Taking a Bite (or Two) Out of the Big Apple - Part 2

My second day in NYC started out perfectly - enjoying a bagel and coffee outside (and people watching).

We decided to walk up to Bryant Park for breakfast, and I had a delicious whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and a vanilla hazelnut coffee.  It's been awhile since I had a bagel and this was ahh-mazing.  

I thought it was cool how these trees were all growing slightly to the left.  Bryant Park is where Fashion Week is held, and while we were there, people were working on clearing out the center area of the park where the tents had been set up, and it looked like they might be planting something right now.  

Bryant Park is right next to the New York public library, and although we didn't go inside this time, I've visited before and it's amazing!  There's nothing quite like a gorgeous, huge reading room with dark wood tables and accents, surrounded by books.  

After breakfast, we walked up Fifth Avenue and did some browsing on our way to get some treats and visit Central Park.  

We got two macarons and split them, but were very excited and forgot to take a picture of the first one.  We went to Macaron Cafe and got a lavender and honey macaron, then to Laduree and got a cherry macaron.  I had a Laduree macaron in Paris and was very excited to get the chance to have another one in NYC.

The cherry macaron definitely won flavor-wise, but the lavender and honey one was so pretty!  It kind of tasted like perfume, though - too much lavender.  

Our view - pretty amazing.  I'm still in awe that Central Park has these huge boulders.  We climbed up on one to enjoy our macarons and soak up some sun - I almost felt like I was at the beach!  

Failed attempt to center us, but at least you can see the boulders we're sitting on.  

After a slice of pizza (it's NYC, pizza is pretty much mandatory, and I had an amazing slice with black olives and mushrooms -so good!), we did some more exploring and went to another store I had been wanting to visit - Joe Fresh.  Joe Mimran is the creator of Joe Fresh, and well-known for launching Club Monaco.  I had my eye on a pair of red jeans I had seen online beforehand, but alas, they were nowhere to be found in the store.  I did get a few tops, though (a gray open-front cardigan, a yellow t-shirt, and a new workout top).  Grand total: $25!   Pretty exciting.  

We had one more treat on our list: Bouchon Bakery.  

I got a ridiculously decadent fluffer nutter cookie - two perfectly crunchy peanut butter cookies with a creamy peanut butter filling.  It was fantastic.

We ate our treats in Rockefeller Center.  I was hoping to spot Tina Fey, but no such luck.

After a day of indulging, lots of walking, browsing, and spending tons of time outside, we grabbed some salads to take with us for dinner on the bus ride home.  I also got some honey-roasted cashews - have you seen those Nuts for Nuts food stands?  I tried some last time I was in NYC and was amazed by how yummy they were, so I couldn't pass up the chance to enjoy some on our trip home.  

I also went home with a new ornament (I collect them from places I visit).  

And I forgot to post this yesterday - I picked up some tea samplers in SoHo the day before:  buttered rum, creme brulee, and "read my lips" (chocolate mint).  Can't wait to try them out!

Overall, it was a fantastic trip and made me fall in love with NYC even more.  Can't wait to go back!  I'm hoping next time I'm there (whenever that might be) I can try out a Physique 57 class.  

This is my last day in DC and then I'm driving home tomorrow.  I've packed a lot in, but the week has flown by!  

Reader question:  Do you collect any specific type of souvenirs when you travel?  I started collecting ornaments while I was studying abroad and I think they're perfect - I get them out once a year and have fun reminiscing while I'm decorating my tree, but I don't have unnecessary clutter out all year long.  

Song of the day:

"Barcelona" by Plastiscines.  They're an all-girl group from France and they're super cool.  I got to see them in DC and although I don't usually drool over girl bands, they were definitely girl-crush-worthy.  

Taking A Bit (or Two) Out of the Big Apple - Part 1

On Tuesday morning, bright and early, Maryam and I headed to NYC for a quick trip.  We took Bolt Bus, which was extremely affordable, and got super lucky with a great deal on a hotel directly across from the bus stop - we couldn't have planned it any better.  We also lucked out and had fantastic weather while we were there.  And happily we achieved everything on our "to-do list," which mostly consisted of shopping, eating, and visiting a few parks.  And eating some more.

After dropping our stuff off at the hotel (and getting to check in early, woohoo!), we took the subway downtown and got some coffee from a place we had been a few years ago called Third Rail Coffee, which is close to Washington Square Park.  I got a small Americano, and it was absolutely delicious - some of the best coffee I've had in a LONG time.

We headed to Washington Square Park to enjoy our coffee and people watch - two of my favorite things.

After awhile, we went in search of a late lunch and had a French bistro in mind.  The amazing thing about NYC is that if you want a certain type of food, you're basically guaranteed to find it.  This could also be very dangerous, because the same goes for cravings :)

We found exactly what we were looking for, and I had a delicious sandwich (grilled Portobello mushrooms and vegetables on a baguette) with a side salad.  Hit the spot!

For dessert we went to popbar, which was on our list of things "to do" (meaning "to eat").  I had a mixed berry yogurt pop, dipped in some pistachios.  There's also gelato and sorbetto pops, and all of them are made from great ingredients.  And the yogurt pops are only 100 calories (without toppings).  It was absolutely delicious and refreshing.

Next we walked down to SoHo for some shopping.  We did a lot of browsing, and I picked up a few things at Uniqlo.

I got a gray hoodie to replace my very favorite Gap gray hoodie that I bought umm... 10 years ago?  Yeah.  And it has holes in each cuff.  While the Uniqlo is not a perfect replacement, I should look a little more presentable wearing it.  I also got a blue button-up shirt to beef up my professional wardrobe (and it was only $15!) and a lightweight, dark gray sweater (also on sale!).

Next on our list was the High Line, which Maryam and I had both heard about on NPR.

The High Line is a park made from reclaimed, elevated train tracks, and was completely breathtaking.  Definitely one of my favorite things in NYC.  There are lots of different seating areas (my favorite was the built-in lounge chairs!), tons of plants and greenery, and artwork.  It was really unique and even more enjoyable than I imagined.

While we were walking from SoHo to the High Line, we passed Magnolia Bakery, which was also on our to-do/ eat list.

We picked up a vanilla cupcake to split, and enjoyed it while the sun set over the Hudson.  Pretty incredible (the cupcake and the view).

We were happy campers.

After our cupcake break, we continued on our walk along the rest of the 1.45 mile path.  Walking between the city buildings, above the cars and sidewalks, was such a different experience and was really an oasis in the city.

And we had great views down the long city streets.

We were initially disturbed by this half-naked man peering out of his window, until we realized it was just a decal :)

After our walk along the High Line, we headed back to the hotel to change and rest our weary feet, then went to the Lower East Side.  We wanted to eat at The Meatball Shop and were shocked when we got there at 8:30 and were told there would be an hour to hour-and-a-half wait.  We decided to stick with our plan, though, so we wandered around for awhile exploring the area (and ended up splitting a very delicious crepe with olive tapenade and artichoke hearts as an "appetizer" since it was so late and we were getting really hungry).

I didn't get a picture of my meal, but did snag these awesome matches.  I love "fancy" matchbooks like this! It was totally worth the wait, because The Meatball Shop was really amazing.  The menus are fun - you use a dry erase marker to check your selections - and I chose a hero with beef meatballs, classic tomato sauce, and provolone cheese, on a whole wheat bun, with a side salad.  The hero was really, really good - I could only eat half of the bread, but ate all of the meatballs.  The side salad was good, too, and had apples in it - nice little surprise.

We went to a couple of other places after dinner and really enjoyed exploring the Lower East Side - it was a very fun place to go out.

Whew, I think that's enough for one post - I've got more pictures and food to share next time.

Reader question:  Have you visited NYC?  What's your favorite place to visit/ thing to do/ food to eat while you're there?


Song of the day:

"Let's Go Surfing" by The Drums.  Because even though I didn't go to an actual "Spring Break" destination, it's 80* and I'm wearing a summery dress.  I'll take it.