NYC Trip Report - May/June 2007
 

Here’s a quick recap of our recent weeklong trip to NYC. All in all, we had a GREAT time and appreciate the friendly folks we met along the way. We stayed at the Sofitel via Priceline – great hotel and a decent deal, too. There were two of us – my significant other and I. Both thirty-somethings who enjoy art, great food, and trying to be “temporary locals” as much as possible.

Day One – Arrived at LGA in the evening via United. We took a cab to the hotel and checked in. Dinner was at Brazil Brazil on W 46th St – very tasty and the pitcher of Sangria quenched our thirst, too! Walked through Times Sq and then called it a night after a long day of travel from the West Coast.

Day Two – Brunch at Balthazar – food was decent, but the overall vibe was very cool & fun. We spent the day leisurely strolling all around Soho, Tribeca & Greenwich Village. The Strand Bookstore was fun. We stopped in at Dean & Deluca for an afternoon sweet treat & iced tea. Took the subway back uptown and freshened up (warm days!). Dinner was at Dawat on E 58th St – EXECELLENT. Easily the best Indian meal of my life. The duck vindaloo was particularly delicious. Went up to Top of the Rock at about 9:30 pm. And enjoyed the lights & mist….

Day Three (Memorial Day) – Museum of Natural History was ok; lunch in the cafeteria was actually very good. The salad bar, though pricey, was well laid out & fresh. Spent the afternoon strolling through Central Park, checked out the Time Warner Ctr (boring) and hopped on the Subway down to Macy’s for the big sale. We found some good bargains. Dinner was at the Bryant Park Café (outside), which was very good. I had the steak frites, which I would highly recommend. My traveling companion had a seafood platter that was also quite good. After lingering over dessert & our glasses of wine, we called it a night.

Day Four – Guggenheim. Museum is undergoing serious renovations, but it’s still a phenomenal collection that is well worth seeing despite the construction. We then strolled all around the Upper East Side (watching all of the dog walkers with a dozen dogs on leashes was fun!). Grabbed hot dogs for lunch (tasty!). We then hopped on the Subway downtown and walked all around Chelsea and had an early dinner at the Empire Diner. Tues evening we saw Avenue Q – love it. Cute show with a great cast and fun audience. Bumped into Joy Behr on W 44th St – our only celebrity sighting of the trip and a weak one at that….

Day Five – MoMA. GREAT museum. Wow. Loved it. Lunch at the museum café was delicious - $25 for a three-course lunch was hard to beat and everything was so good, too. That evening we saw Phantom of the Opera – EXCELLENT show – a classic. We then had a late dinner at DB Bistro Moderne so my significant other could order the $32 cheeseburger (only in NYC!). I had the crab salad which was very good. Easy stroll back to the Sofitel right next door!

Day Six – Dim sum feast in Chinatown at Mandarin Court on Mott Street. WOW – so good & cheap! We were both stuffed for under $20. The best deal of the trip. We walked around Chinatown & Little Italy and then took the Subway down to Battery Park and hopped on the Staten Island ferry to view the Statue of Liberty – GREAT weather, warm, but breezy – fun hour of relaxation on the water. We stopped in at the other Strand Bookstore. Dinner was back uptown at Becco on W 46th Street – SO GOOD!!! OMG! $20 for salad and endless, scrumptious pasta. The list of $25 bottles of wine was also fun and our selection was very good. GO TO BECCO if you’re in the Theater Dist – there is great food there!!! Saw the Pirates of the Caribbean (late movie) at the Regal Cinemas on 42nd St – nice, clean theaters with comfy chairs and great surround-sound.

Day Seven – The Met. Wow. I didn’t think I’d ever see a museum that could top the Louvre, but the Met comes very close. Unreal collections – too much to see in one day. The highlight for me was seeing Washington Crossing the Potomac – propaganda of the time, yes, but it’s an iconic (though fictional) image that reminds one that there is something special about the American people. Lunch was at the museum café looking out on Central Park. Very good…. We spent the whole afternoon at the Met. We then had 8 o’clock dinner reservations at Mesa Grill – one of the real highlights of the trip for us. Everything was impeccable – attentive service, bold flavors, fun atmosphere – this restaurant met and exceeded our expectations (which made the $200 tab a bit easier to swallow). The two hours at Mesa Grill were worth every penny, although Bobby Flay was nowhere to be found.

Day Eight – Early flight out of LGA back home.

We had a great trip. People, go to NYC and savor this exciting, diverse, beautiful city!!

Sounds wonderful! When you went to the Time Warner building, did you go up to the Mandarin Oriental hotel? Lovely views from their lobby. ;) Next time.

vegaslover73 - What a great recap. Sounds like you have a terrific time and enjoyed yourself.

Thanks for posting.

Sandy

Nice report! Thanks for the restaurant details!

You certainly saw a lot! So what was the verdict on the burger? I have always been intrigued but have yet to get there!

vegaslover - we will be going in a few weeks. My husband wanted to go to the Guggenheim mostly to see the interior and exterior architecture of the building. With all the construction, can you see any of the architectural details?

Thanks for sharing your trip. I was just there and I think our trips must have overlapped. It was SO hot when we were there, but the breezes did help. I love the Met too but wasn't able to get there this time. Sounds like a wonderful trip.

The burger was ok, but way over-priced. The exterior of the Guggenheim is almost totally covered at this time. On the inside, the top two floors are closed, but the rest is open.