NYC Favorites

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As promised, the details from our super-fun weekend in NYC—where we stayed, where we ate, what we loved.

Since our trip, so many of you have asked for NYC recommendations. Really, lots and lots of you. Because we’re such novices, I enlisted 5 good friends who know the city well to give you their expert recommendations.

Today, our list, and then tomorrow, the real experts speak…

We stayed at the London in Midtown, right next to MoMA and a few blocks south of Central Park. It was a great location, we loved our room, and the concierge was fantastic.

As soon as we landed, we dropped our bags at the hotel and took a long, long walk through Central Park, with a special stop at Strawberry Fields and then the Dakota, because as you may know I’m married to a devoted Beatles fan.

We had dinner on Saturday night at Schiller’s Liquor Bar, and it was absolutely fantastic. Aaron’s steak frites and my moules frites were both unbelievable, and the atmosphere is so fun. Really loud, but in a good way, like a party you’re happy to be at.

The next morning we went to mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was absolutely beautiful, and then had a great brunch at The Smith. We spent the afternoon wandering through SoHo, Nolita, the Lower East Side and the East Village, and then had dinner at Prune and drinks and dessert at Freemans.

Prune was the one place I really, really wanted to try, so I was thrilled when our concierge finagled a last-minute reservation. Gabrielle Hamilton is the chef and owner, and her book Blood, Bones and Butter is a total favorite of mine. Prune is teeny tiny, and the menu is odd and personal and fantastic—it’s all dishes and flavors and ingredients that Gabrielle Hamilton wants to eat, the way she wants to eat them. And it’s absolutely delicious.

Two of the NYC experts that you’ll hear from tomorrow, Jessica and Jennifer, both raved about Freemans, and it was a highlight. It’s tucked away at the end of an alley in the East Village, and it feels like if you had an ever-so-slightly weird but very cool relative, and that relative had a country house. Lots of taxidermy, lots of long, rustic tables, low ceilings. Warm and twinkly and like you could stay forever. Really, kind of magical.

We spent Monday afternoon at MoMA, home to so many influential and famous pieces: Andy Warhol’s Marilyn, VanGogh’s Starry Night, Jasper Johns’ American flag.  Breathtaking.

Tomorrow, you’ll hear from the locals, and let me tell you it's a serious list--wow! Please do leave your recommendations and favorites, too, as comments here or in tomorrow’s post—it’s so fun to read about all the different kinds of places that we’ve fallen in love with in such a diverse city.