food

A delightful guide to NYC

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I’m so excited to finally launch my comprehensive guide to my NYC! I’ve been working on this for weeks, pruning my suggestions of the best-of-the-best to do, see and EAT in this wonderful city. (Yes, this is a PRUNED list!) I can personally attest to each and every place on this list – and seeing it all spelled out is answering a lot of questions I’ve had about my bank account. Happy to take one for the team!

Places are divided by category, and neighborhoods are indicated so you can do a search that way if you prefer. I’ll keep this list updated as I find new places. Enjoy!

Coffee

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A latte at R&R Coffee, one of the few non-chain coffee shops in the Financial District

Breakfast

Note to self: Take more photos of breakfast

Brunch

Rum French Toast at Black Swan: Do I even need to elaborate?!

Rum French Toast at Black Swan: Do I even need to elaborate?!

Lunch

S'mac in the East Village is a lunchtime staple for me.

S’mac in the East Village is a lunchtime staple for me.

Dinner

Ramen at Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village: Necessary to get through winter!

Ramen at Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village: Necessary to get through winter!

Dessert

Vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles at Big Gay Ice Cream, a West Village staple

Vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles at Big Gay Ice Cream, a West Village staple

Drinks

People's Pops in prosecco at Loopy Doopy in the Financial District

People’s Pops in prosecco at Loopy Doopy, a rooftop bar in the Financial District

Parks

(read about my very favorite parks here)

One of many iconic views at Central Park

One of many iconic views at Central Park

  • Washington Square, Greenwich Village (pretty pictures here!)
  • Union Square
  • High Line, West Side
  • Prospect Park, Brooklyn (fall photos here)
  • Central Park
  • Brooklyn Heights Promenade
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Heights
  • Madison Square Park, NoMad
  • Elevated Acre, Financial District
  • City Hall Park, Financial District
  • McCarren Park, Williamsburg
  • East River State Park, Williamsburg
  • Riverside Park, Upper West Side (featured here)
  • Bryant Park, Midtown
  • Hudson River Park, West Village
  • Astoria Park, Astoria

Do/See

Even if you don't travel through, just seeing Grand Central is a must.

Even if you don’t travel through, just seeing Grand Central is a must.

Now you tell me: What’s missing from this list? I’m always looking for new places to try!

Catching up via Instagram: 9/13/15

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If this post had a subtitle it would be: Well, that was a weird week. I spent the Monday holiday working in a mostly-empty office, Tuesday sleeping off a sinus infection, Thursday at jury duty, and Wednesday and Friday working like normal. Now my parents are coming on Wednesday, my best friend gets here in two weeks and I leave for Africa in a little over a month. WHEW.

In the meantime, some little glimpses into this wild and crazy life:

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Sundays are my FAVORITE day of the week, and last week I splurged on some fresh flowers and an iced coffee on my way home from running errands. Sometimes the little indulgences are my favorites!

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I had to get vaccinated for my upcoming trip to Swaziland, but is there anything worse than getting poked and prodded? I finally promised myself I could have sweet potato fries for dinner after going to urgent care, and it worked like a charm – plus now I probably won’t get typhoid!

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My pastors recently moved into a beautiful new apartment in the financial district, and Jessi invited some of the girls over for a barbecue on their rooftop. The views were to die for!

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My friend Jess and I are leading a community group together this fall, and we couldn’t resist a planning meeting over fro-yo.

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I’m a tiny bit Mindy Kaling-obsessed, so when I heard she was the latest celebrity to design a burger for Umami, I knew I had to have it! I dragged the girls out for burgers, fries and drinks at the end of the week. The burger is delicious, but I wouldn’t expect anything else from Ms. Kaling!

So that’s it – scenes from the whirlwind. I’m so excited for the weeks to come!

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Lately on Instagram: 8/30/15

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These posts were getting a little tedious to write every week, especially those weeks I don’t post as much on Instagram. Instead of scrambling every Sunday, I’m going to be posting whenever there’s enough content – probably closer to every two weeks – and supplementing with more Currently and Day in the Life posts. Sound good? That’s a real question – let me know what you think!

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Last week I was invited to an event in midtown where I didn’t know anyone. I’m a big advocate for saying yes to things, and it’s rare for me to be outside my comfort zone since I developed a close group of friends here in NYC. So I went, stayed about 30 minutes, and ducked out fashionably early (that’s a thing, right?) Luckily I was just a few blocks from my favorite part of the city – Rockefeller Plaza – so I wandered over to see it all lit up, read a book, and laugh at the fact that someone at the event called me brave. Would you ever have thought?!

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After over a year, I still can’t get over Bryant Park. It’s the most random park filled with suits and squeezed between skyscrapers just a few blocks from Times Square – yet it always feels like the most peaceful oasis.

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My church hosts quarterly gatherings for the whole team, and they’re always catered. Usually it’s mediocre Italian food but last week we had a taco truck! If you’ve read anything on this site at all, you probably know that tacos are one of my love languages. I made sure Emmie, Kelli and I got there 30 minutes early and didn’t even complain about sitting on the sidewalk. Because tacos!

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Brunch is forever my favorite meal, and one I indulged in twice this week – at Petite Abeille in Flatiron and at Colina Cuervo in Crown Heights. I’m partial to sweet, high-carb treats, as you can probably tell!

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Yesterday was a quintessential New York summer day, and it bums me out to think that summer is coming to a close. There was a rooftop barbecue in Hell’s Kitchen, followed by a spontaneous trip uptown (181st Street!) to see my friend Kelli’s place in Washington Heights. A solid hour away from my neighborhood in Brooklyn, it was like going on vacation – without even leaving New York City!

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A Day In The Life

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By popular demand (aka my friend Kathleen of Los Angeles requested it), I’m giving you guys a little glimpse into my day-to-day life in New York City! On Friday I filmed some moments and below the video, I’ve got a little write-up with some more detail. I honestly don’t feel like daily life is much different here than anywhere else, but looking through a lens (literally and figuratively!) definitely made me notice the more special things.

A Day In The Life from Leigh Anne Zinsmeister on Vimeo.

5:45 a.m.: Wake up with the sun. Spend some time in the Word (you’ll notice my one-year bible is turning into more of a one-and-a-half year bible, but I’m actually very OK with that. I’d rather take my time and soak it all in than rush through it.) Get ready. Eat a little breakfast. Out the door by 7:15!

7:45 a.m.: Take the scenic route and walk through Washington Square, as I often do. When the weather’s not as nice, I make a transfer or two to end up closer to my office.

8 a.m.-12 p.m.: Work work work. I make my lunches at home and eat at my desk so I can take advantage of the full hour I get for a break.

12 p.m.-1 p.m.: Lunch break! Reading in Washington Square (it is my favorite park, after all.)

1 p.m.-5 p.m.: Work work work.

5 p.m.: I’m a “leave the office right at 5” kind of girl, but most New Yorkers don’t have that luxury, so I spend a lot of evenings killing time on my own before evening plans. On Friday this entails more reading, this time in Union Square.

7:30 p.m.: Dinner with my lovely friend Katie! We have some church things to discuss and decided that was best done over guac (as most things in life are). We go to Tortaria – my first time there and I have nothing but high praise! I also have a pulled-pork torta.

8:30 p.m.: Take the scenic route back to the train – the same station where the day began.

9:15 p.m.: Back in my Brooklyn apartment! It’s a quiet and early night – I’m asleep by 10:30.

I hope you all enjoyed this little glimpse into my life! Feel free to let me know if you ever have any requests for what you’d like to see on here!

Eating in Boston

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Let’s be real: I love food. When I travel, eating local cuisine is one of my favorite things to do, and Boston was no different.

What is Boston known for? SEAFOOD. And I can officially vouch for all of it.

Here’s a little overview of the best meals I had and places I dined:

The Warren Tavern, Charlestown: This is the oldest tavern in Massachusetts, and has been visited by the likes of George Washington and Paul Revere. It’s pretty standard bar food – I had a burger, fries and Boston Lager – but it’s very much worth a visit for the history alone!

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Quincy Market: Touristy to the extreme, but for good reason! Again, history. There are SO many options here, but I ended up at mmMac n’ Cheese (shocking I know) eating the Boston Seafood Mac.

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Legal Sea Foods: This is a chain, recommended to me by my parents, and I dined at the one on Park Plaza. The food and service were both amazing – I had a lobster roll (it was a special, not on the menu, so be sure to ask your waiter what’s available!) as well as a Boston Lager (see a trend?) and cheesecake for dessert. Yum!

What’s your favorite place to eat in Boston? I know I missed a lot!