no place like home.
We are reveling in our summer travels, most recently in New York City. It was a hot and humid week, with some scattered showers which were quite surprising to us.
New York, a city that is always going, moving, awake, and vibrant! We had a little first-time visitor with us, so we felt the need to visit those places that are so New York, including the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Central Park, Grand Central Terminal, the Met, and Soho for some shopping amongst other places. As a treat to myself, we visited the top of the Empire State Building, an iconic Art Deco building full of history and steeped in Hollywood glamour!
Our dining experience was fantastic. Nobu delighted our palate one night with shishito peppers Den Miso, Wagyu tacos, and sushi nigiri galore. Another night, after a day of walking, we crossed the street of our hotel to dine at a little hole in the wall called Osteria Lasagna. As many others, an excellent Italian restaurant - quaint, quintessentially NY Italian hole in the wall, and delicious pasta bolognese, salmon, a couple of glasses of Montepulciano, and to close out the night, a delightful Affogato.
On one morning, woken up to a light drizzle (that later turned to a quick torrential rain), we delighted ourselves at the Tavern on the Green. If you have never been, make sure next time you are in New York you don’t miss out on this special place. Located in Central Park West near 66th St, it’s been a staple of NY since 1934, although it closed for a few years between 2009-2014. When it re-opened, it had been fully renovated to its original glory of a Victorian Gothic style of architecture. Adding to the charm was the fact that we sat under the glass box in the dining hall that allowed us to see the raindrops, greenery, and cloudy skies as we enjoyed our Smoked Bacon & Scrambled Egg Pizza, the Tavern French Toast, our pastry basket, and of course, mimosas.
As we left the Tavern under torrential rains, we grabbed a taxi and headed to the Met. Luckily for us, we were able to catch the Karl Lagerfeld exhibit (in its last weekend), as well as Van Gogh’s exhibit, which featured Starry Night in all its glory.
A fun note, if you are traveling with kids. New York is one of the cities with a Museum of Ice Cream. Basically all the ice cream you want to eat, all in an explosion of pink everywhere. There is even a sprinkles pool (the sprinkles were a little hard), but kids absolutely love it!
I can never say no to a weekend in New York. As much as I love it, one thing is for sure… there is no place like home, wherever that may be to each one of us. Upon arrival back in the Southbay, the ocean breeze and the salty air was just what I needed after our days of touring the amazing Big Apple!
I’m in a New York state of mind ….
