September 9, 2015

Airbnb in New York City – I

What a splendid first week we have had on our NYC trip this September! And Airbnb has played such a big part in it! It truly is a tool that makes life so much easier and travel so much better and stress-free. For our 1st week in NYC, Naina & I booked an apartment on the 23rd floor of a gorgeous building in the Lower East Side that gave us THE most spectacular views of the city we could have asked for. The views truly steal the ENTIRE show for this apartment, followed by how chilled out and great our host James was!

This was a 2 bedroom apartment that we shared with the host James and he was so helpful with recommending nearby places to check out, eat at, how to go about getting to places. It’s ironic that towards the end of our stay at his place, he left for Chennai for a friend’s wedding!
That’s Naina & I with James on a sunny Saturday afternoon up on the roof terrace of the building.

The Lower East Side is such a vibrant neighbourhood! Between planning and organizing our calendar during NYFW, trying out new places to eat at, meeting up with friends and making new ones in the city, our 7 days sped by faster than you can type out #RedhuxNYC on your cellphone! Here is just a glimpse of our time at our first Airbnb place in New York City.

Some places to eat that you should definitely eat once if you’re in the neighbourhood:

The Cake Shop – A great selection of beers and vegan desserts.

Mezetto – Do not miss their salads. Absolutely perfect!

Sugar Cafe – Open 24/7, a typical american deli with sandwiches, good coffee and seating right on the sidewalk. It’s a perfect place if you want to spend your day watching people walk by.

We ate a staple brekkie of eggs, bananas, some more fruit, almonds & green tea that we all shopped from the close-by Whole Foods thanks to James’ tips.

The views from our apartment were UNBEATABLE. I still can’t believe we had them for a week.

The other best part of the apartment was the rooftop terrace which was a perfect spot to soak up some sun, sit and stare at the views of NYC in the cool wind. You can easily spend your entire day here.

Our bedroom

The living area. Everything in the house was exactly as shown on Airbnb.

The fully equipped kitchen.

James also has some wicked music set-up in his apartment.

Experiencing a new city or place through Airbnb is so different and sometimes even better than a hotel stay in my opinion. Firstly, the rents for a prime area are so much more affordable through Airbnb, you get free-wifi and the most important aspect is the social one. We got to interact with so many people including James and get a real feel of what life would probably be like if we were to live in NYC. I feel that you get better exposed to the local cultures and even end up making friends. On the other hand, the maximum interaction I have ever had while putting up in a hotel is when I’ve needed room-service or my key-card has stopped working which is truly dull. If you want to experience real living n a city, going grocery shopping, sun soaking on the roof terrace with the locals, finding the hidden gem of a coffee shop/ bar that won’t be listed in any books or websites, Airbnb is for you.

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Lower East Side Apt: Airbnb
Book your 1st stay on Airbnb through me & get a discount too!
Follow our journey with Airbnb in New York City with #RedhuxAirbnb

What a great 7 days!! I’d go back here in a heartbeat. Hope you enjoyed the post and my 1st week in NYC! I am ofcourse sharing NY outfits and lots more on the blog. You can keep track of all of it HERE.

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