You were born and raised in New York. Which neighborhood did you grow up in and where do you call home now?
I grew up in Bayside, Queens and now I’m in the Lower East Side. My mom still lives in Bayside and my dad lives in Flushing, so I visit them a lot.
These days, where do you find yourself spending the most time?
I live in the Lower East side and work there so I spend the majority of my time there. On the weekends we’ll go wherever our plans take us. I don’t know if I have a favorite neighborhood in Manhattan—they all do different things for me depending on the time of year and how I’m feeling. I love a classic museum day uptown. I also love visiting my parents in Queens and feeling like I’m back in my childhood.
You chose the Lower East Side as the home to your first brick and mortar location. What is it about this area that embodies the Sandy Liang girl?
I chose this area primarily because I have family history here. My dad has worked here and my grandparents have lived here ever since I was little. I grew up going to school in Queens but came to the city in high school and so that’s when I really started to explore this area. When I was younger the Lower East Side was just where my dad worked and where we would visit my grandparents, but not necessarily a destination. When I started having a bit more independence I remember thinking it was just the coziest and warmest neighborhood with small shops. It made me so happy to walk around.
What does a typical day off look like for you?
I wake up and have coffee and try to take a walk either across the bridge (when I’m feeling bold) or around the neighborhood, typically around Seward Park with my dog Tim Tam. Then I walk two minutes to my office and hang out there until 5. Then it just depends on what’s happening! I love going to Essex and watching movies there. I love doing Pilates at Good Time. I like meeting up with friends and getting dinner at our little spots. Most of all I love eating in front of the TV with Tim Tam and my husband Dorian.
If you had to create the perfect afternoon for someone visiting the city with a limited amount of time, which area would you send them to and what would their afternoon entail?
I would have them start their morning in the LES for a coffee, then walk through Chinatown (stopping by Elizabeth Center) to Nolita, and then take the train uptown and have a museum day and eat a hot dog in front of the Met.
Below, we’ve tapped her to share a curated selection of her favorite NYC institutions, from where to get the best slice of pizza in the city to the underrated vintage store with plenty of hidden gems to the touristy thing that’s actually worth it. Welcome to Sandy Liang’s New York.
