Days 4&5: More eating, shopping, & Rock of Ages

On Saturday, we got an early start and headed to the Lower East Side to check out the Hester Street Fair.  It was a very low key flea market with some yummy treats like pie on a stick!  After checking out the fair, we stopped by Baby Cakes.  Known for their gluten free menu items, I would highly recommend the donuts. 

 Then it was off to Toy Tokyo to find a gift for Bruce.

 Later that day, I took the subway to Lincoln Center to shop at Century 21 and Zara. 

 That night, we had dinner at STK's rooftop. 

I had the yummy ahi and there was a lemon cheesecake that was to die for!

Right outside the restaurant was the Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream truck.  Despite just eating cheesecake, I reasoned that I walked so many miles on this trip that I could have some ginger ice cream, too.  I'm so glad I did! It was delicious.

We had a late breakfast on Sunday at Chelsea Market. I finally had my lobster roll and it was delicious and worth the $17.

Then it was time to burn some calories walking on the High Line.   Beautiful sites from up there.

That night was Rock of Ages.  So much fun. 

Good night New York!  We left early the next morning.  Already dreaming of my return to this amazing city.

NYC: Days 2&3; shopping, museums, & sweets

Day 2 started with a short cab ride to the Upper West Side.  It was time to start my visit with my gal pal, Kalei.  She left for work and I walked over to Le Pain.  I was actually introduced to this yummy breakfast and lunch stop in Manhattan Beach, Kalei's last residence.  The Brunette spread is a must for toast in the morning, so I stocked up.

After fueling up, it was time to head to Soho for a day of shopping.  I stopped by Opera Gallery and found David Choe's work...

 Ron English...

 and John John Jesse.

There weren't too many pictures from my shopping day, as I was frantically trying to cover all of the stores on Broadway in Soho.  It was truly a shopper's paradise and I will definitely be back.  

Day 3 started with a walk through Central Park.  I was heading to the east side, for a day of museum exploration. 

 

I kicked it off with a look at the The Guggenheim.  I love the design of this building. There was a huge abstract art exhibit.

Then it was off to the Metropolitan...

 I always love the art in this section of the Met...

 

Kalei actually met up with me for lunch and came to check out the Prada exhibit at the Met.  Then it was time to walk Madison Ave.  First stop, La Maison du Chocolat.  The tea and chocolate pairing with a slice of chocolate cake was amazing and a good time to rest our feet from all that walking.

 Further down the street was Laduree.  The chocolate and pistachio macaroons were to die for, and I'm glad I insisted on stopping here. 

NYC: Day 1; Wednesday 6/6/12

Hawaiian Air had its' inaugural flight to JFK on June 4th.  Our flight to the Big Apple left the very next day.  We had been planning this trip since the route was announced at the end of 2011.  After a long but comfortable flight, we landed bright and early the next day in New York.  We were exhausted, but the excitement of being in the city kept us all awake.  Here are the sights between JFK and Hells Kitchen.

Stayed at the uber-modern and stylish Yotel for the first night.  Found this interesting guy in the lobby.

Without much rest, it was time to head out to Broadway for our matinee of Jersey Boys.  The show was awesome!  Frankie Valli was definitely before my time, but the performers and iconic songs kept me moving to the music the whole time. 

Here's me and my mommy before the show. 

 

After the show, we met up with my sister, her mother in-law, and my niece, for dinner at 5 Napkin Burger in Hell's Kitchen.  Check out my lovely veggie burger and fries. 

 Right around the corner was Schmackary's, a small but busy cookie shop. 

 I'm a sucker for anything red velvet, so I got the red velvet cookie.  It was delicious!!!

When we stepped outside, it was pouring rain.  We ran back to the hotel and turned in for the night, as we really hadn't slept the night before on the airplane.

Amazing start to a fun trip!!!

Sneaker Addiction

I am completely in love with the designer sneakers that have been popping up all over the place.  Comfort AND fashion are so nice, when you don't feel like wearing your heels.  

I am completely obsessed with this pair of Giuseppe Zanotti snake print sneakers and how Shopbop styled them.  I visit them daily.

Then there's the brand new Missoni for Converse hi tops that were released today for $200 each.  I have a soft spot for those zig zags AND there's flecks of sparkle in them.  

I also found these fun, reasonably priced sneakers on Topshop.  Still not sure how I feel about the mesh and people seeing my socks. 

 

Gah! Decisions, decisions!

Vegas Vacay

Got back from Vegas earlier this week.  Enjoyed spending time with family.  The first night was my one and only lucky night.  I was on my last $3 of money budgeted for gambling that night and this happened...



Then all these pennies came...



My sister joined the party and it was off to Caesar's Palace for a little bit of shopping at Anthropologie.



Then it was time to hit Serendipity and try their famous frozen hot chocolate.  It was a very sweet but cool treat for a warm Vegas day!







Bellagio was gorgeous as usual.  There were tulips and giant bees covered in flowers everywhere.  It was a beautiful spring display.

We hit The Cosmopolitan one night to check out the Wicked Spoon buffet.  The decor of the hotel is ultra cool and modern.







The buffet got a thumbs up from us.  Well worth the $35.  We got there shortly before it opened and there was already a line.  Love the presentation of the food.  Shrimp on grits was a favorite, as well as the gelato bar. 







The next day, we had lunch at Todd English's Olives restaurant at Bellagio. 



The butternut squash ravioli was sweet and tasty.  The picture doesn't look that appetizing, but it was delicious.  The table next to us was having the flat bread, which looked really good. 




Of course if you stay downtown, you can always get your fill of Lappert's ice cream, butterfish, and oxtail soup.






So long Vegas.  I need to save money so I can come visit you again.