I spent two days in New York City seeing Broadway shows and eating.

If you’re new here, and stumbled upon this blog through the mythical powers of the Internet, welcome! I know a lot of visitors to my website are people who randomly come upon this website through search engines like Google, but I also do have a lot of visitors who come back. Regardless: my name is Ashley, and I started this blog in order to keep track of everything I’m coming across in the world.

Ever since I studied abroad in South Korea in the summer of 2024, I’ve been trying to write blog posts for the little things I do, even if it’s going across town for a fun little day. When I was studying abroad in Busan my Korean teacher would show us these Naver (a Korean search engine) blogs random people would make documenting visiting parks or bakeries, and I loved that energy.

I went to college in New York City and left during the pandemic. I graduated in the middle of the pandemic and never went back there to live full-time, but I try to go back as much as possible in order to see my friends and all of the people who I’ve met and worked with throughout the years.

At the time of typing this I am getting a bit tired of going back and forth between the city and my hometown, but I’ll probably keep doing it in the long run! This trip was to see three different Broadway shows and just hang out with people, as I find that they’re the ones who make the city truly special to me.

Here’s what I did during my time there! It was a quick in and out trip, but it was worth going to despite the colder-than-usual weather for the end of March.

Day One: Jesa at the Public Theater, Chinatown, dinner in Hell’s Kitchen, and Fallen Angels at Roundabout Theatre Company

Usually I try to head up to New York the night before I do stuff, but this time I got on a bus at 7 AM and found myself in the city at 10 AM. From Port Authority Bus Terminal I hopped on the C train, got off at Spring Street because it was changing lines there, and walked all the way down to Chinatown.

My first stop was Kam Man Market, as I heard they had traditional dishware for cheap. I picked up two Chinese bowls and a plate for a grand total of $7, along with some rose flavored Oreos, then headed to West New Malaysia for lunch.

There I got the chicken and beef combination curry over rice along with a roti canai. That was way too much food, but it was fairly cheap and delicious. They also gave it to me immediately, which was impressive considering I was the first customer of the day.

I then wandered the streets of Chinatown to take pictures, and I saw some lion dancing along the way in front of a storefront. Eventually it was time to head uptown to the Public Theater, and because I wanted to walk I gave myself plenty of time to meander through Soho and Nohow with my camera.

I ended up seeing Jesa at the Public Theater after accidentally wandering through the dense crowds of Japan Fest next door. I really enjoyed Jesa and thought it was a solid production overall, even though some of the writing felt a little janky at times and like it was trying to do too much.

After that I went to Washington Square Park to see what was up, then stopped at the new Tashkent Supermarket by Waverly Place to pick up some food for the person I was staying with as a thank you for letting me crash there. I took an uptown train and rested at the theater I work at, where I then ran into an acquaintance I’ve never met in person.

He and his partner ended up joining my dinner partner and I at Cheeseboat in Hell’s Kitchen, which was such a vibe. Their food was fantastic too—we all enjoyed the plates we shared and the wine. I left at 7:20 for a showing of Fallen Angels, which was delightfully funny and a great night of theater.

I called it a night after the show and headed back to Brooklyn, changed into my pajamas, then passed out in bed.

Day Two: Brunch and Shopping in Flushing, Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York

The next morning I woke up at 6 AM, which is honestly something I only do when I am in New York. I dozed until 7:45 AM, then packed up my little Kanken up and got ready. Today I had plans to meet a friend in Flushing, which is almost an hour and a half from central Brooklyn.

Usually I don’t mind it though because I see it as a chance to read. I also adore the 7 train when it’s running because of the above-ground views and how each neighborhood is a different pocket of culture. I did arrive in Flushing a little early though, so I popped into Barley Time to pick up their croissant egg tarts, then snagged a back table at Caphe Den and an egg cream coffee.

When my friend texted me that she was almost there, I wandered over to our brunch spot: Little Uluh. It’s on the third floor of a hotel, but their brunch is fairly solid. We had to ask for the all day menu because we wanted more drink and food options. We got the avocado toast, which was decent, and the strawberry souffle pancakes. I also ordered the rose lychee water and my friend the coffee with the mango egg on top.

We enjoyed our food and yap session, then when her family called to go to New Jersey, I grabbed my stuff, went into a Fay Da to pick up a cream bread for my mom, then headed back to Hudson Yards. I swung by the theater I work at to drop something off, then wandered over to the Longacre for a performance of Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York.

It was such a fun show! Not the most memorable for me, but I enjoyed watching it a lot and felt like it was a good laugh. On the way to Port Authority Bus Terminal I grabbed a sandwich from All'Antico Vinaio, which I consider one of the best sandwich places I’ve ever been to. My go-to is the La Summer, although it didn’t taste as fresh as the last time I got it.

Then I took a three hour bus home and passed out after a shower. I had such a good time though overall! Would truly recommend everything I did this time.

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