your step goals will be achieved in the Big Apple whether you like it or not. Walking is one thing I love about New York. I’m always seeing something new, finding great photo opportunities, and taking a mental note of places I want to visit when I return to the city. I talk a lot about being in the present moment, and walking in New York is definitely one thing that keeps me grounded. I 💖 NY!

This trip was a reminder that things don’t always have to be planned and perfect to have fun. Sometimes, the best thing one can do is let go and allow life to happen. 

Be sure you are subscribed to my blog so you can stay up to date on future posts! I plan on posting more local adventures, so if you are in or near Georgia, get your notepad ready because I have some fun local gems to share!

XO – Kat