NYC {I Did It My Way}

Whew — made it to Friday!  Re-entry was a beast this week after my awesome weekend in NYC and today I’m prepping for a quick trip to the Gulf Coast for the first part of our spring break.  AND celebrating this guy’s 19th birthday!

How did that happen?  Time flies, y’all!  Happy Birthday, Alec!  You made me a Boy Mommy for the first time and it’s been an adventure ever since!

So today will be busy as I try to get out of town, work on a guest post Fancy Little Things, an article for Mohawk Homescapes, AND get our tax stuff wrapped up.   And I thought it would be fun to recap my NYC weekend, in case you aren’t following me on Instagram and/or want the details.

First of all, I think this was my favorite trip to NYC ever.  And that’s saying something!  I’m so blessed to have my BFF who lives in the city and likes to go and do all the things I do.  And she’s THE most thoughtful person I’ve ever known.  Every detail was perfect.  Except that she was getting over a nasty cold and cough.  But that didn’t slow us down much. 🙂

Friday she had to work for a while, but had very sweetly booked me an appointment to get my hair blown out.  During which I enjoyed a glass of pink champagne.  Talk about pampering!

I hit a couple of my favorite shops in her neighborhood (more on that later) and then chilled in her apartment until she got home and we got ready for dinner.  We dined at a lovely French restaurant on the West Side — and I mean lovely.  Old New York, upholstered walls, a knowledgable somolier.  Sheer heaven.

Then we headed to The Carlyle for an after-dinner drink… a first for both of us!  Again, iconic New York!  Cozy lounge, live music, lively crowd, amazing atmosphere.  So fun to say “we did it!”

Saturday we slept in a bit and then headed out to the Guggenheim where we enjoyed an exhibit of the Italian Futurist movement.  Fascinating!  Plus, the building itself…

 

On our way back to get ready for the theater, we just soaked in a gorgeous afternoon on Fifth Avenue.

 

Then it was off to the theater where we saw Idina Menzel in If/Then.  She’s just mesmerizing.  My daughter and I saw her as Elphaba in Wicked and we’ve been huge fans ever since.  The show itself is new to Broadway and has such a cool story line about the choices we make in life… one choice sends us one way, another a different direction.  Do you ever go down that rabbit trail of what if I’d chosen a different college/job/dinner spot the night I met my husband etc??  I know I have!

After the theater we hit our favorite little after theater spot called the Lambs Club — it’s where I first saw these…Empire State Building light fixtures.

 

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It’s cozy, quiet, great service.  Perfect way to wind down.  Which we did. 🙂

Sunday there was more sleeping in, lounging on her couch and visiting over coffee, and then shopping!  I love to shop NY but you will not find me shopping at Bergdorfs or Saks.  My favorite little spot is called Pookie & Sebastian and it’s in her neighborhood.  Cute dresses, tops, sweaters, pants, bags, shoes — all at great prices.  And because it’s a boutique you probably won’t see your purchases anywhere else.  At least I don’t. 🙂  Wanna see my scores?

We also stocked up on our favorite skin care stuff at Blue Mercury.  I usually buy mine online, but it was so fun to browse their brick and mortar space!  Then we headed back to Midtown to enjoy a late lunch at Fred’s of Barneys.  Yes, Barney’s Department Store… the escalator ride up to Fred’s is serious designer eye candy!  And I loved the menu at Fred’s… lunchy-brunchy-salads-pizzas-dinner entrees… they had it all.

We even saw Joan Rivers dining with her entourage.  Love a celebrity sighting, don’t you?

After our late lunch/early dinner, we headed to Zara — another affordable favorite of mine.  There is a Zara here in Atlanta, but they don’t carry the same things as the NY stores.  I didn’t find a lot, but I did find these cute things…

And spent less than $50.  That’s how I roll.

We also popped into Henri Bendel right before they closed to find bday gifts for my girl, who turns 21 next week (yikes!).  If you’ve never shopped Henri Bendel, it is a gift-giver’s paradise!  So many unique jewelry lines and accessories, little things for the home… all at great prices.  At Christmas time, this place is packed.  And they do the cutest little gift wrap. 🙂

Spur of the moment we popped into 54 Below, Broadway’s Supper Club.  Their 9pm show was Jarrod Spector, whom the hubs and I saw in Jersey Boys last year.  Of course we couldn’t resist!  The tickets are very reasonable (50-60 bucks), you get a front row seat because the venue is so small, are served food and drink of choice, and get unbelievable performances.  If you’re in NY — check it out!!

 

 

 

Such a fun night!  We then stayed up way too late talking, because neither of us wanted the weekend to end.  But alas, she had to work on Monday and I had to catch a plane home.

Don’t you love weekends that you just want to go on and on and on?

Yeah.  It was that. 🙂

And that, folks, was NYC – my way.

Hope you all have a blessed weekend — praying for some good weather at the beach so the high schooler and friends will be occupied!  What do you have planned this weekend?  Have you ever enjoyed NYC?  If so, what’s your favorite spot?

Birthday Giveaway ends tonight at midnight!  Click HERE to enter!