THURSDAY
First things first, we checked into our hotel at 11 Howard which is located in the heart of SoHo. I chose this particular hotel for two reasons – one was for the neighborhood, and one was for the double bed offering. 11 Howard is one of the few hotels in New York that offered double beds and it was a non negotiable that my mom, my sister and I would stay in one room. We just knew we didn’t want to split up! The best laughs often happen when lying in bed, you know? Anyways, the double double room was perfect. Other pros: the hotel has an adorable work space as well as a very cool bar and lounge area called The Blond on the second floor. We loved having these as options to hang out in for pre or post dinner drinks! Cons: The rooms are tiny! Atleast ours was. But in the end it didn’t matter at all – we spent barely any time in the room other than sleeping so we didn’t mind this all that much. The only major complaint I have about the hotel is the wifi limitation they put on each room. They limit each room to a certain amount of devices which I found incredibly annoying. I ended up calling the front desk and complaining and they gave me the password to the special ‘conference’ use only line which I ended up using all weekend. Besides that one hiccup – the stay was incredible, and I’d give the 11 Howard an 8.5/10!
DINNER
I couldn’t get a reservation at Il Buco so my mom and I decided to just chance it. We walked over around 7 to put our name on the list and the hostess was super nice. She said she’d take my number and give me a call when 2 seats at the bar opened up. This was actually perfect because I wanted to show my mom Gemma, another super cute restaurant nearby that I love. Before we could even sit down and order at Gemma, the hostess from Il Buco was texting me saying 2 seats at the bar had just opened up. All in all we waited less than 15 minutes! Even though I didn’t get to have a drink with my mom at Gemma, I’m still glad I got to show it to her. We will for sure make that a place we visit the next time we’re in town {side note: The Bowery Hotel, which is right above Gemma, is one of my favorite hotels in NYC. I tried booking us a room there but they don’t have a room with double bed option! If you are looking for a single bed option in NYC, try The Bowery – you will love it!} Anyways! Once we showed back up at Il Buco, I realized we had somehow lucked out on the two best seats at the bar – the ones that face the entire restaurant. Amazing! The atmosphere is one of my favorite things about this restaurant – its candlelit and quaint, and always has a nice buzz. I also love that they change their menu quite often so you can always try new and delicious things. This is one of my favorite restaurants in New York and I’m so glad we were able to have our first meal of the trip here while we waited for my sister to arrive!
FRIDAY
BREAKFAST
We got up and out of our hotel Friday morning earlier than we expected so we had time for a sit down breakfast before heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Heavenly Bodies Exhibit. Jack’s Wife Frieda was super close to the hotel, and on the way to the metro station so we popped in and had a delicious breakfast. By the time we left, the little restaurant was packed and full of others enjoying their breakfast and lunch menu. I’ve actually always wanted to try Jack’s Wife Frieda every time I’ve been in New York in the past but it’s been too busy. I’m really glad we were able to stop in for a quick breakfast this trip – the food did not disappoint!
LUNCH
Walking around the Met for a few hours built up an appetite and I’m glad because I had made us reservations at Balthazaar for lunch. This French bistro is in the heart of SoHo is a New York classic and always packed. The atmosphere is lively, the service is great and the food is even better. It was the perfect spot to unwind with a glass of wine and a quiche.
DRINKS
After lunch we moseyed over to the west village and then to the Meatpacking district. I wanted to show my mom and sister the High Line -a 1.45-mile-long elevated park created on a former New York Central Railroad track. It was beautiful and it felt nice to sit and people watch for a few minutes {especially after the miles we had just walked!} Afterwards, I took them to Le Bain at the top of the Standard Hotel. We laughed as my mom had her ID checked and got her hand stamped – she said that was definitely a first and always definitely a sign she was too old for the place – I couldn’t have disagreed more! 😉 This bar is a must-see when in NY. The view alone is insane and worth the wait to get up if there is a line. We enjoyed a cocktail as the sunset over the hudson.
Bridget: Dress // Sneakers | Sister: Top // Jeans // Sneakers
view from the top of the Standard Hotel – Le Bain
DINNER
At the suggestion of a friend I made a reservation at Chinese Tuxedo for Friday night. Deep in the heart of China Town, down a winding street, behind two unmarked doors, is the very unassuming Chinese Tuxedo. Needless to say, I didn’t know what to expect. Immediately I loved the place. If you can’t already tell, I’m an atmosphere snob – I like buzzy, low light, candlelit restaurants and this one was just that. Our waiter was super cool, knowledgeable and dinner came out as it was ready. Everything we ordered was incredible – even the spicy noodles that burned my mouth off. We just couldn’t stop eating them! They were so good! Of all the restaurants we went to over the weekend, this was my mom and sisters favorite. We will definitely be coming back! And maybe next time make a stop into Peachy’s downstairs 😉
Sister: Top // Skirt // Shoes // Clutch | Bridget: Top // Jeans // Shoes // Clutch
SATURDAY
LUNCH
Sooo many of my friends raved about Little Owl – with many of them wondering in disbelief how I was able to get a brunch reservation. So, as you can imagine, my expectations of the place would be high. And unfortunately, maybe that’s why I was left feeling a little underwhelmed. It was cute, and quaint, and very neighborhood-y, but the food was just ok – not great. I’m not convinced it’s not what it’s chalked up to be, I think I just had my sights set too high! I think I’ll go back next time in New York to give it another go 🙂 Oh! And if you’ve ever watched Friends then you’ll think its cool to know that Little Owl is in the base of the friends apartment building!
Jacket // Bodysuit // Skirt // Shoes
After Brunch at Little Owl we headed uptown. We had a little over an hour and half to kill and I wanted to check out Linda’s shop at Bergdorf Goodman. It is a curated collection of special {& often funky!} items Linda picks out personally. I had been dying to see the shop in person and it did not dissapoint. My mom, my sister and I all loved browsing the interesting, and often one-of-a-kind items.
After Bergdorf’s we headed to Times Square – it was finally time to see what we came for — HAMILTON!!! We were so excited and the buzz in the theatre was electric. It was a really cool experience to be someplace where everyone felt excited. The energy was just through the roof!
Hamilton itself was amazing, and we all loved it. I’m so so glad we got to experience it together – what a memory!!
DRINKS
The reservation I undoubtably worked the hardest for was drinks at The Polo Bar. I had been once before with my husband on a previous trip and fell in love. Ralph’s commitment to his design and theme is present throughout the entire space and the atmosphere is warm, cozy and romantic. Also, because The Polo Bar is so difficult to get into, I love watching the people coming and going for their dinner reservations. Last time my girlfriend went, she was seated right next to Leonardo Dicaprio! PS – they don’t actually offer ‘just drinks’ reservations, but when they called to confirm mine, I let them know we would only be staying for drinks. They save the bar seats for dining guests, and we were the only people not interested in dinner, so we got to see everyone who came in and waited at the bar for their table. It was the best!
The only bathroom in all of New York I would gladly sit & drink a glass of wine in!
DINNER
I had been to Mercer Kitchen a few times over the years and it is always consistently good. It has amazing food, great atmosphere, and maybe most importantly – it is usually pretty easy to get a table! I was able to score a reservation here for us post Polo Bar and Hamilton at 8pm {as it turns out, it’s surprisingly difficult to get an 8pm reservation in NYC on a Saturday!} We loved it and had a great time!
SUNDAY
BRUNCH
I couldn’t get a reservation for us anywhere Sunday morning, so I decided to try and wing it at Via Carota or Barbuto. My friends have all raved about Via Carota {and I’ve been to Barbuto} so I was excited to give VC a try. After cabbing it over to the West Village, I was so disappointed to see they had the entire restaurant closed for an event! It did look super cute though, so I’m marking it as a must for next time we visit. Luckily, Rosemary’s was just around the corner, and I knew they had a delicious brunch and cute scene. Since we were a bit on the early side for brunch, we were able to get a seat no problem and sat right by the window. It was lovely! My mom had the most incredible fall pasta with squash and sage – my mouth is watering now just thinking of it!
walking back to the hotel after brunch! Sister: top // jeans // sneakers | Bridget: similar dress // sneakers
After lunch it was time for my mom and sister to head to the airport. I was so sad for them to leave! I couldn’t believe our time in the city together was over. It was such a wonderful weekend that we all vowed we would do again – a yearly tradition for sure. <3 <3
DRINKS
With that being said, my best friend Alixe just so happened to be moving to New York the morning my sister and mom left, so I decided to change my flight and hang with her all day Sunday. We met up and immediately went to have drinks and catch up at Bar Sardine. This little restaurant is so damn cute. We could have sat in this window seat and drank all afternoon {and we kind of did!} To sit we had to agree to order food, so we ordered a round of oysters and had a few friends come meet up. It was the perfect afternoon!
DINNER
We knew we wanted to try and have dinner at the bar at L’Artusi but since we didn’t have reservations, and because there were three of us {a friend joined us!}, we knew we might not be able to make it happen. That was….until we struck up a conversation with the two guys sitting next to us at Bar Sardine and one just so happened to be the General Manager for L’Artusi! He was so nice, and said if we swung by around 7 he’d have the corner spot at the bar waiting for us {can you believe our luck?!} If you haven’t been, L’Artusi is a must in New York. They have the most incredible Italian food, and the best ambiance. We loved sitting at the bar watching all the action, but I have also sat at a table and those are just as great!
MONDAY
LUNCH
We woke up and walked across the street to the Grey Dog for a coffee, which is the cutest neighborhood coffee shop. I really appreciated that they offered all types of milk – almond, coconut, soy, oat etc. My coffee was delicious – but so strong! We grabbed them to go to walk our way towards lunch which was up near Union Square. We knew we wanted to leave time to browse the shops and farmers market before which was so cute by the way. Lunch was at ABCV – the vegetarian sister to all of ABC Kitchen’s other restaurants. It was light and bright and the menu was right up my alley. Alixe are I are nearly tastebud twins, so we both knew we would love an entire menu with just veggie options. We got the edamame hummus and the squash lettuce tacos which were both incredible. We also ordered some weird craft cocktail with coconut whipped cream on top that was very….memorable. 😉 My mouth is seriously watering as I type though thinking about everything else we ate! Already planning my next trip back!
After ABCV it was time for me to head home! It was the best weekend with so much squeezed in – great time spent with my family, friends and food! So many laughs and memories along the way. Let me know if you have any questions about any of these restaurants and I’ll be happy to share! Happy Friday!
xx B
Love knowing these great things to do!
Hope I can take my two girls sometime?