Drew and I had a great time on our recent trip to NYC. Here are some of my favorite places we visited or things that we did, in no particular order.
I loved the High Line Park. Freight trains used to run above the city here, beginning in the 1930s, but now it’s an awesome urban park.
Grey Dog Coffee in Chelsea is a nice place to stop for a sandwich and a cappuccino. Good vegetarian options.
Chelsea Market is a fun place to walk around, sniff, and sample items from yummy food shops. Pop into Posman Books and buy a funny card for a friend.
Walking around Central Park and watching the ice skaters at Wollman Rink.
Seeing the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA.
The Kandinsky exhibit at the Guggenheim, even though I was drenched, exhausted, and full of bad pizza. Yes, there actually IS bad pizza in New York.
Taking a break at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in SoHo. Even though their coffee sucked.
Walking around the West Village.
Eating pizza at John’s Pizzeria on Bleecker Street.
Visiting Eloise at The Plaza Hotel.
Eating Napoletana mac and cheese at S’MAC.
Ducking into the Chelsea Hotel and looking at the art in the lobby.
Trying delicious crack pie and cinnamon bun pie at Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar.
Dinner at Vynl in Hell’s Kitchen. The chopped salad with tahini dressing is yummy. Check out their themed bathrooms – I chose Cher.
Seeing the holiday window display at Bergdorf Goodman. Of all the displays we saw (Bloomingdales, Saks, Macy’s), they win, hands down.
We stayed at the Chelsea Pines Inn and would recommend it to others. For the location, you can’t beat the price. The staff was friendly and helpful, they let us check into our room six hours early, they have a cute old cat (Charlie), and tons of old movie posters.
Sadly, I would not recommend cupcakes from famed Magnolia Bakery. They were dry and disappointing. No cupcake I’ve had yet tops those from Toast in L.A.
Another overrated experience was visiting the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. What a crowded, annoying madhouse. It reminded me of going to see the Trevi Fountain in Rome. I’m glad I saw it once, but I’m okay with never seeing it again.
All in all, a fantastic way to celebrate my 40th birthday. I loved it!