I was lucky enough to travel to New York City last Wednesday for five days of mostly fun, a little work and lots and lots of rain. I've been to the city before, a handful of times, but this was a pretty unique trip. I had ridiculous amounts of fun, even though Kyle was a thousand miles away with the flu. Suffice to say, I owe Mike a back rub or 85.
Where we ate:
Live Bait
Bianca's. Inexpensive and good. I like that combo. (Cash only.)
Baked by Melissa. Best cupcakes I've ever had, and they're tiny, so you can try a half dozen flavors, no problem. (Cash only.)
Buttercup Bake Shop. A reader suggested this place, so I wanted to love it, but I just didn't. We probably just got a bad batch.
Shake Shack (Upper West Side location) Delicious! I was only disappointed I was so full on fries, I couldn't get the chocolate truffle shake.
El Charro Espanol. Unbelievable salmon with mustard sauce and yummy sangria, too.
Sunburnt Cow. Bottomless mimosas and the perfect brunch dish (Barrier Reef Benedict). I could have stayed there all day. (Thanks for the tip, Natalie!) (Cash only.)
Spice Market. We got the tasting menu, and it did not disappoint. But, go for the butternut squash soup or beef skewers if you can choose. I dreamt of these two dishes later that night. (The Lychee Raspberry Bellini was fantastic, also.)
Stumptown Coffee in the Ace Hotel. Funky, cool hotel and a funky, cool coffee shop. I had a quick work meeting the day we left, and this was a nice place to have it. Who doesn't like quick work meetings at fun coffee shops inside great hotels?
Where we drank:
Bar 89
Bleecker Street Bar
Vlada. Saw a drag show here Wednesday night and even though I was mistaken for a lesbian far more than I'd prefer, we had such fun. Get the pomegranate martini if you ever go, although only one bartender knew how to make it well enough that it was, easily, the best drink I'd ever had.
Agozar. We had some time to kill before dinner one night, so we stopped in for sangria. Fun atmosphere.
Wogies Bar and Grill. Again, we had some time to kill before another dinner, so we just grabbed a couple beers here. Felt like a really cool, neighborhood bar, though.
Where we shopped:
Greenwich Letterpress Shop. I only spent $45 in this store, and that showed some serious and admirable restraint. (There's an Etsy shop, too!)
Christopher 19. Some of the most stunning jewelry I've ever seen. Jewelry that cost more than your average car payment, yes, but STILL STUNNING. Also, sadly, no website. Trust me, stop in if you get a chance and promptly swoon.
C.O. Bigelow. I'd get in some serious trouble if I had a drugstore like this anywhere near my house.
Fifth Avenue. The Anthropologie alone was worth fighting the crowds.
Soho. Lots of fun things over there.
What else we saw:
The American Museum of Natural History and the Planetarium. Oh, this place just oozed awesomeness. Impossible to see it all in a morning or even a day. I bought Kyle a t-shirt in the gift shop because nothing says, "Your mom's a giant nerd!" like a t-shirt from the Museum of Natural History. One of our books was also being sold in the gift shop and we took pictures. See above about being a nerd.
The Comedy Cellar. Great, fun time. Not a bad seat in the house, either.
God of Carnage. Can't complain when you're in the same room as James Gandolfini (we saw his last show, it seems), but I hope to see a musical my next trip.
We really did have a great time all around. It was rainy and chilly, but I finally saw the city's real charm. I go back in May and then again in August, and I really can't wait. That's the truth.
Yara, me, Adrienne. I'm lucky to work with ladies I like. And ladies who lend me dresses when I need one, as I'm wearing one of Yara's.