As you’ll know if you’ve read any of my health and fitness blog posts before, I’ve become a bit of a health nut, so heading off to New York to stay with a friend was always going to be a tough task. I did cheat a couple of times, but who doesn’t want to enjoy cocktails looking over the New York city skyline from the Standard Hotel bar?! Below, I have listed a couple of the places I went to, to get a quick dose of something healthy.
Shops in Williamsburg don’t open until 12pm, but the cafes are always buzzing before that. I headed over there for 11am, so I could sit in a café to read my book and unfortunately drop my phone & smash the screen. That’s why we all head to cafes, right? It’s not hard finding a healthy juice bar in New York – they’re on pretty much every corner… along with the ever-disgusting Golden Arches! The juice in the photo below was made up of kale, spinach, celery, parsley, broccoli, cucumber, apple and lime.
New York Muffins is based at 198 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg.
My sister and I stumbled across this little café when we were in New York last September and I was determined to go back… even though I couldn’t remember the address! I wandered the streets of Soho and finally found it hiding in Broome Street. I’m not definitely sure that the café is actually called Café Café, but it’s the only writing it has on the outside! It’s a great place for making your own salads and yummy smoothies. I had a spinach, egg, chicken, avocado, quinoa and tomato salad, with a berry smoothie (banana, blueberries, strawberries, honey, yoghurt and almond milk). Next time you’re a little peckish in Soho and don’t fancy waiting for a table at Balthazar, then head here.
Cafe Cafe is based at 407 Broome Street, entrance on Greene Street
Sad, I know, but one of the first things I did when I connected to the wifi in my friend’s New York apartment was google ‘health food café New York city’. I just knew that after a couple of cheats, I’d be craving something healthy again. On my last day I walked like a woman on a mission from 10th to 2nd Avenue in search of Calista and I wasn’t disappointed when I found it. I sat down to read my book with a chicken, avocado and sweet potato salad and a fresh fruit smoothie. I might have also picked up a protein brownie on my way out too! Don’t worry, they were homemade and only had goodness in them.
Calista is based at 301 East 49th St @ 2nd Avenue
Steak at Smith & Wollensky
Steak is the healthy meal I always seem to look forward to most. Yes, you can have it with a mound of chips and a creamy sauce, but to be honest, it’s just as tasty with some vegetables and sweet potato mash. Actually, it’s probably more tasty, as you can actually taste the meat, rather than have it smothered in a sauce and you don’t walk out feeling bloated from all those chips.
Smith and Wollensky is based at 49th Street & 3rd Avenue
Cycle around Central Park
To get a bit of a fitness buzz, Siobhan and I hopped on our bikes and rode sround Central Park. It was a good 30-minute cycle totalling 6.5 miles and burned approximately 250 calories. A good mini workout before we headed to the Three Guys on Madison Avenue for lunch!
We hired our bikes from the official bike hire booth near the Columbus Circle entrance to the park.
If you’re in New York, by all means enjoy the naughty treats, but try out these places too, as healthy doesn’t mean boring. I had such a great weekend and can’t wait to go back again!