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!
Sweet Tea Please 