We made it to New York after a smooth flight – made
smoother by breakfast wine – thank you Porter! – and a lovely train ride from
the Newark Airport to Penn Station. We all gazed in awe (and a little bit of
terror) at the chaos of New York City and the crazy traffic as we approached
our hotel in our first (of too many to count) taxi rides.
Where we stayed: Night Hotel Times Square – which could
have been classified as an epic fail for a variety of reasons, but actually
worked out awesomely. The small boutique hotel (read: old, in slight disrepair,
but with trendy chairs and a fish tank in the lobby) was centrally located at
47th and 7th, so close to Times Square it was basking in
its glow. Upon getting to the hotel and checking-in, we were told our rooms
weren’t ready, so we took a walk, ate some food, scoped out potential Broadway
shows, and headed back to check-in and clean up for dinner. The five of us
headed up the elevator to put our bags into the first room (for Britt, JD, and
Ash)… only to unlock the door and find it chained with somebody else’s bags
inside. Yikes! JD then headed upstairs
to take all 4 bags up to Mom’s room while the three of us went downstairs to
figure out what was happening. Five minutes later he came downstairs telling us
about how he walked in on a lady in the shower… double yikes! That room was
occupied too! Mom Mama Bear’d it at the front desk, portraying her shock and
appal at being given a room with people in it, while JD, Britt and Ash
reflected on how bad the situation could have turned out with the lady in the
shower if they were in a state with less strict gun control laws. All was well
though when we got a free upgraded room for Mom with a King size bed on the top
level, which became our hang out suite, and JD and Britt and Ash got separate
rooms side-by-side.
What we ate and drank: We did New York’s great food tour,
developed by master food connoisseur JD. Our restaurant tour included the only
Michelin-star Korean restaurant in the world (Danji), where we ate beef
sliders, tofu, salad, dumplings, and wings with fusion flavours; a star-studded
brunch place across from Central Park (Sarabeth’s), where we ate eggs benedict
and coconut waffles with clotted cream; a hipster beer and cheese shop in
Queen’s (Astoria Bier & Cheese), where we had a charcuterie plate and craft
beers; a house hang-out in Queen’s (Sarah, Sam & Jacobs), where we had
homemade muffins and Black and White cookies; several diners (Schnipper’s;
Shake Shack) where we learned that New Yorker’s believe in medium-rare hamburgers;
an organic, extravagantly lavish and beautifully decorated, yet understated
Jean-Georges restaurant (ABC Kitchen) where we learned that ginger makes a delicious
addition to margaritas, and what Gordon Ramsay means when he talks about dishes
being “elevated”; a family owned and operated Jewish Deli in Manhattan’s Lower
East Side (Russ & Daughter’s), where we ate bagels with cream cheese and
lox; an Italian restaurant in Chelsea (Rafele) where we ate Italian food
(obviously) and saw who we believe to be a former American Idol winner
(surprisingly!); a famous delicatessen (Carnegie’s Deli), where we got take out
pastrami sandwiches; and a trendy Thai place near Times Square (Room Service),
where we ate delicious food with little conversation – note to self- trendy =
loud!
What we did: All the New York things! Mostly ate, as per above, plus some visits
with our New York local loves: Paige and Sarah, Sam, and Jacob. For the New
York staples, we walked around Times Square, went to a Broadway Show – Waitress
– (we still call out “Sugar, Butter, Flour” on occasion and laugh about the odd
couple making out behind us), walked through Central Park (on a record hot day
for May, resulting in near heat stroke for Ashley and Mom but a huge win for
Britt when she found the famous view from multiple movies), went into the MOMA
(briefly, as it was the free day, and just a tad busy), saw the entrance of the
Guggenheim for some photos, saw the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park, walked
half-way across the Brooklyn Bridge, and got super sad (and anxious about
flying) in the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Britt, JD, and Mom also checked off
the Rockefeller Centre, the Chrysler Centre, and Grand Central Station. JD,
Ash, and Britt also went to Rupaul’s Drag Race at the Playstation Theatre,
which gave Britt an opportunity to see one of her great loves – Alaska, allowed
JD an opportunity to check out a new venue and multiple bars afterwards, and
taught Ashley that sometimes you just ‘gotta do what you ‘gotta do to see when
you’re 5 feet tall.
Lessons learned: Sometimes when Mom says she doesn’t want
pizza what she really means is she wants pizza and you should bring home a
slice for her or she may (will) eat yours. Babies can sleep in carriers for a
good 45 minutes, just the right amount of time to share a lunch with a bestie. Even
when you’re in a good location, the convenience store next door might also
double as the business front for drug dealers, who may or may not think you are
someone named “little ducky”… uhm no JD is not little ducky… cute name though.
From funniest to angriest moment: When Britt, JD, and Mom
were at Bouchon bakery, pretending to be on a red carpet, “Who are you
wearing?”, asked Britt “Bouchon”, responded JD with pretention and blackberry jam
on his face. Moments later when Mom was told she couldn’t use the bathroom, she
blacklisted the place and knocked over a chair (by accident!). Emotional
rollercoaster!
Sadly we said goodbye to Mom at the Newark airport, where
she got on a plane to Toronto and the three of us got on a plane to LA… We
have, of course, some questions for LA…
1) Will we enjoy a stroll along the boardwalk?
2) Will we find a California roll at conveyer belt sushi?
3) Will we find a famous drag queen at a WeHo bar?
Stay tuned!
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