Permanent Tourist

Here is the recap on my weekend in the city. It was all about food!

On Friday night P and I met brother, sister-in-law, and baby for dinner at Jackson Hole (Madison Avenue location). I ordered a burger with sweet potato fries and was especially pleased with the food. I always special order the burger small because Jackson Hole burger's are way too big for anyone!

On Saturday morning, P and I ate a quick breakfast at Yura. Yura is by far my favorite food stop on Madison Avenue. (Well, maybe Le Pain Quotidien is my first favorite!) Yura is always packed with Upper East Side moms and we have even spotted Katie Curic grabbing coffee before a morning walk! P did not like his coffee this time, but I enjoyed my perfectly made iced latte and blueberry muffin!

Next, we headed to Columbia to pick up something for P and we ate a yummy middle eastern lunch. P is always in the mood while I usually take some convincing. But every time I eat kafta, hummus, etc., I love it!

We had a lazy afternoon with plans to drive to Greenwich on Sunday, so we decided to go for a walk and pick up a quick/cheap bite for dinner on the Upper West Side (again). We stopped at the Shake Shack, thought it might be too crowded, but fortunately grabbed a seat while P waiting in line for burgers (again). We have enjoyed the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, but I think I liked the Upper West Side experience even better. The beer was perfect and they always make a delicious hamburger.

Next, we walked down to Magnolia Bakery and split a cupcake. For some reason I have not had a cupcake in forever. I prefer the plain vanilla/vanilla or chocolate/vanilla combo cupcakes and although I pass Crumbs almost every day, I do not get as excited for the crazy concoction and ginormous size that Crumbs bakes. Magnolia was exactly what I think of when I think of a cupcake!

Sunday rolled around and the weather was gloomy so we scratched plans to drive to Greenwich. Instead, we headed to Soho for brunch. We ended up choosing a brunch/Italian spot near Little Italy. I sipped a Bellini ad P had an authentic cappuccino, and we both loved our brunch picks.

We walked and walked and walked until we ended up at Chelsea Market. We were thirsty but had to indulge in a chocolate milkshake from Ronnybrook Milk Bar. We split the chocolaty delight!

So, from the sound of it, all we did was eat! We also chose to eat at so many "hot spots" or "tourist spots" in New York City. We have lived here for over 2 years, but sometimes the popular eateries are popular for a reason. They are good and fun!

Also, P and I did a lot of exercising. Not only did we walk a lot but we also ran both mornings and spent some time in the gym! (Plus we split a lot of our treats which is a major accomplishment for both of us!!)

I plan to start taking more pics of our outings so I can post the food and fun we have when we stick around the City on the weekend!!

Summer Fridays

Hello again. It has been way too long. I have yet to get the hang of this blog thing, but I am going to give it another chance and attempt to make more frequent posts.

Anyways, the summer is flying by and we are fast approaching the day that marks the start of a new year, well at least in the NYC world of business. In many ways Labor Day marks the end of Summer and beginning of Fall. The people who spend their time at the Hamptons will start spending more time in the City. The kids will start joining us on the bus in the morning down 5th Avenue and the lunch cafes in mid-town will start to get very crowded. Not a whole lot will change for me personally, except the wonderful experience of Summer Fridays.

At my office, Summer Friday mean half days, long lunches, no fire drill presentations to complete, no Partners . . . you get the idea! It means we can take off early for our weekends and Thursdays become our Fridays! I especially enjoy Summer Fridays because I don't mind being in the office and catching up on work, but I love the prospect of checking out early with absolutely nothing to do. I even love the frustration of figuring out what to do when I am walking home. Should I go home? Go shopping? Treat myself to a manicure? My husband also has Fridays off from school so our summer weekends always start early.

So for me, Labor Day marks the end of Summer Fridays. And not to be too negative but soon I will leave the office on Fridays and the sun will have already set, tourists will pack 5th Avenue and the air will get too chilly to just wander home.

But for now I have to figure out what I am doing Today!

Park & Politics

Last Thursday I took the afternoon off work to visit with my mom and friend and enjoy a beautiful afternoon in the City. We explored the Upper East Side, ate at a favorite Madison Avenue lunch spot and walked down the east side of Central Park. ( I admired my mulching job around 69th Street.) We eventually made our way to Fox studio to meet Glenn Beck and watch his 5pm show. I am not a true fan of Glenn Beck, but I admire his intelligence and knowledge on American politics and history. We were invited to the show because my friend is an artist and has a working/personal relationship with Glenn. We hid behind a camera to watch because we were the only people in the studio besides Glenn and the camera team. The production seemed effortless and I was amazed by the small crew it took to produce the fast paced show. Thanks to Paula for the fun afternoon. I look forward to see her upcoming art for Glenn.

My days have been quite busy lately, but I want to make sure I cover unique events. We have had visitors and my in-laws in town, all while packing up and moving to our new apartment. I will write about the new place soon! (It's so close the the Park - I love it!)

Saturday Central Park Green Team

Yesterday was a wonderful Saturday because Paul and I spent our morning outside in Central Park. The weather was clear and sunny, and cool enough to wear a light jacket. We made our way to 69th & 5th to begin some volunteer time with the "Green Team". The Green Team is a volunteer group responsible for various yard work projects in CP throughout the year. Our three hours were spent mulching and sweeping gutters - both very important tasks to complete in the month of March and April. The time flew by, but I was exhausted from all the physical activity. To be honest I typically avoid yard work, but volunteering in Central Park will be my exception! If you are interested in getting involved, I highly recommend the Green Team!  

Check it out: www.centralparknyc.org

Favorite: Candles

I love to enter someone's home, a local boutique or a salon & spa and be greeted by a beautiful fragrance. It is usually a unique but simple smell that makes it inviting. On my quest to find a perfect fragrance for my little Manhatten apartment, I often sample a variety of scents and candles at almost every store they are sold. Unfortunately, it requires some trial and error, and from my experience, more error. But over and over I fall in love with a scent I came across several years ago while perusing a wonderfully decorated Anthropologie store. The candle scent is Volcano by Blue Capri (http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=39076) which I recently found out includes the following notes: Tropical fruits, sugared oranges, lemons and limes, redolent with lightly exotic mountain greens. I have given and received this candle as a gift, and will continue to do so until I find another that I enjoy more. Do you have any favorite scents?

Pink & Green

Who doesn't like Pink & Green? Well, in honor of the first day of Spring and to celebrate our friends upcoming wedding, my husband and I hosted a little Pink & Green Party! It took a little planning, but it was so easy to incorporate the theme in the decor, flowers, food and even our party attire. The spring weather did not cooperate because it was actually snowing on Friday, but that did not stop us from having fun and celebrating in Pink & Green. Here is a couple pics from the party.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! I decided it would be fun to document many of my fun times in NYC, and all the wonderful and sometimes crazy things I experience everyday. Enjoy!