NYC Dining: Cheesesteak Sandwiches at Wogie's

After moving to an unfamiliar city, there is inevitably a certain point when it starts to feel less foreign. New York City felt huge and overwhelming when I first arrived last summer – I couldn't escape the swarms of people, crowded subways, or towering skyscrapers. I didn't know how to navigate the subway systems or where to buy groceries. Then, when Jake visited me last week, I realized that New York isn't so big and scary anymore. I can travel through Manhattan without getting lost or flinching at the busy sidewalks, and I even know the characteristics of most of the Manhattan neighborhoods. But the thing that struck me most is that I now have favorite places. Favorite restaurants, shops, subway stops, grocery stores, and parks.

Wogie's, a sports bar in the Financial District specializing in cheesesteak sandwiches, is one of my and Jake's favorite places. They have tasty, authentic cheesesteaks for a very reasonable price, especially for the Financial District. 

We stumbled upon the restaurant last year after a day of sightseeing at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We were hot, probably a little sunburned, sick of tourists, and craving Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. (Except Jake was only craving a steak sandwich because he doesn't like melted cheese...) Anyway, I pulled out on iPhone and searched for "best cheesesteak sandwich near me" and up popped Wogie's. Since we could easily walk there form Battery Park, we decided to give it a go. And we loved it so much that we went back this year, after finding ourselves in Battery Park again (we took the ferry to Governor's Island. You can read about that adventure here!)

During both visits, the small-ish place wasn't packed. Then again, I'm pretty sure we showed up around 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon both times, and the Financial District clears out immensely during the weekend. As soon as you walk in the restaurant's front door, you walk down a set of stairs leading to a basement room nicely decorated with large tables and a bar. Of course, since Wogie's is a sports bar, the bar boasted TVs playing various sports games. The atmosphere feels cozy, relaxed, and perfect for a greasy meal and drink with friends. 

Jake and I recreated our orders from the first visit and got one steak sandwich (for him) and one cheesesteak (for me). Both $10 meals were spectacular. Jake says, "I think the best part of the cheesetseak was the bread. The bread was authentic for philly cheese steaks.. hard outside, really soft inside. It was greasy but not overly greasy."

Trying to get the Philly experience, I opted for Cheez Whiz  on my sandwich. The steak turned out perfectly cooked and juicy, the bread was crisp, and the Cheez Whiz was, well, just like any other Cheez Whiz I've ever had. Actually, I found my sandwich to have too much Cheez Whiz, which is surprising given how much I adore cheese. However, the extra cheese came in handy as a dipping sauce for my french fries!

Jake and I split an order of chili waffle fries for around $5. I would've went for cheese as well, but like I said, Jake doesn't like melted cheese so we stuck to chili. The chili had a nice flavor and worked well with the fries, but I felt like something was missing from the combination. As it turns out, dipping the fries in my extra Cheez Whiz was the perfect solution. Next time I would probably ask for chili cheese fries instead of just chili, although both were delicious. Jake said the fries were good but didn't stand out compared with other restaurants. Last summer I think we also ordered fried pickles and loved them, but we didn't place the order this time. 

Verdict: Go to Wogie's! The atmosphere, food, and friendly staff are all winners. There's also an older location in the West Village, so New Yorkers hopefully don't have to travel far for a good cheesesteak. 

Hammocks and Hot Dogs on Governor's Island

What is Governor's Island? It's a sparsely populated piece of land about 800 yards away from Manhattan that's only accessible by ferry. I didn't even know the place existed until I read about it in a magazine article describing the best places to take day trips near New York City. The 172-acre island was a military base for a long time and only opened to the public about 12 years ago, according to its website. Now, the island's grassy fields, great views of Manhattan, and peaceful hammock park attract all kinds of visitors wanting to escape the city.

Jake and I had a few hours to spare when he visited me in New York City, so we decided to be adventurous and check out Governor's Island. The ferry to the island takes off every half hour from Battery Park and only costs $2 per round-trip ticket! The cheap price tag may seem surprising by New York City standards, but the entire boat ride is literally five minutes... we spent more time waiting for the boat to leave than actually riding on it.

Once we got off the boat, we noticed that the island looked pretty empty – probably because it was the 4th of July and a steady drizzle had been falling all day. Apparently, on non-holidays when the weather is nicer, visitors sometimes wait hours to get on the ferry. The island is famous for its views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty, so the first thing we did was walk along the coast to see the sights. The overcast skies didn't detract from the beautiful photo opportunities!

After checking out the views, Jake and I tried to find the main force behind our decision to visit Governor's Island: Hammock Grove, where about 50 big red hammock swings lie in peaceful grassy fields as the perfect spot for relaxing, reading, or tanning. After a long search, Jake and I finally stumbled upon the semi-hidden park and cozied up on one of the hammocks. We spent a solid hour talking, laughing, and swinging. I'd come back to Governor's Island just to lay out on a hammock with a book, although I'm sure snatching one is difficult during the busy times.

Besides the views and the hammocks, there isn't much else to do besides relax on the endless grassy fields and sightsee. Governor's Island is home to two forts from the 1800s, which were cool but not our cup of tea. Bikers would love the open trails and smooth terrain, and visitors can also rent these multi-person bikes that look like golf carts. I wish I had taken a picture of the fun contraptions! I also think Governor's Island would be a perfect spot to bring a family, considering the various play areas and open areas. I'd recommend bring a picnic, because I couldn't find any restaurants on the island. However, Jake and I ordered a delicious hot dog from a food vendor cart!

Verdict: If you want a quiet day away from the city, look into Governor's Island. Although there aren't too many activities in the area, the hammocks and views are enough reason to visit for an afternoon.

A Romantic Weekend in the Big Apple

After a long month apart, Jake and I finally reunited in New York City over the long weekend! He's interning in Baltimore this summer and I'm in Manhattan, so we've had to transition from seeing each other daily at school to only talking over Skype at night. Unfortunately we've had to spend every summer of our three-year relationship apart since we live in different states, but the distance makes our visits all the more special. 

Jake visited me in NYC a couple of times last summer and we had an absolute blast, although we stuck mainly to tourist attractions like Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Little Italy, and the Brooklyn Bridge. While we still acted a bit like tourists this year, we also made a point to explore more local restaurants and attractions. Given that we’re both 21 now, we also visited some bars and pubs in the East Village and Lower East Side. One of the highlights of the weekend was watching the Macy's fireworks show over the East River!

Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. Jake and I had so much fun exploring and hanging out. If you’re interested, scroll through the pictures of our four-day vacation!

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I showed Jake my favorite areas of Central Park, including Belvedere Castle. 

We also admired some impressive views of the lake and the Manhattan skyline. 

Of course, we had to visit the famous Bethesda Fountain.

Jake treated us both to ice cream after a successful people-watching session in Washington Square Park.

Sitting in Times Square until the wee hours of the morning is one of our favorite things to do. I usually avoid the crowded area, but always love coming with Jake to hang out and people watch. On this particular night, we ate at an Irish pub at midnight and then sat in Times Square until 2 a.m.

We both obsess over Prosperity Dumpling in Chinatown and bought meals there twice during the week. Four orders of fried dumplings and two sesame pancakes for $6?! Unbeatable!

In addition to dining at Little Italy and exploring the area around where I work, Jake and I ate at some great restaurants and spent a day in Governor's Island – each of those events will get its own separate blog post. Thanks for reading! Let me know if you know of any other fun activities for couples in NYC.