The Most Wonderful Time of the Year in New York City

Our trip began on Tuesday, November 23rd when we arrived at LaGuardia airport at around 9AM. After collecting our luggage from baggage claim (because you know I couldn’t fit all my boots & sweaters in just a carry on) we hopped in an Uber en route to our hotel. We stayed at a hotel near Grand Central Station in order to be in close proximity to many sights we planned to visit during this trip.

New York City this time of year is packed with tourists from around the world, so our hotel was very busy. Due to the volume of guests, the earliest our hotel could grant us a check in was 1PM, but they were able to hold our luggage at the bell hop and even threw in some complimentary drink coupons for our stay.

Although I am usually the one to plan our meals when we travel, Fred took the lead on this one and found a cozy restaurant - Little Collins - just a few blocks from our hotel. Not only was the service here wonderful, but the presentation and flavor of the food & drinks were also the perfect way to kick off our trip.

I started off with a dirty chai latte with oat milk. If you’re not familiar, “dirty” just means they added espresso to my drink for a little extra caffeine. For entrees, I ordered the “Chorizo baked eggs” which was served in a tomato sauce with onion, peperoncini and chorizo accompanied by pita. Fred ordered “The Big Dill” - a toasted sandwich with thin cut multigrain, house cured salmon, sage omelet, mascarpone, capers, dill & shallots. Then for something sweet to balance out our savory dishes we tried the “Sweet Uncle Fred” (the name of the dish was also intriguing). It was described on the menu as “toasted banana bread, fresh ricotta, almond brittle, berries, honey & lemon zest” and it was delicious!

After breakfast we headed back to the hotel to use up some of our drink coupons at the lobby bar. We both enjoyed a hot toddy while waiting for our room to be ready.

Once we were notified that there was a room available for us, we headed up to get changed and then off to our first adventure - a live taping of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Fred was pretty stoked that I was able to get us tickets because he’s a huge fan of the show. The tickets are free, but on a first come, first serve basis. We had to check in at 4PM, then stand outside until it was time to be taken inside to go through security & make our way to our seats, but to our surprise, we ended up on the front row! It was an awesome experience and totally made up for waiting outside in the cold. Unfortunately there is no photography allowed inside the theatre, but Fred did manage to get a few short video clips (sneaky guy he is) so if you’re subscribed to my Youtube Channel you can see the awesome footage he was able to get.

I was so excited that my good friend, Lisa, who is an LA-based flight attendant, just so happened to have a New York City layover and ironically enough her hotel was across the street from the Ed Sullivan Theater, so it worked out perfect that we got to catch up for a night cap at a nearby bar. She has always been one of my biggest supporters and I am so grateful for our friendship. ☺️

On Wednesday, we started off the day with breakfast at a popular restaurant - Sarahbeth’s, but unfortunately I think we caught them on an off day. Our overall experience wasn’t great and the food was subpar. Fred had previously eaten here years ago, but at a different location so we’re not sure if we chose the wrong location or if things just aren’t what they used to be.

From there, we went back to the hotel so Fred could take a few meetings (yes, he works on vacation - but hey, someone has to pay for all our trips) and I could take a quick nap. Then it was off to Hudson Yards to see their holiday decor. One of our favorite sights is also there - The Vessel - and it was also festive with lights.

For dinner we went back to - La Barra - a restaurant we discovered on our last trip and fell in love with. It is located in the lower level of Hudson Yards inside Little Spain (an indoor dining hall by Chef José Andrés that is an all-day dining destination which brings the best products and recipes of Spain to New York City's Hudson Yards).

Fred and I love to share an array of tapas (small plates) so that we can try several different dishes. We ordered “Gambas al ajillo” (Red shrimps confited with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, chili, bay leaf and oloroso wine), “Pulpo a la Galena” (Boiled Spanish octopus served with mashed potatoes, extra virgin olive oil and paprika), “Mejillones a la marinera” (Steamed mussels with tomato sauce), and “Patatas bravas” (Deep fried potatoes with salsa brava and alioli). Every dish was unique and so flavorful.

After our delicious dinner we were off to Broadway to see the Lion King Musical. This was Fred’s first time seeing a Broadway show and I felt that it was only appropriate to take him to a show that is such a classic and also one of our favorite Disney movies! It was such a moving show, that it actually brought me to tears. I was in awe of the costumes and stage props. I would highly recommend getting tickets to this show!

We called it a night after the Lion King because we knew we had an early day on Thanksgiving. It was a no brainier that I felt we must go see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and we were lucky that our hotel was just a short walk to 6th Avenue where the route of the parade was going through. We bundled up with layers and then made our way to breakfast at Zucker’s, because it’s not a trip to New York City if you didn’t have at least one bagel sandwich.

After our bellies were full we walked towards Bryant Park where we had hoped to view the parade, but unfortunately they had the street blocked off so we made a detour up to 44th street and were lucky to get within feet of the parade. Being that we arrived towards the end of the parade we only saw about the last 30 minutes, but we were still able to see several floats, including Sonic the hedgehog, the Pilsbury doughboy, Pikachu, Papa Smurf, and even Kelly Rowland.

Once the parade was over, we made our way to Rockefeller Plaza to see all of the beautiful holiday decor & the famous Christmas Tree. Unfortunately the tree wasn’t lit until after our trip, but they did have it installed & decorated so it was still a sight to see, and of course there were plenty of people ice skating on the rink. We also walked by Saks Fifth Avenue to check out all of their festive window displays - which is another one of the things I always look forward to seeing this time of year.

At 4:00PM we had a reservation at the Summit - New York City’s newest viewing experience - just in time for sunset. This was truly unlike any other observation deck we have visited in New York - and we’ve seen them all - including One World Observatory, Top of the Rock, The Edge & the Empire State Building.

Although they each have breathtaking views of New York City, the Summit offers several different type of sensory experiences - Air, Levitation, Ascent & Apres.

On Friday, our day began with tea at The Plaza Hotel in their Palm Court. This has been on my bucket list for a long time because to me The Plaza is the most iconic New York City hotel and I can’t wait to stay there one day with a room overlooking Central Park.

There are few different tea experience options; Fred and I decided on the Plaza Signature Holiday Tea. It features an assortment of sandwiches and savories, freshly baked warm seasonal scones - served with Devonshire Cream, Grapefruit Rosemary Curd, House-Made Preserves - as well as an array of pastries and sweets. You can also add a glass of champagne to your experience, which we did and we both chose a different type of tea so we could sample two diverse options. I had The Du Hammam - a fruity blend of green tea, with rose petals, green dates & berries and Fred chose The Dez Alizes - a fruity green tea with pieces of white peach, kiwi & watermelon. Both were so exceptional that I asked our waitress if they happened to sell the teas at the hotel. (Unfortunately due to COVID their food hall located in the basement is closed indefinitely she said, which is where they previously sold the tea).

The entire Afternoon tea experience at the Plaza was everything I had dreamed of and more. Their attention to detail on every aspect was par none and it will certainly be a memory that I’ll cherish forever - or until my next visit! 😉

Later that evening, Fred and I met up with his friend Paul, who lives locally, for dinner in Chinatown. Sadly, my favorite restaurant to get my soup dumplings fix - Joe’s Shanghai - had an hour wait, so we went with a backup option - Noodle Village. I will say, they had equally great soup dumplings as my beloved Joe’s, so it might be my new go to soup dumpling spot in New York when the craving strikes.

After dinner, Paul wanted to show us a few of his favorite places to grab a cocktail. First up was Fig 19 - a speakeasy - which was just a few blocks from Chinatown. This particular speakeasy was an art exhibit with a door that led to this quaint bar with delicious cocktails. Then we hoped in an Uber and headed to Grand Central Terminal to The Campbell. They were both cool spots but if you only had time to visit one I would say for sure check out The Campbell. As their website states - “It is an iconic New York institution, thoughtfully restored to its original grandeur by Gerber Group. Paying homage to the legacy of John W. Campbell, a Jazz Age financier who converted the space to his private office and reception hall in 1923, The Campbell showcases many of the thirteenth century Florentine-inspired design intricacies that upheld its legendary allure, including soaring, 25-foot hand painted ceilings, a grand stone fireplace, Campbell’s personal steel safe, a century-old leaded glass window and original millwork.”

We are always thankful to meet up with our friends because having a local perspective is so nice!

We began our Saturday morning with a festive holiday photoshoot at 8AM. I hired a professional photographer that we found on an app called “Snappr” and he was awesome! I told him we wanted to use these photos for our holiday cards to be sent out this year and he helped us to find the best backdrops throughout Midtown Manhattan. Rockefeller Plaza is where we met to get some shots then made our way to Radio City Music Hall where we pretended to be Rockettes! Snappr was also kind enough to give me a code to share with y’all! When you book your first photoshoot on the app and apply code “8SDSHbaz” you will receive $20 off! I am so happy I found this app and will definitely be using it going forward when Fred and I travel to a new city and want to capture memories of our trip.

After the photoshoot, we headed back to the hotel to change and defrost our bones then we were ready to grub! Fred found another winner of a breakfast spot - Jane. We started off with a “dirty chaitini” which was their take on an espresso martini mixed with a chai latte! The bartender was even so nice as to let Fred come over to watch him make the drinks and capture some good vlog footage, so don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel and turn on post notifications so you know when our vlog goes live! 😉

I ordered the Farmhouse popover which was so filling and delicious and Fred had the vanilla bean French toast with a side of breakfast potatoes. Everything we had here was scrumptious and we will certainly be adding this restaurant to our list of places to visit when in SoHo/West Village.

After brunch at Jane, we took advantage of the Black Friday sales that extended into the weekend and did some shopping in SoHo before heading back to the hotel to rest.

On Saturday evening, we met up with another one of Fred’s friends and his wife for dinner at La Grand Boucherie. It is a traditional French restaurant with several locations throughout Manhattan known for classic French dishes like French onion soup, Coq Au Vin, Rouf Bourguignon and crème brûlée. We did try the French onion soup, and I can proudly say as an avid hater of onions, I tried it and loved it - so I think that speaks volumes to its taste! For entree’s Fred and I both had steak and they were both good, but nothing to write home about. 🤷‍♀️ We did try their crème brûlée for dessert as its my all time favorite and it was delicious! Also, the decor in this restaurant was stunning!! They had Christmas tree near the host stand that had to be at least 20 feet tall, and the building itself had lots of charm.

Our last meal of the trip was at Tavern on the Green. My late Aunt Sis used to always tell me about this place and every time I visited New York she asked if I was able to make it there because it was one of her favorite restaurants but until this trip I had never been. They had a pre fixed brunch menu, that included 3 courses a complimentary pastry basket. The appetizers we ordered were shrimp cocktail & biscuits & gravy, followed by our entrees which were Organic Scottish Salmon and Shortrib hash then we finished our meal with caramelized bananas foster & pumpkin tea cake for dessert. Although this was certainly more food than we would usually eat for breakfast it was perfect to keep us full our flight got back home to Miami.

Each trip to New York is so special to me as it is truly one of my favorite cities in the world. In fact, right before I met Fred I almost moved to New York City, before being convinced to give Miami one more chance back in 2017.

This was the first time Fred and I were able to visit during what is to me the most wonderful time of the year in New York City. There are few cities that truly celebrate the holiday season like they do and it really is magical to see.

I hope that you all enjoyed this blog post and would love to hear in the comments below what your holiday plans are this year. Wishing each and every one of you a safe, healthy & prosperous holiday season & New Year!