The Big Apple
I’m sitting back in Grand Rapids, but still in a New York state of mind from a weekend parent’s only trip to NYC.
B and I snuck away for 48 hours to NY for a whirlwind of a weekend. The goal was to see a Broadway show (I’d never seen one before), and of course explore, eat, shop and wander in a glorious childfree fashion.
The overarching bummer of the trip was the stuffy, runny cold we were both nursing. Thankfully it was nothing more than that and OK to push through.
The show: Chicago
Wowowow. Incredible! Of course it was, it’s Broadyway! The singing, dancing, humor. The amazing cast, most notably a 58-yr-old actress playing Roxie Hart about 4293 times better than Rene Zelleweger did in the movie when she was 32. So take that! And Mama/Mary Sunshine played by 2 amazing drag performers were so perfect for their roles I can’t accept anyone different.
Exploring
Top of the list for me was our chilly but sweet walk around Central Park. Nowhere makes you feel like you’re a NY local more than roaming through this peaceful park. I finally saw Strawberry Fields and the Bow Bridge and had incredible lust for wanting to run through the whole park.
We also ventured into the MoMA. As not crazy museum people I do have a wild appreciation and amazement for seeing some of the classics–Monet, Pollock, Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí–up close and in person. There was some more modern art, especially a HUGE 3 story digital piece that looked like cereal milk sloshing out of the frame, that caught our attention.
Eats
Tied to the Broadway show we ate at Marseille’s, a fancy French restaurant that yes–was real, real good. The food/service was too fast though, and we might have been too hungry… and the restaurant was tight and loud. Overall the experience felt like fast food even though it tasted nothing like it.
We had brunch our first day at The Smith and that was something special. I got pancakes and B got eggs benedict, but both with a unique twist that felt not too much and also extra special in a special-trip-without-the-kids kinda way.
Also glad we balanced swanky eats with a fast slice of NY pizza by the slice. It was big. I folded it. It was warm and I ate it in about 43 seconds. All expectations met. *Chefs kiss.*
My favvvvorite meal was Emily’s Burger. It. Lived. Up. To. The. Hype. I’ve never had burger meat as soft as the bun. Also the special sauce… it was slightly buffalo-y? Which I don’t normally like but the depth of flavor and smokiness was checking all the boxes. It was liquidy enough to melt into the burger meat, as was the soft melted cheese, so you couldn’t quite distinguish where the bun/cheese/sauce met or started. The pickles end up being pretty important–a vinegary crunch to slice through soft warm yum.
Wow, missed my calling as a food critic, huh? Hah!
It was a busy, walk all over, rest almost never, take it all in kinda trip. One that made a lot of memories, and one that was also good to fly back home from.
B and I snuck away for 48 hours to NY for a whirlwind of a weekend. The goal was to see a Broadway show (I’d never seen one before), and of course explore, eat, shop and wander in a glorious childfree fashion.
The overarching bummer of the trip was the stuffy, runny cold we were both nursing. Thankfully it was nothing more than that and OK to push through.
The show: Chicago
Wowowow. Incredible! Of course it was, it’s Broadyway! The singing, dancing, humor. The amazing cast, most notably a 58-yr-old actress playing Roxie Hart about 4293 times better than Rene Zelleweger did in the movie when she was 32. So take that! And Mama/Mary Sunshine played by 2 amazing drag performers were so perfect for their roles I can’t accept anyone different.
Exploring
Top of the list for me was our chilly but sweet walk around Central Park. Nowhere makes you feel like you’re a NY local more than roaming through this peaceful park. I finally saw Strawberry Fields and the Bow Bridge and had incredible lust for wanting to run through the whole park.
We also ventured into the MoMA. As not crazy museum people I do have a wild appreciation and amazement for seeing some of the classics–Monet, Pollock, Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí–up close and in person. There was some more modern art, especially a HUGE 3 story digital piece that looked like cereal milk sloshing out of the frame, that caught our attention.
Eats
Tied to the Broadway show we ate at Marseille’s, a fancy French restaurant that yes–was real, real good. The food/service was too fast though, and we might have been too hungry… and the restaurant was tight and loud. Overall the experience felt like fast food even though it tasted nothing like it.
We had brunch our first day at The Smith and that was something special. I got pancakes and B got eggs benedict, but both with a unique twist that felt not too much and also extra special in a special-trip-without-the-kids kinda way.
Also glad we balanced swanky eats with a fast slice of NY pizza by the slice. It was big. I folded it. It was warm and I ate it in about 43 seconds. All expectations met. *Chefs kiss.*
My favvvvorite meal was Emily’s Burger. It. Lived. Up. To. The. Hype. I’ve never had burger meat as soft as the bun. Also the special sauce… it was slightly buffalo-y? Which I don’t normally like but the depth of flavor and smokiness was checking all the boxes. It was liquidy enough to melt into the burger meat, as was the soft melted cheese, so you couldn’t quite distinguish where the bun/cheese/sauce met or started. The pickles end up being pretty important–a vinegary crunch to slice through soft warm yum.
Wow, missed my calling as a food critic, huh? Hah!
It was a busy, walk all over, rest almost never, take it all in kinda trip. One that made a lot of memories, and one that was also good to fly back home from.