Working Remotely in New York City
This is part of my remote work travel series where I review places I visit as a digital nomad. Check out the rest of my posts and follow me on Instagram, YouTube, Substack, or on TikTok for more travel content!
Ah, New York City: a dirty, electric place with equal parts amazing food and rats that scurry out of mysterious places. I’ve been to NYC a few times, mostly when it was snowing or fairly cold. Summer is definitely a preferable season, even with the days of high humidity spikes.
We spent nine days in NYC before starting our Europe trip (I’m writing this from Prague right now!) and it was an action-packed week and a half.
I didn’t get a ton of photos because we were running around the city, but I’ll share some of our favorite spots and travel tips for anyone working remotely as a digital nomad.
Where to Stay + Eat in NYC for Digital Nomads
Chinatown is where it’s at if you love vegan dumplings and don’t mind all the street vendors hawking Louis Faux-ton purses laid out on mats on the street. I love all sorts of noodles, boba, and dumpling fare, and there was surprisingly an abundance of vegan options.
I can’t fully recommend our Airbnb so I won’t link it here — there was a lot of construction in the building, but if you can find a place around SoHo, Tribeca, or Chinatown you’re in a good spot. I’ve also stayed in Bed Stuy in Brooklyn before and loved the more quiet walkable neighborhoods.
Outsite has great accommodations in Manhattan at midtown (room: empire) and Chelsea (room: apt 17). It’s a co-live subscription community that gives discounts for stays over a month. Check them out here* and get $50 off your membership. I suggest going for the lifetime membership if you like co-lives and plan on staying in more than one place. But if you want to just do it without membership it’s more expensive and can be done through booking.com. This is for Chelsea and Midtown is exclusive to Outsite members.
Our favorite Chinatown eats include Alimama, which had the prettiest boba I’ve ever seen, and also some incredible mochi donuts that were a new discovery to me (they’re chewy and incredible — not vegan.)
My favorite vegan dumplings by far were at Buddha Bodai Vegan Kosher. It’s a cute hole in the wall place that we got takeout from and it’s cheap and delicious. Their sweet dumplings and soup dumplings are great, also!
Russ & Daughters is a legendary deli known for their bagels, and it really hit the top of our lists when we found out they had tofu-based scallion “cream cheese” that tasted just as great as normal cream cheese. (Quite a find!)
I feel like NYC made some deal with the devil not only to exist (it is an island battered by storms and having to bear the weight of an insane number of people) but to also have some of the best food in the world.
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Best Things to Do in NYC as a Digital Nomad
Kona Coffee in NYC — one of my favorites!
There’s so much to do in NYC, the list is pretty much endless.
I loved going to rooftop Soul Cycle classes in Tribeca. Great views and a great way to get a workout in a unique place. Sky Ting yoga in Chinatown was also a beautiful, down-to-earth studio.
We mostly spent our time eating at great vegan restaurants like Avante Garden or tracking down great boba or dessert places, and since the food scene is so great I’d recommend prioritizing food from both established places as well as family-run favorites.
If you need a break from working, make your way over to Tiny Island, the new manmade floating “island” right off of Manhattan by the High Line. It’s free, but you do have to get a reservation in advance because of the crowds.
Overall, I love the vibrant world of NYC. However, it does feel a bit frenetic of a place at times, and I think there’s a reason I call the West Coast home.
Next up? Prague and Budapest!
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