While this was only my second trip to the city and within 12 months of each other, I feel like I know the place. I can walk around with comfortable confidence and have a feel for where I am. Well that is only in a small area - Times Square/Central Park/Union Square/Soho. I have craved many times throughout the past year to walk around the city. (Amazing that I said the word crave and didn't mention food.) I love the hustle and bustle energy you feel walking down the streets at any time of day. It is perfect for the ADD folk.
My trip was short. I arrived Wednesday afternoon and took the nauseating cab ride into Times Square to my hotel. Oh gosh, I am sick to my stomach thinking about how awful that cab ride was. (All pics were taken with my crackberry. I apologize for the quality.)
After dropping off my luggage, I was starving and had to grab a quick bite to eat. I was so anxious to walk around that I stopped at the restaurant, Pax, right across from the hotel. There were so many options. I grabbed a wrap and bowl of chicken noodle and took my seat right in the middle so I could hear all the conversations going on. I loved the little old ladies behind me talking about their crossword puzzles they were working. Too cute.
Last year when we went to the city, we didn't make it to Union Square and never even thought about it. I decided to forego my original plans of sitting in Central Park for the afternoon and headed to Union Square. I don't take cab rides while in the city unless it is to/from the airport so I mapped out my route to Union Square while eating lunch in hopes of not looking too much like a tourist while walking. I took my time and stopped in a few shops on the way and around Union Square.
One of my main reasons for heading down to the Square was based on a suggestion to checkout Eataly. I was so overwhelmed by this place that I didn't even take pictures of it. It was amazing and I think I could have spent hours and lots of money there. You'll have to check out the website to read about it but simplistically, it is many markets within one large market. There is a gelato counter, coffee counter, sweets counter, bakery, pasta center, meat counter, cheese counter, etc, etc. Not only are there numerous food counters/centers, but there are small restaurants out in the open between the counters. I walked in circles for a little while and then couldn't make a decision on what to try so I left. Yes, I just left without trying one thing. I'm still upset about this.
On my way back to Times Square, I stopped at a little Italian restaurant and sat at the bar with a glass of wine and bowl of pasta. It was fine but I wouldn't recommend it so I'm not going to go search for the name. After a stop for ice cream, I headed back to the hotel to catch up on work and crash before meetings the next day.
Thursday was full of meetings in the hotel and I finally managed to get out around 7pm. A few of us work related folk headed to a Brazilian steakhouse, Plataforma Churrascaria. Holy meat! I've been to brazilian steakhouses in the past, but this one was red meat overload. The only items they brought to the table besides red meat was pork or chicken sausage and some not so appetizing chicken breasts. The chicken breasts looked so plain that I didn't waste the tummy room on them. I must say though, the flank steak was out of this world. I think the other girl and I ate more than the men. We also had some delicious bottles of wine. I searched the wine list and can't figure out which Pinot Noir it was but if I ever do I will share because it was wonderful.
Friday morning I woke up and walked around the city before my flight. I headed down 5th and stopped to see the craziness at the Today show...at a distance.
I planned on having coffee and watching the Today Show crowd at Dean and Deluca, but I walked up to it and it was no longer there. I was shocked. Plan B: I headed down 6th and stopped at Pret for my morning green tea fix and a cranberry orange muffin. Delish! I snagged the perfect window seat where I could watch the city at 8am on a Friday morning.
Then it was back to the hotel and a much more pleasant cab right back to the airport.
I mentioned in the beginning that I made an unexpected trip after NYC. Friday morning as I was walking through the city I was talking to Mom and we decided that since the boy was out of town for the weekend and we were planning a trip to the beach the following weekend that I would just head to the beach for a week! About an hour after I got home from NYC, Mom was there to pick me and Bo up and head to the beach. What amazing parents huh? Mom drove to Columbia last minute on a Friday afternoon, loaded up the car, and headed right back to the beach so Wes and I wouldn't have to have two cars eventually at the beach. (I will say it again, I'm rotten!)
This little boy was ready to get to the beach.
I must express how thankful I am that a) I have a job and b) I have a flexible job that allows me to work from the beach for a week on a whim. Ah, I'm sitting here on my lunch break staring at the waterway and enjoying this gorgeous weather while the old dock is being torn down in preparation for the new one!
It has been so nice to be home and I am so happy I have many days left here. We can't wait to see Wes and for him to join us for a long weekend at the beach.
A
Very Important Edit: A HUGE congrats to the Gamecocks for their deserved win and beating the #1 team. Those gamecocks played every second of that game. It was not luck. It was skill that won the game. More congrats follows the win for a top ten ranking. Well deserved.
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