NYC TRIP Continued…

DAY 2 in NYC

We didn’t have any morning meetings on Friday so I slept in and my coworker and I walked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and around Times Square to kill some time before she had to catch a shuttle back to the airport. Our afternoon meeting was in the NASDAQ market site right in the middle of Times Square.

My boss and I snuck out for a quick snack since we are having this exact same meeting in a couple of weeks with some of the same speakers we thought we would explore some more.

We made it back in time for the final speaker and the closing bell at 4:00. The regions top planners got to be on TV while they rang (Pushed a button) the closing bell. Kinda cool!

I was eager to meet up with my friend Connor so when the meeting was over I walked all by myself (big deal to me) to where Connor works to meet up and go to a happy hour with some of her coworkers. We sipped on some cocktails while catching up and then caught a cab to pick up my suitcase and head down to The village where she lives.

We freshened up and headed down the street to ATLA. Words can’t explain how Wonderful this meal was! We started with some Sangria and shared a bottle of wine and 3 appetizers:

Fried Goat Cheese with lavender infused honey

Bruschetta of Spinach & Mascarpone dried Turkish figs, pine nuts, parmesan & balsamic

Pioppini Mushroom Risotto radicchio, Granny Smith apple, parmesan, dill pollen

 

Conner is from Charleston and we grew up playing in junior golf tournaments around SC together. We ended up playing golf together at Furman, we were in the same sorority, and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding!! So glad it worked out so that I could stay in the city and spend some time with her.

DAY 3

We slept in (what is a vacation without sleeping in??) and got ready to head to brunch. Brunch is a BIG deal in NYC in case you didn’t know – I kind of love that all the restaurants have ‘brunch’ specials. I always thought NYC was all about hustle and bustle but a lot of people are so laid back and are in no rush – maybe because it was the weekend or we were down the village but I was pleasantly surprised!

Connor took me to one of her favorite lunch spots – The Little Owl. A quaint little restaurant on a corner block and again… the food was AMAZING! I got wheat pancakes with berries and syrup with a side of brussel sprout home fries. VERY good! Connor got the special which was French Toast with berries and syrup and a side of cheese grits – southern girls love their grits and these were fantastic!

After brunch we walked a couple blocks or ten to a vintage fashion market – there was dozens of vendors with all kinds of vintage clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags, and fur coats! Connor was on the prowl for a fur coat – no luck but it was fun to look at everything. When we were walking out the door we had a Celebrity Siting – NATE BERKUS! Connor noticed him! I’ve never been much of a celebrity finder in public but add that to the highlights of the trip!

We took the Subway to Central Park – When I first found out we were going to NYC for work I knew I had to go to Central Park –who knew how HUGE it was! We lucked out big time because it was a mild February afternoon and it was just as spectacular as I imagined it to be!

 

The Plaza!

On one of the corner of Central Park there were elephants and I couldn’t pass up a picture or two of them! Obsessed…

We decided we were hungry again and took the Subway back the village and decided on MEXICAN – Diablo Royale! It wasn’t Monterrey’s (a Furman hangout in college) but it hit the spot! I got two grilled fish tacos and their specialty cocktail, a Ricky to drink. Very delicious!

By this point it felt like we had walked 100 miles and we headed back to Connor’s apt to figure out the rest of the day. In true college style we got into our comfy clothes, rented Money Ball, and had NY Style pizza delivered – it was an awesome ending to a perfect weekend and I can’t wait to go back, maybe the husband will take me one day ! Thank you Connor for being my tour guide! Love you!

NYC Trip: Day 1

I got back from NYC one week ago and I still can’t believe I am almost 26 years old and I have never been before.

On our flight we flew right over the city and saw The Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building, and Central Park – I had no idea how big Central Park was – it was a must see for me!

We arrived in the City around 11:00 and after dropping our bags and meeting up with our group, we walked through the Theater District to the JP Morgan Chase buildings for our meeting.

On the Way we saw Rockefeller Center and they were filming a segment of the Today Show (sorry for the poor pictures..I’m still learning my new camera!)

After the meetings we had about an hour before we had to be ready for dinner. Some of the locals knew that a coworker and I had never been to NYC before and since our meeting was so close to Grand Central Station they decided we would go check it out and take the Subway to Times Square. I don’t know what I expected with Grand Central Station.. the only thing I have to compare the Subway system is the MARTA in Atlanta and I didn’t know what to expect. But Grand Central Station was gorgeous! It looked just like it did in the movies. It was much cleaner than I thought too..

It was busy – probably because it was 4:00 on a Thursday. We all squeezed into the Shuttle and took it to Times Square – before now we had only seen it from a distance while walking to our meeting. LIGHTS… BRIGHT LIGHTS is all I have to say!

We saw where the ball drops on New Years Eve and the NASDAQ market place where our meeting would be on Friday. I had no idea it was right in the middle of Times Square..!

We walked the rest of the way to our hotel just in time to freshen up before dinner. We walked a couple blocks to Bobby Van’s. We ended up having a set menu (since there were about 30 of us) and I went with the Scallop, Shrimp, and Spinach Lasagna with Red Pepper Sauce. It was OK.. The white wine and the Chocolate Torte Cake were amazing! No surprise there..! We sat down for dinner at 5:30 and had to be at Jersey Boys at 7:00 so we ate our desserts quickly and headed to THE SHOW!

“OH WHAT A NIGHT” – seriously… I don’t think I can go back to NYC without going to a Broadway Show. It was amazing! The audience was singing along and it was so entertaining. It was definitely the highlight of my trip. The talent was just unbelievable and we even had the backup as the lead role. A Sippy cup of white wine during intermission always helps – literally a Sippy cup!

After the show we went to Rosie O’Grady’s for a nightcap  with the group before calling it a night.

Day 2 to follow…!

January Recap

I can’t believe it is already February! January flew by! I’ve been MIA for a couple of weeks due to an unexpected trip to SC and an unexpected car situation, not to mention spending a few days in NYC! – I feel like life is finally settling down.. in a good way!

How about a January Recap!

Meatless Meals

Ryan and I have been trying to fix dinners that are Vegan/Vegetarian in nature and we have had some successes and some failures! I CANNOT wait to share some of the amazing restaurants and meals that I had in NYC – pricey but unbelievably delicious.

• Epic Failure
• Mexican Tomato Bean Soup

• Oh She Glows – Naughty and Nice Vegan Enchilada Casserole – so good! I think I made it 3 times in January

• Oh She Glows – Vegan BBQ Chili

Project Pin

I started “Project Pin” in January and even though I got side tracked towards the end of the month here are two projects that I absolutely love! I have big plans for February!

• ‘P’ for Potter

• Stand By Me

What have I been up to lately?!

Well… I took a trip to SC during the last full week in January and saw my adorable flower girls and ate at one of my FAVORITE restaurants! It was good to be home with Ma and Pa.

Laney and I at Mom’s store one afternoon

Wade’s Restaurant Spartanburg 

Why can’t there be Meat and 3’s in Ohio!? Or in my case” the 4 “Veggie” Plate but what I really want is 1 Veggie and 3 southern comfort foods” Green beans, Mac & Cheese, Sweet Potato Casserole,  Hash brown Casserole, Yeast Roll and of course Sweet Tea Please! So good – it’s a good thing I don’t live there anymore!

Big SURPRISE! My sweet husband got me an iPhone for Christmas and it finally came in! I think I am officially one of the last people on earth to get one – but I’m obsessed – I am amazed that you can deposit a check into your bank account without going to a bank, refill a prescription with the touch of a button, and even blog from this phone… (You didn’t think I’d publish a post without a picture of Reese did you?!)

And I’m saving the best for last… After I drove back from SC, my car of 6 years and 200k miles would not switch from reverse to forward and in mechanic talk that means “New transmission”…

So Ryan and I have been spending quality time every morning together carpooling while my car has been in the shop! Totally takes our relationship to the next level now that we are carpooling don’t you think?!

Hope you had a great January!

NYC recaps coming up soon!