New York in Three Days

Wally and I are taking a last minute trip to New York City. The reason for this impromptu trip? Bette Midler’s performance in Hello Dolly will end on August 28th. At a restaurant in Banff; I bought tickets to the show, booked our flight and found a hotel. Yeah, I’m that good. This is how Wally and I tour New York in three days. I should have turned on the step counter on this trip.

Before we begin the adventure, I would like to mention the Marriott Essex House Hotel; located across from Central Park. The rooms have comfortable modern decor with views of the City or Central Park. Have you ever used a concierge? Kevin at the Essex house was ours; he was extremely attentive, provided recommendations, and checked on us during the stay. His suggestions for dining and activities were on point. Sounds like an ad, it’s not.

Day One – travel day!
We booked the earliest flight out of Arizona to maximize the day. Can I get kudos for being at the airport for our 6:00 am flight! I looked cute too, no sweats for me.

I heard about the Blue Box Cafe; the restaurant located inside Tiffany’s and wanted to experience it for myself. I knew they booked out a month in advance, so the chance of securing a reservation would be slim. If you have not seen the movie; Breakfast at Tiffany’s…Holly Golightly stands at the front of Tiffany’s admiring the window display with coffee and a croissant in hand. As predicted the restaurant is booked out for all the days were are in NYC. However, we were able to create an alert for the Blue Box Café. As luck would have it, I was alerted right before heading out for the evening. Booked and confirmed, we are having dinner at 4:45 pm for our first evening in New York. We are on a roll, today.

We had more than enough time before our meal to take photos and purchase an item or two. Yeah for Wendy! Are you curious, what I bought? It was the weekend bag.

About the restaurant
On the fourth floor of the 5thave Tiffany’s, is a beautifully decorated café located along the windows for a picturesque view of Manhattan. A quaint cafe decorated in Tiffany blue and white; we take our photos and settle in for the experience. The set menu at any time of the day is breakfast, lunch or tea service. We opted for a lobster salad with an assortment of mini desserts. The food does not disappoint, and the service was quick. We were finished in enough time to explore the city before the sun goes down on this beautiful day in New York.

After dinner, we dropped off packages at the hotel and walked through Central Park. To be honest, I was impressed with the community events to choose from; the mini carnival to tango and salsa dancing there was something for everyone. Yes, I did attempt to salsa, I think my husband might have evidence of it. A nice flight, happy with the room, dinner at Tiffany’s and a stroll around Central Park. I would say a successful first day in the Big Apple!

Day two – all aboard the Hudson line train.
One thing to know about me is I am not a morning person, Wally, on the other hand, is usually awake before I can manage to open my eyes. We worked it out over the years with our morning routine. Wally goes on his morning walk, and by the time he gets back, I am ready for the day. Well… sometimes I’m still sleeping but not this day, its Train Day.

I am so excited for the train ride, I feel like Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory; the episode where he takes Amy on a romantic train ride for Valentine’s day, then proceeds to spends all his time wandering the train. That would be me… sorta, I would at least have dinner with Wally. JK.

From the hotel, we walk to Grand Central taking the Hudson line train to Cold Spring, New York; a picturesque small town which was recommended by Kevin the concierge. On the way up we sat behind several young adults from West Point, for our conversation see my Instagram caption from August 22, 2018

From the train station, there is a short walk to the town. Wally and I walked down the main street and had lunch at the only pizza place around. We walked across the train tracks to enjoy the views of the water and tried the famous Moo Moo’s Creamery. I recommend the 90-minute scenic ride along the Hudson River. I suggest buying train tickets online, grand central or the kiosk on the platform. If you wait until you are on the train to purchase your tickets, it will cost more.

Back in the City
Walking past Times Square, we notice they are setting up at the Radio City Music Hall… the MTV, video music awards are in town. Experiencing the set up in person was fun as we are usually watching the MTV awards from our living room. Can you see us sitting on the couch, watching the awards and yelling at the tv…we’ve have seen that place? Haha! We are cool like that.

At 8:30 pm we head out of the hotel for dinner to The Black Tap Craft Burger. Known for delicious burgers, we wanted to try before we left the city. If you are wondering why I mention its 8:30 pm; because we are usually home with jammies on by 9:00 pm, so I am proud of us for starting out so late. This date night is going on record as one of the best.

Rounding the corner for the Black Tap Craft burger we see a line; It’s like the city never sleeps. Lol. Worth the wait though, they have amazing burgers, and the shakes are outrageously decadent. Still impressed we are out so late? I am too.

Have you gotten the feeling you are meant to be at a particular place and time? It is rare we go out late at night, so when we sat next to the couple, I knew I was there to talk to her. I waited for her to begin the conversation and it soon became clear the talk would be about self-love. Dinner was good, company excellent and back at the hotel by 11:30 pm for a perfect ending to day two.

Day Three – Walking the city
The most exciting of all the days, the reason we are in New York is today; to see Bette Middler in Hello Dolly. Before attending the musical which starts at 7:00 p,m we spend the day walking from Central Park through Greenwich Village to The Hudson River Park. I was curious, so I googled it. Folks, it’s over three miles one way.

The enjoyable part of walking through Greenwich Village is what we experienced along the way. Around each corner, we found ourselves in a new community, vegetation, and the vibes are all different. I see why they call it a village.

Walking by a restaurant, we overheard a conversation between a restaurant worker and a police officer. Would you like dessert officer, no, he replied, watching what I eat. Ok, she answered back, have a pleasant day. It was a scene straight out of a Doris Day movie.

As fun as the afternoon had been, it was time to head back to the hotel; we don’t want to be late for the show.

Heading out I have goosebumps; I can’t believe I will be experiencing Bette in a Broadway show. Upon arriving at the theater, we see the sign; on this day Bette would not be performing. A flood of disappointment has come over me. I understand this is one of those moments where I need to look at the positive, but I am sad. I regrouped and stayed to enjoy Donna Murphy and David Hyde Pierce in a spectacular performance of Hello Dolly.

Finishing off our last evening in the Big Apple we will enjoy a slice at Ray’s pizza,

We request an extra slice for the man outside while looking at our bill we noticed there was not a charged for his Pizza. I mention this because I found; if we make an effort to give; most will follow.

Leaving New York- Not yet
The next morning we are up early for our flight home, as we were walking into the Delta lounge we see Ken Jeong, (Crazy Rich Asians and The hangover) he smiled as he walked by. I like to pretend he knows my name and says.. what’s up, Wendy. Seeing him was an excellent ending to an outstanding three-day adventure in New York City.

Thanks for following along! I hope you enjoyed our adventure in the Big Apple. If you would like to see more photos visit my Instragam: Ontheroadwithwendy

XO, Wendy