Where do you eat in New York City with only about 48 hours to explore the largest culinary destination in the US?
Well, you get a little help from a friend!
Karen served as our tour guide and met my sister Janie and me after we dropped off our rental car near the airport. We used it to drive back and forth to Pennsylvania. We went to family weekend to see my daughter at her college about two hours away. It was perfect timing to experience peak fall foliage along the back roads into the big city. We decided to end our trip with a couple of days in New York City and visit with my long time friend.
Can I get some applause for driving and surviving NYC without any dents or dings in the rental car?
I am woman hear me roar or rather, VROOM, VROOM!
After successfully checking in our Midtown hotel room, we were off for our two day adventure of eating, walking and exploring NYC with no particular thing in mind other than catching up with one another.
We took a subway ride to ABC KItchen for a late lunch. My sister Janie soon realized that she had been there over 10 years ago and knew we were in for a treat. And she was not mistaken. The restaurant is beautiful and perfect for our afternoon of catching up and talking for hours. We ordered the skillet sweet potato bread right away because we had a hard time deciding on what to have for our entree. It had caramelized leeks and was topped with the perfect amount of parmesan cheese.
I can’t even describe to you how good it tasted.
Why order anything else?
But we somehow managed between our 2 hours of chatting!
This is the chicories and chrysanthemum salad,
Honestly, I ordered it because it sounded so pretty!
And it was delicious and so different. The calamansi dressing is made with a fruit that tastes like a lemon and a lime combined.
It was refreshing.
My sister Janie and Karen opted for the lentil soup which made them go on and on about its flavor. My favorite thing besides the bread was the roasted figs and beets. It had a mustard dressing that blended the unique flavors to perfection. Our sweet waiter Jack keep stopping by to check in with us. He was absolutely delightful. He’s an actor as well as a server who provides excellent service!
For dinner, we decided to watch the World Series at an Irish pub down the street from our hotel.
P McDaid‘s was just what we needed! Nachos, sliders, beer, people watching and maybe some more beer! This isn’t the greatest picture ever taken of an Irish pub in NYC, but I was too busy yelling at the Yankees. The staff was so friendly as well. Two big thumbs up for P. McDaid’s.
We all know what would eventually happen to the Yankees in the World Series.
Sigh.
How can you go to NYC and not have a bagel? Broad Nosh Bagel is the quintessential deli for the perfect bagel. (We went to the Columbus Circle location)
A few tips: Don’t let the long line scare you-it moves fast!
Be ready to order when you approach the staff.
You might need to double up your seating when it is crowded because there is limited space.
(We shared a table with a couple of New York’s finest! They were so nice and made us feel safe!)
We walked around so much that at mile 5 of the day, we decided to stop for cocktails. Karen urged us to stop by the bar at the Whitby Hotel. All I could say when I walked in was, “Oh my word, how beautiful,fun and elegant:” The bartender helped us with our drink selections. We did spot a celebrity but we played it so cool. We were giggling like high schooler’s when he walked away!
You really must see this boutique hotel in person, words can’t really do it justice!
After all the shopping, walking and looking around and clocking in 7 miles on our Apple watches, it was time for dinner!
When Karen told us about some of her favorite spots for Italian food, I was determined to eat at Parm even if it meant walking way out of the way and through Central Park! The popularity of their red sauce was the draw for me! And boy, it was so worth the extra miles to get there! I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful the eggplant parmesan with basil tasted. It is served with a ridiculously large amount of pasta with THE best vodka sauce I have ever put in my mouth! The garlic bread is served with sesame seeds, which was such a nice surprise. It was worth every bit of all those miles we walked to end our trip with such a fabulous meal!
I was sad to leave New York City after only two days and it was especially hard to hug Karen goodbye after she showed us around the Big Apple. It was a great getaway with my sister and friend.
Now, I need to walk off all those carbs!
Stay Sassy Y’all.
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