I ❤️NY

Hubby scooted off to NYC to work for a week before heading back to California.  As an anniversary gift, my mom offered to watch the kids for a few days so that I could join him.

I do love to visit NYC.  This trip was during an extremely muggy and intermittently rainy time of year.  As the thick air hung throughout the city, it held the city stench in it.  Walking through Manhattan, I commented that the city smelled "like a big fart".  Sorry for being crude- maybe just a tip to avoid this time of year . . .

For me, NYC is walking, shopping and eating!  Each visit, we always try new restaurants- with so many- why go to the same one twice?  This visit's lunch was at Jack's Wife Freda and dinners were Gato (Bobby Flay's) and Perla.  Gato was tapas and at Perla we had pasta.  Both were tasty, but I would prefer Gato over Perla.  There was more variety and each dish was very unique.  Plus, the atmosphere was more lively at Gato.  We dined at Perla with friends- so being able to chat and hear each other was perfect!

Hubby and I stumbled upon a really cool bar- Temple Bar.  Conveniently, it's just up the street from Gato.  We loved the dark wood, dim lighting and relaxed atmosphere.  We each ordered a sassy cocktail and enjoyed our child-free time as we toasted 16 years of marriage. Note the large ice cube- it was infused with lavender, alcohol and juice.  Yummy!

My dear friend came in from Westchester County for my full day in the city.  Honestly, we could have sat in a coffee shop all day and just chatted and it would have been perfect!  As a gift, our husbands arranged for us to go shopping at a custom denim store in SoHo.  This is something that you can only do with a good friend- you need to be able to give honest opinions and not be embarrassed!  We tried on countless number of jeans to find the "fit" we were looking to create.  We had many laughs- but the best was when CS walked out of the dressing room in the ultimate "Mom Jeans"- a high waisted, muted denim with randomly placed and colored paint splashes..  Who would think these are stylish is beyond me!?!  It was easy to pick out the styles that were not flattering, but challenging not to be hypercritical of your body as you are trying on the many pairs.  I suggested to CS, "Should we go bikini shopping next to continue the pain?"  Nothing worse that trying to find a swimsuit or jeans that you feel are flattering . . .  But we survived with many laughs!  Then off to dinner with the hubbies!

Despite the humid days, it was a great 48 hours in NYC.  Always fun to explore the city, catch up with friends and try new things!