After landing, we checked into our hotel, Kimpton's newest hotel Eventi a couple blocks from Madison Square Garden (MSG). Greg had an hour or so before his first meeting, so we headed to Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. After gaining my bearings, he headed back and left me to wander aimlessly through boutique shops and yummy food places. I found a fab girly dress at Darling in Chelsea. According to Design Sponge, the shop is a frequent stop for the show What Not to Wear. Loved it. Went in and out of too many shops to remember or name, then came upon the Chelsea Market, a great spot for lunch.
One of the best salads from Hale and Hearth, a yummy cappuccino from Amy's Breads, and my Darling shopping bag! Afterwards, Greg, Kim, George and I met up at Son Cubano to soak up the sunshine while sipping mojitos. Mmmmm...
Pearl Jam was amazing at MSG. It was one of Greg's "checklist items" (we all have those) and they played for a good 2.5+ hours. Well worth the experience!
I am notorious for making Greg take pics of us while we're out, but he actually surprised me by this one at the concert(sneaky guy).
Did I mention my wonderful dining experience our first night in town? No? Ahh...well, I had a street vendor pretzel for an appetizer followed by a hotdog slathered in mustard at the concert for dinner (yes, I know, a true culinary delight), then topped it all off with a wonderful dessert after the show of a big NYC-style grease-dripping pizza. Yep, indigestion at its finest! And to top off the evening, we fell asleep with this view from our room (the Empire State Building all lit up). Wow!
Friday could be called the "Day I've Never Been So Tired!" We got up at 6:30am and promptly began our trek to the Today Show studio to catch me some Al Roker! On our way, we hit up the most delightful breakfast spot, Magnolia Bakery, for the best (and I really mean THE BEST) Apple Walnut muffin. I'm still thinking about it! As luck would have it, security let us in to the taping grounds and both Greg and I actually got to shake hands with Al Roker! Talk about a "checklist item" - hello? Mission accomplished!
Friday was a true exploring day. We shopped Fifth Avenue because both my girls asked that we bring them back "beautiful dresses" and Bridget asked that we also bring her dolly back a dress (how cute!). Found just the perfect combination for Bridget and her dolly at the American Girl store. Poor Greg, he got a little "taste" of what to expect in the coming years (translation: years 4-8!). Found a wonderfully priced Marc Jacobs cotton jersey sundress for Megan at Bergdorf Goodman (primarily so I could get the BG bag!). Both girls were beyond excited when we got home! Oh, Greg and I stumbled across the neatest little shop called "Little Mismatched" which is shop that sells non-matching socks in groups of 3. This was soooo Megan because I can't tell you the number of times that I have noticed she's not wearing matching socks.
After shopping, we walked through Central Park, stumbled upon a great little late lunch spot called The Ginger Man, then headed back to our hotel for a nap! Our dogs were barking after walking/wandering for 4-5 miles. Later, we showered up and headed out to Greenwich Village for dinner at Babbo's. Wow, this may have been OUR BEST MEAL EVER! We didn't have reservations, but they are so acccommodating and kind. Babbo's truly does not push people away, but encourages them to come inside, have a drink, have a little conversation, and wait for either a walk-in table or a spot at the bar. We got lucky, after a short 45-minute wait, we were seated at the bar and had the great fortune to spend our evening with Teresa. She was knowledgeable, entertaining, witty and educational. We couldn't have been luckier. We learned about a new appertif that we will definitely have again! Best of all, we dined for 3+ hours! We actually enjoyed our meal, enjoyed our wine, all of it - amazing.
Two days is the perfect amount of time to spend in New York City because it ALWAYS leaves you with the need to come back. I told Greg next time, I will have another list of places to check out and, who knows, I might even try to squeeze in a race while there :)
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