If you haven’t met me by now, you may not be aware of my love for New York. It’s a city that grabs at my heart-strings every time I am there. Why don’t I live there you ask? Because I would have to sell my soul just to afford a month’s worth of rent. All jokes aside, it is a city I call my second home and would love to live there.
My friend Marianne, and myself booked a flight in February and found a cheap flight for the weekend. I had some Hyatt Worldwide Points and booked us a room at the Andaz in Midtown. I’ll talk more about this later. We decided to come back after our brief visit in November for our mileage run. Needless to say, we needed more one-on-one time with our lover.
Here are some highlights from the trip. We were physically abused by mother nature and her nasty wind, snow, hail and rain behavior. I am from the Midwest, straight Chicago y’all and I have never experienced weather like this in my whole life. Umbrellas were useless because the wind decided to perform magic tricks and appear in all different directions popping out our umbrellas. The snow/rain mix was moving sideways like Michael Jackson’s moon walk. I shit you not, the first day was terrible, but we got a lot accomplished! In preparation for this getaway, I made a list of all the different restaurants and bars I wanted to try out. Due to the damaging weather, we still hit about five spots that day. I would say, we won this round again MN.
The rain eventually let up and we got to meet up with one of our best friend’s who now lives in Queens for a little GNO. While the day started off rough, it ended up being a fabulous night out with even more fabulous people surrounding me.
The next day was so much better. The weather was in the high 40s, the sun was shining and not elements played into effect. We splashed around the different neighborhoods and tried fun foods and met some new people at this old mid-century bar. Later in the night, we met up with more friends who took us to this amazing rooftop bar at the James hotel and then to some disco at SoHo Grand Hotel. And then best part is me ending the night with someone special…a crispy chicken sandwich from McDonald’s at 2:30 AM.
Our last day in New York included more eating and wandering the New York Public Library, which I had never been to before. We saw an amazing exhibit called the “Revolution.” It walks you through the decade of the 70s, the Black Panther movement, Woodstock (even though that was 1969), and the rising of open sexuality.
Where we stayed
Andaz 5th Ave: This might be one of my favorite hotels in NYC!
Reasons why I loved the Andaz
- The location is perfection. It’s right across the street from the NY Public Library and around the corner from the Guggenheim Museum and Bryant Park. It’s also right near A-E-F train lines, which will take you all through the city.
- The Staff is super friendly and very helpful. I always say, “Service goes a long way.” It make your experience that much better.
- The decor was stunning. It had hints of Asian influence, but also very contemporary with the vaulted ceilings, dual sinks, and a foot bath in the shower.
- Every night starting at 6:00pm they have a wine hour in the lobby. There are no limits and you can drink as much as you’d like. We decided to start off with a bottle.
- Each room comes with a Nespresso machine. I am not a huge coffee drinker, but I do love me a good cappucino every now and then!
- Complimentary mini bar. This includes bottles of water, sparkling water, and sodas! It’s a small touch, but a nice one!
Where we ate
Los Tacos (Chelsea Market)
Andaz (Midtown)
Brigitte Les (Lower East Manhattan)
The Bao (Lower East Manhattan)
Chick ‘n Cone (Upper Westside)
Flour Shop (SoHo)
Ivan Ramen (Hell’s Kitchen)
What we did
Avenue
Bryant Park-Winter Village
Chinatown
The Jimmy @ The James Hotel
New York Public Library
McSorley’s Ale House
SoHo Grand Hotel
My obsession with New York will never fade. The pulse of this city gives me so much life. I am already looking forward to my next trip. If you have any other suggestions on restaurants I should check out, add it to my comments! Until next time! Xoxo
