christmas in the city: day three

I've been slacking this week with the holiday on Monday and various things going on, but I did manage to crank out the next NYC recap post. Enjoy!

Friday, December 7

• We headed out of the hotel bound for FAO Schwartz. Our plan was to hit it up early before the massive crowds gathered. Good idea in theory but massive crowds nonetheless.





Even big kids love a huge toy store!

• All those kids and fun toys can make you hungry. Next it was time for lunch at Burger Joint, a cool dive restaurant in the Parker Le Meridian hotel. So yummy!

• During Christmas the Parker Le Meridian also has showcases gingerbread houses constructed by local bakeries in the lobby. Very cool thing to see. 



Lincoln was our fave gingerbread creation!

• We bounced over to Bloomies next. A lot of you know that I try to collect an ornament from each of our trips, and this one was no different. After browsing all of the ornament displays, I settled on the Radko NYC ornament (shown in this post).



Bloomies!

• Tea has become a must-do for me whenever I'm in the city. It's so fun to get dressed up and enjoy a formal tea service with a girlfriend. All of the hustle and bustle from the street outside just fades away as you sit down to the white table linens, fine china, polished silver, and beautiful tray of finger sandwiches and scones. After Bloomingdales, Kat and I had reservations at the St. Regis for afternoon tea. Astor Court does a wonderful tea service that I highly recommend for any of you fellow girly-girls. Meanwhile, the boys headed to Park Avenue Tavern for something a little more manly (aka beer via self-serve taps).  

• After our tea reservation, we met up with the guys at Park Avenue Tavern then headed to Grand Central. I did not think it was possible for this landmark to be any more gorgeous but Christmas at Grand Central certainly proved me wrong. We wandered around taking in the beauty and browsed some of the holiday market shops (noticing a pattern?) before heading back to the hotel to freshen up.

• Next we hoppped on the subway bound for Brooklyn. We had dinner reservations at Peter Luger and the guys had been looking forward to this meal the entire trip. You see, Peter Luger has consistently been voted best steak in NYC and our guys love their red meat. If you are planning to visit NYC with a man, go ahead and put this place on your to-do list and be sure to order the following- Appetizer: Bacon, Shrimp, Tomato, and Onion chopped and mixed together. Entree: Porterhouse for 4 with spinach and potatoes. We got advice from a local on what to order and hit the jackpot. Our meal was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! The steak was wonderful, but I have to admit that I fell in love with the spinach most of all. 

  

  The aftermath





Post-Peter Luger = Happy Husby


• After dinner, we were ready for some fun so we headed to a flip-cup bar. While I can't remember the name of this bar, it is known for hosting flip cup and beer pong tournaments. It was a bit of a dive, but lots of fun.

• We had met up with some other NYC friends of Katharine's at the flip cup bar who insisted that we should check out a "country bar". So off to Johnny Utah’s we went. Country bar it was NOT. The presence of a mechanical bull and the occasional country song played by the DJ does not equal a true country bar. It was, however, very fun and entertaining. We had a blast here and even coaxed one of our party to give the bull a shot.

• Fun night complete, it was off to hotel and the bed for us!

Day Four (the final recap post) to follow soon!

christmas in the city: day two

Hope you all had a good week and are ready for the weekend! Another day, another NYC recap!

Thursday, December 6

• We kicked off the day with an early lunch at the famous Carnegie Deli. Nothing like a monster sandwich to engerize you for a busy day in NYC.
• Next we set out for Bryant Park – hello ice skating and holiday market shopping!

Beautiful Bryant Park

More Bryant Park

• Of course the boys wanted to visit Wall Street, so that was next on the agenda...

No trip is complete without a picture with the bull

...or the back-end of the bull

• We didn't want to spend a huge chunk of the day going to see the Statue of Liberty, so while we were near Wall Street we headed over to Battery Park. From there the guys could at least get a good view Lady Liberty.

Lady Liberty

• We had reservations at Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial next. While most of the trip was filled with fun and laughter, we all very much enjoyed this time of reflection. Such a moving experience.

South Memorial Pool

One of the new WTC buildings

• By this point, we needed a little pick-me-up, so we made the trek to Union Square to enjoy some delicious hot chocolate while we browsed more holiday market shops.

Union Square Holiday Market

• Before our reservation, we had time for a pre-dinner toddy. Since we loved Death and Company so much the first night, we popped in JBird Cocktails (same owner and trust me, the guy knows how to craft a cocktail). We munched on some of their savory popcorn and enjoyed a couple of drinks. I'm pretty sure Clint won the prize for best selection with his pineapple shell creation.

And it GLOWED

happy boy





• After JBird's we made out way to Felidia for our dinner reservation. It's a shame that you can't take pictures in nice restaurants because these Italian dishes were true works of art. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal, and while I can't remember everyone's dish, I had the Biancorneri Alla Trapanese (a black and white bavette pasta with calamari and trapanese pesto). HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

• For dessert, we decided a trip to Dylan’s was in order. A bar in a candy shop, y'all. Heaven. Of course we had a blast exploring all the candy in the store, but the true treat was heading up to the bar on the top floor. The decor and cocktail menu is all candy-themed, and it's impossible not to be happy in such a fun place. While everything we tried was pretty tasty, I think everyone was in agreement that the Pink Cotton Candy drink was definitely the best!

Dylan's

Cotton Candy Cocktails

Sitting in a cupcake. I should live here.

Kat and Matt

Me and Mr. M

• After "dessert", we had a little late night fun out and about in the city and then trekked back to the hotel to get ready for Day 3.

I'll be back with Day 3 as soon as possible. Happy Friday!!!

christmas in the city: arrival day

You might have noticed from a previous post that I mentioned getting an ornament during a December trip to NYC.  I was fortunate enough to travel back to my favorite city for a second time in 2012. That said, I hate to recap anything Christmas-related in the middle of January, but it would be a disservice to my virtual scrapbook not to document such a fun-filled trip. This was my first Christmas experience in the city, and Mr. M's first trip to the city period. Our good friend Matt was also along for the journey, and of course, we met up with our favorite city girl Katharine while we were in town.

We had an absolutely wonderful time! We did and saw SO much, and per usual, we ate and drank exceptionally well! In an attempt to not leave anything out, I thought a list format would be easiest. Here goes!

Wednesday, December 5



Morning airport pic- thank goodness for Starbucks!



•  Arrived in NYC at approximately 2:30 p.m.
• Checked in at hotel, freshened up, and headed out to explore the city.

• First stop- Rockefeller Center to see what else? THE tree!
  
  

  

  Simply stunning - I was in love.









• Of course we also had to check out some of the windows and decorations along 5th Avenue.

Bergdorf Goodman

Fendi

Harry Winston

• Finally it was time to meet up with Katharine at Cartier.



Cartier at Christmas

• We grabbed Kat and it was off to Top of the Rock just in time for nightfall and all of the city lights to be on. Breathtaking! But oh-so-chilly!

NYC skyline



Amazing view with some amazing friends



• After freezing our butts off high above the city, it was time to pop in a few low-key places (i.e. Standings Sports Bar) to grab a beer and warm up. 

• Next, we headed over to Death and Company. This cozy speakeasy environment was the perfect way to kick off our first night. We ordered several yummy appetizers to share for dinner. While the food was good, the hand-crafted cocktails were really out of this world. My personal favorite was the Slap N' Pickle. AMAZING!



Loved this menu quote at Death and Company

• After a lengthy stay at Death and Company (it's hard to leave those cozy booths and stop sipping those masterpiece cocktails), we had our cab drop us off in Times Square so the boys could experience the lights.

By this point it was late and we were worn out from travel. After a quick nightcap at the hotel bar, we all hit the sack to get some rest for the next day.

Day Two of the trip coming soon to a computer near you!

Happy New Year!

Well friends, 2012 is almost history. It has been a good year for the Ms; so much so that I almost hate to see it go.
This year brought our first anniversary, an amazing trip to San Francisco and the Napa Valley, multiple beach trips, more fun concerts, two trips to New York City, a new job for me, and more everday fun with Mr. M. This newlywed(ish) life suits us well, and the only part of letting 2012 go that isn't so bad, is the hope that 2013 will be just as fun!

I wish you all a safe and fun New Year's Eve and all the happiness in 2013!

Before I go- as much as I love the Christmas season, I hate seeing it end even more. The Miller High house is officially Christmas-free. So while I'm mourning the loss of all of my festive decor, here are a few around-the-house Christmas phone photos before it's the new year and Christmas 2012 is truly past tense.

My baby tree in the family room

Before and After

Ornament from our 1st Anniversary trip to California

New ornament to celebrate 2012 SEC Championship

Another new addition this year- from our December 2012 NYC trip

Another fave- gift last year on our 1st Christmas as The Millers

Pinterest project!

Terrible quality, but you can see some of our lights

Favorite Christmas candle- Nest "Holiday"

Hanging boxwood balls



Another pinterest project- ornament wreath



And another favorite part of Christmas- greetings from loved ones