Thursday, December 8, 2016

New York State of Mind

Trip date: Oct 2015

After spending five days in Chicago, Forest and I flew off to continue our girls' trip for another five days in New York. I was very happy to get a complimentary 1st class upgrade on Delta even though it was just a short jaunt to the Big Apple. We were on separate flights, coming into different airports (I always gotta earn those miles!), so I grabbed the subway E line from JFK and headed into the city.

I was staying at the Kimpton Ink48 in Hell's Kitchen. It was an easy 10 minute walk from the 50th St subway stop to the cute boutique hotel that was once a printer. My only complaint was that the hotel was covered in scaffolding making my nice view of the city a bit awkward. After I got unpacked I walked to the CitizenM Hotel in Times Square, where Forest was staying. This is an over-the-top hipster hotel with big fun art and a great rooftop bar where we had a drink.

From here we headed to the Highline at dusk for their weekly stargazing event, hosted by the Astronomy Club. I already love the Highline, but this free viewing event was awesome! We saw the rings of Saturn and a double star and spoke to some nice geeky people. If you are in NYC on a Tuesday night between April and October, I'd give this a go for sure (clear skies needed obviously!)


Next up, Uber to cocktails at Dead Rabbit. You've probably heard of this place, being voted the #1 bar in the world and all. This was a repeat stop for me (one which I would do over and over) and IMHO these folks are completely deserving of all the accolades they receive. We had planned on a one-and-done but they took such good care of us we ended up tucking in for a bit. We had prime seats at the bar upstairs (I've never actually sat downstairs so can't compare) and enjoyed our complimentary tea cups of punch while reading through the impressive cocktail menu and stories of New York embedded in them. We ended up ordering a few snacks (Scotch egg!) as neither of us had eaten since our flights. Finally when we tabbed out we were presented with gratis Irish Coffees. Class act Dead Rabbit! 
We grabbed another Uber and headed to Madison Square Garden to have dinner outside at Shake Shack. We ran through the park, getting to the burger shrine just before they closed. Burgers and red wine procured, we sat outside under the twinkly lights on a perfect New York fall evening. *That* was a great night and a fantastic start to our visit! 
The next morning we took the subway to Russ & Daughters Cafe for brunch. OMG. This place is so incredibly delicious and cute! A do not miss I'd say!
The beautiful, sunny day called for some serious walking and window shopping. Sometimes wandering is exactly what you get to do on vacation, that you don't always get to do at home. We walked across lower Manhatten over to Pier 25 on the Hudson River where Grand Banks is docked. Fabulously sunny day, sitting on an old schooner, slurping oysters and drinking white wine. Heaven!
We stayed until the sun started to dip and then Uber'ed off to meet our friend Karen for drinks at Nitecap. This is a perfect review of this little cocktail den. 

It was a quick walk from here to Mission Cantina for dinner, our friend Larin joining us. Absolutely delicious, unfussy, fun food here.

We tried for after dinner drinks at Attaboy but the wait for four was too long so Forest and I headed back to our part of town, stopping at Nomad Hotel's Elephant Bar. Another repeat stop for me, I love this place even though it gets super busy. The drinks and the ambiance are always spot on.
More NYC tales here.
All photos here

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