There comes a time in each of our lives when we feel like we simply can’t ignore the everlasting urge to pick up, run to the city and never look back. While I’m almost positive that you have a college degree to finish up, running away isn’t a reality — but a weekend trip never hurt anybody.
As much as we love our weekends here in State College, a weekend spent in New York City is always a weekend well-spent. Save the stress, save a little cash and save your closest friends from another typical Friday night — from transportation to the trendiest coffee shops, VALLEY’s mapped out a mini-escape to go down in weekend history.
For those of you with plans to buy a bus ticket, Megabus is the way to go. To leave on a Friday and come back on Sunday, the tickets cost about $100 roundtrip around. But thanks to UNiDAYS, a student discount code of $5 per megabus ticket is available, allowing you to snag one code with your account every 24 hours — so book those tickets accordingly (or ask nicely to borrow a friend’s code who would rather stay put at PSU for the weekend). Grab an Über to the Megabus stop or check CATA’s schedule for when the best time would be for you to take the Vairo Boulevard bus from the Downtown College Avenue at Allen Street stop.
If you don’t already have plans for lodging, VALLEY suggests The Pod hotels. These offer a variety of fun and quirky, affordable room options in a few locations throughout the city.
Friday
No matter what time you end up making it into the city, a quick caffeine-fix is a must. Skip Starbucks and head over to W. 51st St. for Bibble & Sip, the cutest bakery café you’ll ever lay your eyes on. VALLEY recommends snagging one of their famous cream puffs that come in Matcha White Chocolate or Earl Grey Vanilla. If your bags are dropped off before the sun sets, throw on your comfiest sneakers and hit the High Line for an afternoon stroll and some seriously Instagram’able pictures. Be sure to pick up a homemade ice cream sandwich at Melt Bakery’s summer location, High Line at 15th St., available at this spot starting in mid-April, because, sure, an ice cream sandwich isn’t dinner, but it could be.
Saturday
Bright and early head to Joe & The Juice with locations all over the city and pick up a juice or smoothie to start the day off right. With options from Stress Down (strawberry, apple, ginger) to Joe’s Identity (cucumber, kale, broccoli, spinach, lemon), there’s a juice in here for everyone. Joe’s on Sixth Ave. is a short 2-minute walk from our next location: The Museum of Modern Art. With a student ID shown at purchase, the cost of one ticket is only $14, so you’ll be able to soak up all of that artistic goodness shamelessly.
After exploring MoMA for a few hours, hop on the train at the 57th St. station and travel down to 828 Broadway to hit the most classic New York City bookstore there is: Strand. While first impressions may make it seem like a tourist trap at first, never judge a used book store by the amount of tote bags they sell. While Strand is crazy popular, it’s popular for a reason. Get ready to really do some serious sifting through the endless shelves of classic novels and rare finds Strand has to offer.
Spend the rest of your day over-spending at your NYC stores of choice, just be sure to save some cash to drop on dinner. Hit the East Village and visit the Gnoccheria by Luzzo’s, a restaurant focused exclusively on (you guessed it) gnocchi. Created by Chef Michele Iuliano, all gnocchi — from spinach ($15) to cheese stuffed ($19) — is made by hand, fresh every day. As Gnoccheria’s own website says, “Delizioso.”
Sunday
With most hotel check-out times hitting around 12 p.m., sleep in a little — you deserve it! Gather up your weekend bag and hit the next coffee shop on our list, Happy Bones at 394 Broome Street. Happy Bones is all about energizing NYC, with both their amazing coffee and their unique café experience, featuring local art and unique worldwide publications.
Pass through Little Italy and grab a pie at Lombardi’s while on your way to Oo35mm on Mott Street. Oo35mm is a beauty store stocked with a crazy variety of cult-classic products and the best of Korean and Japanese beauty. The only problem you might run into would be spending the rest of your cash on sheet masks — though we wouldn’t exactly call that a problem.
With your bus probably departing for State College soon, try to stop by the Glossier Showroom on Lafayette Street, because you can’t leave the city without a newly-released Lidstar and a fresh tube of Balm Dotcom.
Our last bit of advice: try not to be too sad coming back to Happy Valley —
Graphic by Ben Pietrusinski
there’s always next weekend!
