DAY 1:
- Plane landed. Beelined to the Shake Shack's Upper West Side location. Price ordered the double cheeseburger that was to-die-for, but the Gingerbread frozen custard was most definitely the highlight.
- Hit up the Columbus Circle Christmas Market. There are lots of these around the city this time of year. Helpful hint: they are alllll the same... just go to one.
- Made our way down 5th Avenue. Helpful hint: Unless you enjoy walking at a turtle's pace, being jostled, pushed, and poked... DO NOT walk down 5th (or try to see the tree) on a Saturday afternoon during the month of December.
Despite my minor meltdown, the store windows were incredible and I was able to jump in with the other tourists to get a few pics.
Inside Bendel's
(I linked this one to a gallery of their displays bc my camera didn't do them justice)
Anthro (I LOVED this pinecone made of scraps and such)
Had to get a pic in front of "the tree". I like to think that Liz, Tracy, and Kenneth were inside engaged in their usual shennanigans when we visited 3o Rock.
- After this "event" we went back to the quaint Hotel Elysee, where hot coffee and delicious cookies awaited us every afternoon.
(Keep reading... this is where the trip gets good)
- For dinner we hit up Roberta's, a pizza place located in an old garage in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. This fantastic meal was in no part related to my meticulous planning. We were in the hands of our cool local Furman friends, Piper, Austin, Patton, and Edward. I am going through this brussels sprouts phase so naturally I enjoyed the "brusselmania" (pancetta, mozzerella, and brussels sprouts). But the "Cheeses Christ" (all kinds of cheeses with black pepper and honey on top) was also divine.
After dinner, the group decided to try out a new bar called "the Drink" in Williamsburg. I really enjoyed seeing the neighborhoods of Brooklyn. The Drink was AWESOME and unlike any bar I have been to. It is a "punch" bar with a nautical vibe. You order a bowl of punch (ours was called the Narwhal... it had gin, rosemary, lemon, and other stuff in it), it arrives in a crystal punch bowl with crystal cups straight from your grandma's dining room, and you share. It was not crowded at all AND they played an awesome selection of Otis Redding to make us feel right at home. After the Drink, we briefly crashed a random Christmas party, and I somehow got us home from Chelsea without a map.
Day 2
- Started the day off at Prune for brunch. Found out about this tiny East Village restaurant from the Amateur Gourmet and we HIGHLY reccomend it. We had to wait awhile to get a tiny spot at this tiny place, but it was so worth it. Price ordered the huevos rancheros. Delish. I ordered the spicy stewed chickpeas. Sounds weird, but it was heavenly. The eggs were poached and then "butter crumbed", which I think means rolled in crumbs and maybe flash-fried? Crunchy and soft all at once. The waitress called them "magic eggs". So great for a cold day.
- Next stop, the Brooklyn Flea Market. It's basically the Etsy store. All kinds of local vendors selling everything from vintage clothes to prints to bacon cupcakes (yum). We bought some really great prints from this lady.
- After the Flea (and lots of wandering around trying to find a train station), we headed to the Brooklyn Brewery. We drank some beer in their neat open space, watched a bit of the tragic Giants game, and took the tour. Enjoyed it so much, I even got over the fact that free beer was not a part of their tour. If you are ever there, we really enjoyed the citrussy IPA Blast.
- I am in LOVE with Brooklyn. I can't believe I spent 3 months in the city without properly exploring this part of town. If you are planning a trip any time soon, spend some time there.
- Dinner at Mesa Grill was good, so good that we ended up walking @30 blocks home to work it off. I love New York at night. I think the rolls they served and Price's chipotle beer were probably the highlights. We just love Bobby Flay and his take on southwestern cuisine.
Day 3
- Began our day in Greenwich Village, where the previously mentioned tree planter incident occured. It is my favorite part of town. Old buildings, pretty quiet, neat stores. We poked around and found my favorite paper store EVER (other than the Stovall Collection of course), Greenwich Letterpress.
- Lunch in Chinatown at the Excellent Porkchop House (also, thanks to the Amateur Gourmet's suggestions) was arguably our favorite meal of the trip. We got a porkchop, some stir-fried noodle dish, a huge bowl of wonton soup, and hot tea for the whopping price of $11. The wontons in the soup melted in my mouth. So good. Also stopped at a Chinese Bakery called Fay Da and enjoyed a delicious sweet potato roll.
- The rest of the day was spent exploring and shopping. Ate guacamole and chips for dinner at Dos Caminos. In New York, calories don't count.
Day 4
- Tried to cram everything we didn't do in before reporting to the airport at 3. We were able to make it to ABC Carpet and Home so I could drool over everything I can't afford and found a more affordable home-goods store along the way called Fish's Eddy (I bought some great coasters that look like tree stumps.) We were even able to stop in Mario Batali's Eataly (amazing food store) for a brief minute just to peek. It is really really cool. Would love to have lunch there some day.
- Busted it back up town to the American Folk Art Museum (next to the MoMa). Glad we didn't have to pay to get in (they had water damage), because it was not that cool. However, if you are a quilter, weaver, or basket-maker you might think differently...
- Lunch was grabbed just outside the museum from the famous Halal cart at 56th and 6th. I have been wanting to try their food since my summer in the city, and Price demanded that we have at least one "street-meat" meal. It was fantastic. We ate it in the (very chilly) park. When I think back on this trip I will probably picture us shivering with runny noses in the park eating the steaming dish as quickly as possible. It was really a great meal.
There are some Halal imposters out there who pose as the "famous" halal guys... the trick is to look for the yellow sweatshirts and yellow plastic bags, then you know you are getting the famous stuff.
This trip was the perfect combination of relaxation and adventure. Price and I had a great time enjoying each others company after a busy semester. We love to travel and explore new places together and look forward to many more adventures together.
It was sad to leave the city, but exciting to come back home to Christmas with our families. It has been a great break with lots of fun surprises.
(I look forward to having some new blog material--- our new house (!!!!!!)--- in the future)