Oh hey. I'm back after a quick trip to NYC...mostly for work. I wasn't sure that the travel would be a go with both O'Hare and La Guardia affected by the air traffic controller situation, but the flights were seamless. I say that only to contradict myself and say that no matter where you go these days, it's almost always a full day of travel, and thus, not fun or pleasant. I left my house at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning and arrived in NY at dusk. It was a direct flight.
We stayed in mid-town at a new to us hotel called The Library. It's definitely the place to stay for a bibliophile. If only I had time to explore their collections. Each one of the seventy rooms is an homage to a literary genre. I spent two nights in Erotic Lit and two more in Travel.
I met Linda for dinner night one at the hotel restaurant, Mason and Vine. It was a hopping spot and the food was quite good especially the olives (in my dirty martini), the Caesar salad and the pomme frites. The chicken Milanese was yummy too. I was in bed with my book for a comfy and solid night's sleep.
Wednesday we had lunch at Juniors before heading to NBC. My corn beef sammy was so good that I didn't even touch my soup and split pea is a favorite. When in NY you just do the deli. Eat the meat. We took cheesecake(s) to go because Linda has the world's most insatiable sweet tooth. On the way to 30 Rock, we picked up tickets for a Friday night show. We are both serious theater buffs so we always fit one in.
We made it to Rockefeller Plaza where the tree is getting blinged behind the scaffolding. We set up for our Thursday morning presentation in record time, took our annual rickshaw ride back to the hotel which was extra festive this go around thanks to the Christmas tunes and the chill in the air and then we met for aps and drinks at the roof top bar. It was early to bed because our big day was Thursday.
We had a very good day at NBC so we made reserves at Benjamin, the steak house down the street with no idea at all of what we were in for. What we were in for was maybe the best steak I've every had in such a swanky spot where we were treated like royalty because Linda often has that affect on people. Our drinks were comped, our dessert was comped and our porterhouse was 100 percent perfection. The tenderloin rare for me and the sirloin medium for her. Here's where I swear by going with the flow. In a city of some of the most acclaimed restaurants, we happened upon one of the best steak houses in NYC and the concierge was able to get us last minute reserves.
After a couple hours of work Friday morning, we made our way to the Winter Village at Bryant Park for some shopping and a little lunch. The Christmas Market filled me with holiday spirit. It was such a quaint experience in the middle of the bustling city. A real gem. The artisans had unique pieces and I wanted to buy them all. I exercised great restraint, and boy I'm regretting that. We did our fair share of street shopping on our way home. We are all good this winter with hats and scarves and gloves.
We did a quick change and caught a cab to the theater for Death Becomes Her. I laughed often and out-loud. It was a clever cast and a witty plot and not our first choice, yet a good one. Again you can plan and plan or go with the flow and not let perfect ruin perfectly good.
We ate late night cheeseburgers just before our hotel restaurant closed..NY is no longer the city that never sleeps. It was a quick sleep because I had to wake up early to pack for another full day of travel.
It was a different kind of trip because we never ventured from mid-town and we did far less walking than usual. Linda just cannot do it anymore. It's just strange to be close to so many attractions and not have the time or the ability to explore. I managed to fit in a walk about one evening that left me buzzing with energy and longing for more.
I was also longing for home and happy to return.
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