The Hubs was up and out of the house early Friday morning to get to the Manhattan corporate office. He put in a few hours of work and lunch with a co-worker, then he headed to the hotel.
A town car picked me up at home (sounds fancy, right) and drove me to our hotel, Hilton Midtown East. My original plan was to take the train into the city, but since I was carrying my bags and those of the Hubs, he arranged to have a car take me in to the city.
I kicked back and enjoyed the ride. I could really get used to being driven around by someone. ;-)
No sooner did I get to the hotel, and we were back out on the street again. First stop. Starbucks, of course. I was so thirsty. I had the new Valencia orange refresher. It was the first time I had tried it, and it was delicious! A barista told me that the refreshers contain more caffeine than coffee. Since I had been awake since 5 am, and I knew it would be a long night, I opted for something with some punch.
I needed food next. We passed the Macaron Cafe and quickly turned around and headed in for a sandwich. I ordered the Normandy. It was Brie cheese with apples, raisins, Romaine lettuce, French mustard neatly sandwiched between a crusty baguette. It was perfection.
We took stock of the macarons and promised to return the following morning to pick some up for the girls.
We strolled the city. We stopped at Grand Central Station at the height of rush hour. I loved all the hustle and bustle. And the architecture is amazing.
I snapped this shot just as we were heading in Grand Central Station. It was a beautiful day to be in New York City.
We went back to the hotel room to get dressed for dinner. Our first pre-dinner stop was the rooftop terrace bar at Midtown 1015 Sutton Place. This was the perfect location. The bar inside was very noisy, and for 6 people who wanted to catch up, outside on the roof was quieter. And the views were killer. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture.
We left Sutton Place and walked to the restaurant where we had dinner reservations, but we were a bit early. Just steps away was Neely's, a bar-b-que joint owned by Food Network chefs Pat and Gina Neely. So, we stopped in to take a look at the drink menu.
The drink menu was extensive...something for absolutely everyone, and some of the most creative concoctions I have ever seen. My eyes headed straight to the selection of sangria. I finally decided on the Green Tomato sangria. We didn't have a lot of time since we had dinner reservations, but the Hubs and I agreed that we'd be back for drinks and dinner. It smelled so good in there, and the drinks were fab!
Our dinner stop was Il Vagabondo, a classic Italian restaurant with a bocce court right there in the restaurant. So cool. Again, I missed the opportunity for a picture of the bocce court, but I did snap one of the vintage cash register. Love.
If you love Italian food, this is a must. Every single one of us raved all night about our meals. The Hubs and his boss had the famous chicken Parmigiana. I had gnocchi with tomato sauce. The antipasto was incredible. And dessert? Well, you can't beat the cannolis.
And if we thought we couldn't fit anything else in our stomachs, we left Il Vagabondo and moved on to Felice 64 for some wine. Felice is known for its wine, but the bartender informed us that the food isn't too shabby either. Again, the Hubs and I made a mental note to return for dinner.
Before we called it a night, we hit one more hot spot, Honky Tonk Tavern. Located just up the street from Felice 64, Honky Tonk is all about music. So, if you are not in the mood for music-loving patrons, steer clear of this place.
At 1 am, we finally called it a night, and caught a taxi back to the hotel. It was way passed my bed time. I was grateful for the orange refresher I had earlier in the day. The extra caffeine was a lifesaver.
The following morning, the Hubs and I returned to the Macaron Cafe where we bought a pretty package for the girls.
And before we caught the train out of there, we stopped at American Girl for a little Christmas in August treat for the girls.
It was a whirlwind trip, but is there any other way to do New York City?
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