A trip to NYC!

I have always wanted to visit New York City. 

So when I found out that we'd be moving out east I figured a trip to the Big Apple would definitely be in the works.  Fortunately I got my wish and we decided to tie it in with my birthday celebrations.


We left bright and early on a Saturday morning (like 3:30am early). Okay so it wasn't exactly bright but it was definitely early. I think half of the GTA decided to depart that morning too because the lineups at the airport were the longest I'd ever experienced. Fortunately, we arrived at the airport 3.5 hrs early and made our plane in just the knick of time.


The flight was only an hour but I was so violently motion sick. Not exactly the glamourous start I had hoped for but after a couple hours on land I started to feel human again.


Our hotel was a little boutique hotel in Chelsea. Each room was modelled after a famous actor from the past. We stayed in the Tony Curtis room and boy it was tiny. I guess that is what's normal for NYC. But the room was clean, internet was free, a/c was on and we were glad to be on our little adventure.

A quick hearty lunch in the Chelsea Marketplace to get our day going.

On our first day, we visited the Chelsea Marketplace (home of the Food Network). It was an old warehouse that had been converted into little restaurants and food shops. So delicious and great character! If you know anything about traveling with Danny, it is that there has to be good food. I'm glad we started off on the right foot.

As we wandered through the shops, I just had to stop at this little boutique bakery, Eleni's. The delicacies looked delicious but even more importantly, I couldn't get over how cute the displays and packaging were! I guess that is the designer in me coming out. Danny politely waited as I took my obligatory food shots.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought these cupcakes were cute.

How awesome are these cookies?

A picnic to go.

Next we ventured outdoors into the sweltering heat for a jaunt along High Line Park. From what I understand, High Line Park was converted from an old railway/roadway built in the 1930's that lifted freight traffic 30 feet above ground through Chelsea and the Meat Packing District. This infrastructure project wasn't used after the 1980's and was recently under threat of demolition until a community group fought to preserve it. It was a pretty walkway but we didn't get too far as I just couldn't stand the heat. However, it did afford us the opportunity to get acquainted with what would be our new neighbourhood for the next few days.

Source - I was too hot to take photos so snagged these.

Source

Soon we found refuge under a shaded area where there was a little breeze. I took the opportunity to bandage my swollen and blistering feet (a stop that happened all too frequently during the duration of this trip).

By this time we were both completely exhausted and so returned to our hotel for a nap. Three and a half hours later (yikes) we awoke and decided it was time for supper.

It was dark outside but the streets were still busy (not surprisingly). It remained hot outside but had cooled down to a temperature that was a bit more bearable for this girl. Danny had researched the best restaurants in the area and after a bit of searching we were able to find it. Room Service.

It was a dimly lit and stylish room that featured Thai cuisine. The menu seemed quite interesting so we sampled on a few dishes. I'll admit that it wasn't the best Thai food that I had ever had but the prices seemed quite reasonable particularly when we were expecting to pay top dollar.

It was also at this restaurant that I had my first 'celebrity' (and I mean that in the loosest sense) sighting. There were two guys sitting at a table across from us that looked eerily familiar. I couldn't place them right away so tried to ignore them however they were a dynamic crowd and I couldn't help but catch my eyes darting towards their table. Finally I realized that they had been on the TV show "Cake Boss" and had hired the bakery to make them a glamorous red and gold wedding cake and then a few seasons later a Moroccan themed anniversary cake. Danny (rightfully) thought that I was completely insane for recognizing them and we laughed about it on the way back to our hotel for the night.

So concludes our first day in NYC. I realize that this post was mostly about food, haha, but I guess that adequately captured it.

More to come in a few days!