So We Went to NYC {Monday}

....and we're back!

I know, the play by play of us limping around NYC must be really exciting for you!  

First, though, yesterday I totally forgot to mention the hotel we stayed in!  We stayed at Hotel Boutique at Grand Central and LOVED it.  I know that there are some Midtown haters out there, and that's OK.  For our purposes, this was convenient to the venue for work on Saturday, and kind of at the middle of the island for the rest of our trip, so we could walk to lots of different things.  So there.  This was our view!

We loved the hotel and would DEFINITELY stay there again.  It was reasonably priced (compared to a few blocks closer to Times Square which is grody expensive), the staff was all wonderful, and if we ever get rich it featured a really expensive Italian restaurant that I totally wanted to try but just couldn't.  They have a lounge on the 27th floor which apparently has a great view, but we realized it didn't have a bar, and anywhere without food or alcohol sadly didn't make our list this year.  Duh.  BUT, we totally wanted to go see the views and REALLY would have made it happen had there been a happy hour up in that shiz.  

So, back to our tour de booze!  On Sunday night after our delicious pizza dinner we slept from 11pm until 9am, which apparently is what happens when you walk for 5 hours.  Apparently.  We NEEDED it, and when we woke up we made a hasty plan to cram in two more meals before heading to the airport before our 3pm flight, of course.  We knew we wanted to go to Central Park because I'd never been, and had this great idea just to walk a few blocks from the hotel then grab a cab and get some breakfast on the way.  OF COURSE we ended up walking all the way to the park, then through the park on a LOVELY spring day.  We lucked out to the max, yo.  We stopped for breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien, and YUM.  We only shared a toasted croissant, and I had tea and Jay had coffee, but somehow it was one of the loveliest meals ever.  You're outside in Central Park being all cityish, and then you get a sexy buttery croissant stuffed with ham and melty gruyere and all is just right with the world, right?  The restaurant does a ton with local/organic offerings, and I'd definitely recommend it for any meal of the day, even a snack!  

After petit dejuner we wandered around the park a little bit more, heading eventually back to our final lunch destination:  Gyu Kaku Midtown.  It was near our hotel, so logistically it worked out well because we had to return to the hotel to get our bags before heading to the airport.  More than that, though, we were DYING to eat there again after our excellent meal last year, which I wrote about here.  I just love this place.  Technically a chain, it's a good one.  I love Japanese/Korean BBQ, and there's simply nowhere in my area to get it unless I make it at home, which is totally time consuming.  The best part about Gyu Kaku is that they have happy hour specials on food and drink from 11:30-6pm every day.  Food AND drinks are insanely affordable, which makes it easy to try new foods.  This year we did the set lunches, fried shishito (cross between green bell and jalapeno peppers), and scallop crudo to start and were so stuffed by the time we left, but in the best possible way.  Naturally we didn't complain a bit about sake being half price while we were there.  I really wish Gyu Kaku would open a location here so that I could manage it.  IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?  No.  It's not, I don't think. 

So, while you were slaving away and cursing your boss on Monday, we were playing in the park and eating fabulous food.  We lucked out 100% with all our travels this year and had zero delays, screaming babies, or issues with cray co-passengers.  That probably means that next time we fly we'll be delayed for eons and lose our luggage, but for now we're still basking in the DELICIOUS weekend we had.  

Also!  I took this picture because I thought the green sign was really inappropriate and funny.  I'm a child.  

Thanks NYC!  We'd officially like someone to pay us to travel there every week or move there permanently.  Let's work on that.