A Perfect Beginning

I am still spinning a bit from our 48 hour NYC trip. It was the perfect kick-off to my 50th birthday festivities! It was straight back to work yesterday and we had an event to attend last eve, so I am now just wrapping my head around looking thru the photos. I thought this post could be about the itinerary and why/how we chose the things we did to do in such a short amount of time. This will be a bit of stream of consciousness, but I am so often told by readers that they love the suggestions from trips. So here goes. The above Filson rolling bag just right for a short trip. We all did carry-on luggage so that saved time and dough right from the start.

We wanted to stay at an iconic/classic hotel. The Waldorf Astoria fit the bill. In spades. Hotels for whatever reason could not guarantee that our rooms would be together if we all stayed in separate rooms, so we decided to go the suite route. I called around to many places directly and was not having any luck. TPS said I should try searching on Expedia, which I have never used. I now highly recommend it! We booked it for quite a bit less than what suites go for in NYC. It is a gloriously grand hotel.

We made as many of our dining reservations in advance, which I also highly recommend. The above from our first evening. Dinner at Prune. I am still dreaming about it. They gave us a recipe that I will try and write about in the coming weeks. We also found out that the owner Gabrielle is working on a cookbook. I am sure it will be amazing. Amazing.

Breakfast at Buvette began our first morning. Yes, yes, I know I gush about this place. But it is so warranted. Once again, we had a meal that was out of this world. Simple ingredients, prepared simply, that will knock your socks off. They do not take reservations, so I find going early for breakfast easiest to grab an open table without a wait.

I am a big lover of taxis. You get to look around at the sights while getting from A to B. We took taxis a bunch, but also walked a bunch. After breakfast we walked from Buvette to the High Line, which Catherine, Rise’ nor Linda had been too. It is so fun seeing the joy that it brings experiencing it for the first time. A trip to the city, a walk of the High Line is a must. Such a creative, highly visual use of space.

I had heard so many good things about a new place, so I was dying to check it out. After our High Line walk, we headed to Tipsy Parson on 9th Avenue in Chelsea. What a delight. It is very New Orleans menu based, which is fantastic. The space, so incredibly cool. Tons of John Derian’s work, which you all know I adore.

Lisa Birnbach lives in the area, so we made a quick stop to say hello. Lisa is the author of The Official Preppy Handbook as well as True Prep. She is also a Watson Kennedy customer. Lisa was so kind and wrote a quote that was used for my upcoming book. She has an amazing sense of humor and had us laughing the entire time. We then hopped into a cab and headed to the offices of my publisher, Sterling. John, my editor, had printed out the first full spread of my book! After getting it from John, we walked to Les Halles and had a celebratory bottle of Veuve Clicquot and looked over each page. It was a very special moment, indeed. Another bit of a walk combined with a cab ride got us back to the hotel for a little refresh and outfit change for dinner.

Drinks at Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle and then a very healthy meander down Madison Avenue for a little window shopping before dinner at The Lambs Club. There I was surprised with my best friend from college, Devin, showing up shortly after we arrived to join us for dinner. I can’t even begin to tell you how much laughter occurred at that dining table. The best!

Needless to say, we all slept incredibly well after a very full day. Up the next morning and we headed back to Madison Avenue for a little shopping. Then to MoMA for a little art, then to Bergdorf Goodman for a little more shopping and a late lunch. The Holiday windows were in progress, so we did not get to see the finished product. But it was fun to see them actually installing components to the windows. You know I love a good window display! Then it was off to the airport. What an incredibly special trip, made with 3 people who mean the world to me. As I approach fifty (or as I like to say, fiddy) on the 23rd, I am just so overcome with love by those that surround me. I have always been, and feel we all need to be, so grateful/thankful for what we have and what we are given. I truly am.

Sending much, much love. Ted