One of my best friends, Stacey, moved to New York City a few months ago. We met seven years ago at Fox 8 Cleveland. Stacey was the main anchor and I was the evening reporter.
This past weekend, I was lucky enough to spend a short, girls only, weekend with her in her new hometown!
I hadn’t been to New York in six years and I absolutely love the city. This was the first time I was able to get a glimpse at how actual New Yorkers live, though. I was impressed that in the few short months since Stacey moved, she’s been able to figure out the seemingly complicated subway map system. I was also impressed at how self-contained each residential area seemed to be, with drug and grocery stores, dry cleaners, doggie day cars and gyms, all within a city block.
Here’s a look at some of our weekend highlights.
Saturday, we started out in the Flat Iron District, at Mario Batali’s huge market place/restaurant Eataly. We had a light lunch of bread, cheese, and prosciutto….right up my alley! If you’ve never been to Eataly, this is a must stop in NYC. They have cooking classes, wine tastings, the list goes on and on.
Next, we headed to my favorite part of NYC, Fifth Ave, near the iconic Plaza Hotel. I just love this part of old New York, right next to Central Park. Stacey and I got cupcakes from Crumbs and sat outside FAO Schwartz and Bergdorf Goodman and took in the atmosphere.
After an afternoon of sightseeing, we headed back to Stacey’s to rest and watch the Kentucky Derby.
Before heading out for dinner, we posed for some pictures with the New York City skyline as our backdrop!
I look like a munchkin in these pictures! Stacey advised me to wear flats until we got to the subway stop, then change into my heels…so that’s what I did! The result? A super short looking me!
We had a fabulous dinner at Philippe Chow with my old friend from News 14 Carolina/Charlotte, Lisa. Lisa was the morning reporter at News 14 when I was the morning anchor. We hadn’t seen each other in seven years!
It was like no time had passed! Lisa is a native New Yorker and she and Stacey now work for the same news organization, News 12. They are at different News 12 stations, though, so this was a great chance for them to meet.
The icing on the cake for my New York weekend? When we walked out of Philippe, we saw the paparazzi! I don’t respect or condone how they make their living, but, I’ve gotta admit, it was cool to see them in action. Allegedly, Tori Burch and Ron Pearlman were eating at our restaurant. Very cool!
Spending the weekend in NYC with great girlfriends was such a treat. I can’t wait to do it again!
Have you been to any of these hot spots in NYC? What is your favorite part of the Big Apple?
