New York, Day 1

Sorry for the delay; I have been a little busy lately....

New York was awesome. It was beyond awesome. It was by far the best trip I have ever had to New York. First, I was there with my sweetheart, finally able to show him things for the first time instead of the other way around. He loved the city, which made me love it even more. I asked if he would move there. He didn't like that idea too much after he asked how long it would take to get to a sail boat. He did say that he would like to visit again soon. Score.

It was my main goal to make him love it, so the easiest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so we ate. And drank. And ate. It was fabulous. I'm still full from the trip. Here is a run down on where and what we ate. I'll get to the shopping later. That's when the drinking came in handy for the husband; when he's had a cocktail he is a little looser with his money. Score #2.

When we got to New York, it was freezing, of course. It was perfect New York weather. We checked into our fabulous hotel, the Hudson, and inspected our tiny, 150 square foot room. Tiny. The Hudson is fabulous. You walk in and are greeted by two huge green escalators that lead up to an ivy covered lobby. It was gorgeous. It was a great welcome to the city.

We were starving, so we went to Rolf's where we were told it would feel like you were in a Christmas tree. Rolf's did not disappoint. Rolf's is a German restaurant run by Indian men and has French food on the menu. I don't eat brats and sausage so I stuck to the French Onion soup. This was our cheapest meal of the whole weekend. Two French Onion Soups and two German beers later, we were ready to hit the sites of the City.

We left Rolf's and headed towards 5th Avenue to look at the store windows. Bergdorf's did not disappoint. Their windows are incredible. The theme this year is "Curiousier and Curiousier" which is inspired by Lewis Carroll and his works Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. We walked by the windows throughout the weekend and I always found something new and interesting in each window. I could look at them for hours and still be amazed by them. Here is a favorite of mine. I think that this one is incredible; the thought and time it took them to go over every detail. It is amazing.

That night we did not have reservations for dinner, so we decided to walk into the newly open Plaza Hotel.  It's not quite the same as it used to be back in the day. When we walked in, I expected glamour pusses and stock brokers to swarm the lobby. Instead, I found tourist and lots of older women in big fur coats pushing through. The lobby was gorgeous, none the less, and had a cozy fire and velvet club chairs. We decided to have a drink there and ended up staying for a dinner of a bottle of red wine and a cheese plate. We spoke with our waiter who had worked there for twenty years and he told us stories that were a little closer to my imagination of what the hotel used to be. The lobby was such a great spot to people watch, so if you aren't looking for a heavy dinner, it is a great place to go.

That night we decided to hang out at the bar in our hotel because it was too bitter cold to do anything else. The bar was fun; drag queens and all. Husband did not think it was so humorous, especially since one jammed his/her high heel on his big toe, but it was still amazing how open everyone is there. I think it's quite impressive. They also pour a great cocktail. The bar is called an "Urban Design Bar" because it has a fresco painting by world famous fresco artist Franceso Clemente. With all of the drag queens and other New York characters, I hardly noticed. I found a photo that showcased the bar, sans queens.