New York, New York

Last Friday morning John and I woke up bright and early, headed to Union Station and boarded a bus for the Big Apple. Since John is working on Thanksgiving this year, we decided to celebrate a little early. Oh, and before I start sharing the details- if it looks as if all we did was eat really good food, it's because we did! It's NYC, after all.

As soon as we arrived, we dropped our bags at our hotel in the Financial District and headed to Chelsea/Nolita for lunch time tacos at La Esquina. The hip little neighborhood spot is about the size of my pinkie and is jam packed with locals waiting in line for some of the most authentic street tacos in the area. We were lucky enough to snag a seat at the counter and enjoyed our lunch while looking out over the streets of the city.

After a stroll around Spring Street, we stopped in for Rice to Riches where the menu is filled with different flavors of get ready...rice pudding! Unique, right? We split two different flavors, mascarpone and chocolate hazelnut. Amen, it was a hit! 

After looking into a few of the cute little boutiques and stores, including John's favorite, Best Made Company, we changed clothes and went back out for dinner at Bianca. They don't take reservations. So, John and I made sure to get there as soon as they opened and ended up having the restaurant to ourselves for five or so minutes before the crowds started flooding in. The ambiance of the restaurant makes you feel as if you have stepped into someones home for dinner with the simple, yet beautiful and romantic decor. The food was superb and tasted of old world Italia. 

After we finished off our wine and tiramisu, we hustled across town to Radio City Music Hall for the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular. It has always been a dream of mine to see them live in NYC, and thanks to Groupon-that dream came true and at a discount! I was pleasantly surprised with our seats and am pretty sure that I broke the world record for world's longest grin as I watched the show. It was fantastic and I am already wanting to see them again!

After the show, we walked around aimlessly using the Empire State Building as our guide. We ended up stumbling across Macy's on 34th and enjoyed seeing all of their extravagant holiday window displays. This year's theme was the 8 planets (I totally had to stop myself from saying 9 just then- child of Pluto's time). It was such a sweet way to end the evening, walking hand in hand with my man as we soaked in all of the holiday sights and sounds of the city. 

The next morning, we went to Dominique Ansel Bakery, aka the home of the cronut. While we missed on getting a taste of the famed breakfast pastry (those things sale out fast), we did have a decadent Nutella pastry, ham and cheese croissant and chocolate croissant. The pastries were warm, flaky, flavorful and simply perfection. As we ate our breakfast, we oohed and ahhed over the fancy holiday pastries that were behind the glass case. 

 

Then it was on our way to Union Square Holiday Market. by way of Washington Square Park.  I was so thankful that the holiday markets were open prior to Thanksgiving. So, we got to look through booths and booths of homemade gifts, goods and treats. I could have spent hours and hours there taking in the sights, sounds and smells. 

After walking around the holiday market and the cute little neighborhood that surrounds it, we went to Gramercy Tavern for lunch. Like a lot of the restaurants in NYC, they don't take reservations and fill up quickly. So, I proudly stood in the cold for an hour to hold our place as second in line until the restaurant opened, while I told John to continue shopping at the nearby outdoors store. As soon as we busted through the doors at noon, I blurted out that we wanted two off the menu burgers before they ran out. The secret burger is one of the best in the city, but you best get there early and say what you want quickly because they make such a limited amount each day. Oh my goodness, y'all- it was delicious and a must have if you're in the area!

 

It wouldn't be a trip with your sweetheart without a stroll through Central Park. So, that's just where we went. We practically covered half the park and got to see the oh so romantic Bow Bridge, the Ramble, Arsenal, Bethesda Fountain and Belvedere Castle.

 

Chelsea Market was up next on the list. The indoor market hosts a wide variety of grocers, restaurants, craft stores and more. I'm not going to lie, while Central Park was stunning- it was nice to get a little break from the cold. Some of our favorite vendors included the Filling Station (a store that specializes in speciality oils, salts and vinegars), where we purchased a small bottle of cinnamon and pear balsamic and Artists & Fleas, where John purchased a hand crafted skull Marina Pecoraro bracelet for me as an early Christmas gift. 

Then, it was onward to Greenwich Village-Blecker Street, in particular. We walked up and down the shop lined streets, dipped into Magnolia Bakery for a red velvet cupcake and then mosied down to Cornelia Street Cafe for an early evening dinner. I had been to the quaint restaurant before during my trip to NYC last summer, but it was my first time with John. So, it was neat to revisit and share it with John. 

 

We then strolled over to Bryant Park to check out the holiday market there. I will say that it was definitely more crowded than Union Square, particularly the ice skating rink. So, John and I skipped out on skating and decided to save it for D.C. We did look around at the booths and enjoyed getting free hand treatments by Sabon. 

 

 

After all of the browsing, we took a short train ride over to Serendipity 3. Yes, yes- as hokey and somewhat touristy as it is, I still wanted to recreate a scene from the 2001 John Cusak and Kate Bekinsale romantic comedy, Serendipity. So, we feasted on a Frozzzen Hot Chocolate to top off a lovely evening. 

 

 

The next morning, we had authentic New York bagels at Murray's Bagels (hello, delicious carbs) before taking a morning walk on the High Line. After walking around the surrounding area and showing John the Strand bookstore, we headed uptown to FAO Schwarz and to walk around the fancy shops of 5th Avenue before finishing off our day at Eataly. Y'all, that place may be one of my favorite places in the world! The massive Italian food hall offers imported groceries and multiple eateries, each with its own focus. We spent quite a lot of time hopping around from section to section, snacking on paninis, focaccia, marinated olives, prosciutto, mozzarella, Italian wine and hand crafted chocolates. We were stuffed when we walked out, but it was well worth it!

 

 

All in all, it was a wonderful trip and a perfect way to kick off the holiday season with the one that I love the most. We took the city by storm and I'm still recovering as I sit here with my feet propped up sipping on a cup of hot cocoa post restorative yoga class. I love that city and it is nothing short of magical during this time of year! Here's to another fabulous week in the District!