NYC Hotspots

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO NYC HOTSPOTS

Your post-grad Sex and the City fantasy awaits.

by CHLOE HECHTER and CAROLINE CAHILL graphics by SAMANTHA FUSS and ALI DIMOVA

Skip Times Square, spare yourself the basic SoHo shopping spree, and save Central Park for when the family comes to visit. When you’re living your best post grad life, you’re a New York native, and natives always know what’s happening. In order to not just survive, but thrive in the city, keep these hotspots on your radar. We swear, there’s better food around than Serendipity and The Sugar Factory.

Bar Pitti

Extra truffle pasta, please! When you come to Bar Pitti, be sure to be dressed to the nines, because there’s a good chance you’ll run into New York local Timotheé Chalamet in his element. (Not to brag, but I went to high school with him). This trendy West Village Italian restaurant is the perfect place for the best pasta you’ll ever eat, a celeb sighting, or if you’re lucky, a first date.

Kind Regards

This one’s for all of our 21 and over ladies (...obviously…). Picture your classic NYC clubbing fantasy, complete with a disco ball, dark ambiance, and to-die-for cocktails. If you’re feeling like V.I.P., make sure to check out the basement where they have occasional shows. Forget about “No Hands” and “All Night Longer,” the music at Kind Regards runs circles around your frat house DJ and creates immaculate vibes. Also, we once saw the cast of the Gossip Girl reboot here.

Tompkins Square Bagels

Nothing cures a hangover quite like an authentic New York City bagel. If you think you’ve had a good bagel, you’re wrong until you’ve lived in NYC, sorry, not sorry. Head down to Tompkins Square Bagels for a fresh bagel with cream cheese and lox on a Sunday morning, rally the troops, throw on your best walk-of-shame ‘fit, and cure your hangxiety with a carbo-load.

Summit One Vanderbilt

It’s like visiting the top of the Empire State Building, only less basic. Right in the heart of Manhattan is New York’s newest Insta-worthy interactive experience. You can take a glass elevator to the top, get over your fear of heights, and enjoy a breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline. Just be warned, you might have to take off your precious white platform sneakers to make room for their glass-proof booties.

Isalis Boutique

Now it’s time to splurge, because you deserve it, girl! Isalis boutique is right on Price Street, and it’s probably that store you’ve been seeing all over TikTok. With everything from House of Sunny to Agolde, this super-trendy but equally tiny store will leave your bank account empty but your closet full of the hottest New York fashion.

Lucali Pizza

Right across the bridge lives Lucali Pizza in Brooklyn. Make a day of it, eat a ton of pizza, then walk it off by walking back to the city via the Brooklyn Bridge. Since it’s Beyonce’s favorite spot, you might have to wait on line, but it’ll totally be worth the wait. Make sure to bring your friends because they only sell by pie--or don’t, we don’t judge.

Cafeteria

Can’t help but wonder where the Sex and the City gals eat their iconic brunches? Look no further than Cafeteria restaurant in Chelsea. For the best brunch, dinner, and cocktails, this place is casual-meets-trendy and the perfect pre-going out dinner spot. Would recommend the Mac and Cheese spring rolls and the berry Mojito. Real city girls never gatekeep their favorite spots, so ditch your frat sneakers and your boring black crop top and put on your little heels and your sexiest slip dress; NYC is back, better, and ready for postgrad you.