Had a GREAT time – as always. New York City never disappoints!
We ended up staying at the Days Inn in Jersey instead of the Sheraton because it was 80 bucks less per night. (see the end of this post if you don’t know what I am talking about)
I have to admit that in a way, the extra 80$ would have been worth it. The Days Inn however was not bad…. oooohhhh but the Sheraton is SO NICE!
Still – it’s a difference of 240$!
I didn’t like the double bed – too small. How do you all who don’t have King beds do it???!!!?? AND The Days Inn room had tile floors. Easy for cleaning I suppose, but plush carpet is better! Overall: It was clean and convenient and I would recommend it.
We had a good mix of old and new.
Friday:
- We had breakfast at Pershing Square Café – over it. Won’t be back.
- Then a walk through Central Park to check out the NYC Marathon Finish Line
- Visit Grant's Tomb & the Riverside Church, this was new.
- Lunch at Cipriani Dolce in Grand Central Terminal.
We LOVE this place! we go for lunch every time we’re in New York. It’s a very nice restaurant, great food, good service - even though it’s a little fast, however considering it’s in the train station I suppose it’s to be expected!
The service is usually perfect. All “yes ma’am” “yes sir”, very professional and prompt etc, but this time it was a little lacking.
When they asked if we wanted desert, I turned it down and asked for a sherry instead. I think I must have caught the waiter off guard because instead of the usual “excuse me” he just blurted out: “WHAT??” I repeated: a sherry. My husband did want desert, so the waiter said he would bring around the desert cart and when he put in the order for my husband’s desert, he would put in the order for my sherry. OK fine.
So the desert cart appears (different waiter): “sir, what would you like” “ma’am would you care for a desert?” I said: no desert for me thanks. Was I supposed to tell HIM now I asked the other guy for a sherry?
My husband gets his coffee and desert, I still get nothing.
I flag down a waiter: Excuse me, I ordered a sherry and I am still waiting. He answers: you order? I reply: a sherry please, yes.
Guess what I got…. A bowl of cherries. Seriously.
I tried not to laugh, I explain: no, not cherries. A sherry. To drink.
Then the bill appears at the table!!! ooooooooooooooookay… after a few moments, ANOTHER waiter comes to pick up the bill and I said: I’m sorry, we never asked for the bill and I am still waiting for my sherry.
He comes back: I am sorry ma’am, we don’t have sherry. ARGH!
- After lunch we walked around town some more, bought our theatre tickets for the next night (The Addam’s Family) and went to collapse for a drink at Trump’s Bar in Trump Tower before heading back to the hotel to change for dinner.
Still in the mood for a sherry, I try my luck again. My husband orders a Stella and I ask for a sherry. The waiter replies: “A what?” Oh God, here we go again!
“A sherry, it’s a drink. If you don’t have sherry, I’ll have a port” Instead, I got a HUGE glass of red wine. By then I was fed up. Fuck it, I’ll have the wine. I have to admit that it was very good.
Then came the bill. That one glass of wine was 16$!!!! Really, by then it would have been too late to complain because when he served me the wine, I should have said something THEN.
Won’t be back to Trump’s Bar – totally over it.
- Before diner, we went out for a drink again because now I was on a mission! We went to a bar next to where we would have dinner to kill time. Take three: I will have a sherry please.
-“Yes! coming right up!”
-“Thanks” I answered, “That was so easy!”
-waiter: “That drink is not hard to screw up”
-“HA!” I blurted, “you’d be surprised!!!!”
- That night, diner was at the River Café. Can’t be beat.
The menu, the views, the atmosphere – all phenomenal… but there was a problem: our rez was at 9:30 (the earliest availability) and that is just too late for us. By the time you are eating, it’s 10PM! It was SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOD! but no matter how good, it was 10PM and all we wanted to do was go home and sleep (we are not night people). No matter how outstanding it was, our hearts were not in it. We didn’t finish our wine (Penfolds Bin 128 – so good!- what a waste not to finish) nor even have desert.
We shared 2 appetizers and traded half way though:
Wagyu Steak Tartare hand cut kobe style beef prepared tableside with quail egg yolk, cognac gelée, traditional garnish and toast points
Foie Gras Two Ways classic pressed terrine with black fig and banyuls wine vinegar poached roulade with coffee, date and almond crust
To die for.
Then for dinner I had:
Branzino Fillet mediterranean sea bass, chorizo sausage and shrimp ‘stuffing’, smoked tiny vine tomatoes, petite zucchini, charred lemon confit
Fantastic! but I only ate half. By then it was 10:45 and I was DONE!
We both agreed that having a late dinner like that screwed us up for the next day…
Saturday:
Because of all the street closures in town due to the NYC marathon, we finally got the car parked at 10AM and decided a big breakfast at that point would be a waste since it would ruin lunch. So, we just grabbed a fast something at Mc Donald’s… UGH.
- Then, the plan was the Tenement Museum, but it was 20 bucks!!! So I passed on that plan.
- Since the skies were blue and clear, we decided to go up the Empire State Building, which I had previously only done at night. I can’t gush enough about the View from up there, but really, I won’t do it again. You spend an hour getting up (when the lines are short), 10 minutes admiring the view once a top the tower, then another 30 minutes getting down. Worth doing, but NEVER twice. We also did The Sky Ride UGH! what a waste!!!!!!! please! if ever you go to NYC, skip this! it’s WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too expensive for what you get!
- Lunch at one of our favourite places: Rock Center Café, right next to the skating rink at Rockefeller Plaza.
- After lunch: the New York Transit Museum. Excellent! I highly recommend it!
After the museum… we got stuck in the subway for an hour… not so fun!
We were not in the mood for a Big Supper and besides, we had to be done in time for the show at 8PM. We thought we’d go for Aps and Drinks at “the View” but when we go there, the line-up was miles long!
(We have this place on our list for next time!!!)
We ended up at a pub and had nachos.
- Then the best part: the Broadway Musical. I picked “The Addams Family” because I LOVE Nathan Lane! How exciting to see him live! We had a WONDERFUL time.
That was our 2 days in NYC: great as per usual!! Check out the pictures!
