By Aydin Akyol and Camilla Gelacio
After school, Cami and I went home to nap and pack for our 3 a.m. flight to New York! Cami pulled an all-nighter since she hadn’t packed yet, while I passed out on her recliner—only to wake up to her filming me sleeping. A few hours later, we got ready and headed to the airport.
After a long layover in Denver and multiple naps, we finally landed in New York! Traffic was rough, but we still had the evening ahead of us. We explored our neighborhood in SoHo and stopped by a few stores before heading to Little Italy for dinner. We both got vodka pasta, it was amazing. To end our first night, we grabbed matcha and chai at Blank Street Coffee and took a walk before resting up.
The next morning, we started the day at 12 Matcha, a newly opened cafe with a 20-minute wait in the rain that was well worth it. The staff were super friendly, and their matcha process was unique and thoughtful. They even made each drink in front of us while sharing the story behind the shop. The space was beautiful, and the matcha was easily the best we’ve ever had.
We spent the rest of the day shopping, including a stop at the massive 3-story Aritzia (which had the best iced vanilla latte!). Later, we tried the famous Swedish candy at Bon Bon. I loved the pink gummies, but Aydin wasn’t a fan of most of the candy. We ended the night with a visit to SUMMIT at One Vanderbilt. The views were unreal, and after missing the famous mirror balloon room the first time, a kind staff member let us go back. We ended the day with Raising Canes in Times Square, Aydin wanted to give it another shot since he hated it the first time. Let’s just say this trip to Canes redeemed itself from his previous trip there.
On our last full day, we kept things chill but still explored a few cute restaurants, like La Mercerie. We were hoping to try their famous cookie, but they had just sold out. After shopping, Camilla found her prom dress at an appointment a bit outside the city. And for dinner, we had pasta again (no regrets), and ended our trip with one final cookie stop at Jeans in Noho. Their $24 giant cookie served with bourbon milk was totally worth it. We sat at a table just for the cookie, and it was one of the best we’ve ever had. After days of rain, the sun finally came out on our last day, making it the perfect way to end our trip.
We loved everything about our trip from the shopping to the cafes and the unforgettable experiences, every moment was perfect. We can’t wait to go back and do it all over again!