Earlier this fall, when I was in Greenville for
Kerry's 30th fête, my girlfriend Kate said to me --
we have this girls trip planned in December to New York, and you MUST come!
After warning her that I hoped she was dead serious because I would totally take her up on her offer, the decision was made ... New York, here we come!
Our friend Kerry booked us at
The Roger, which was the cutest darn boutique hotel ever.
We arrived around 1:00 and they were able to get us into our room early. We all looked around at each other ... this was most definitely a small sign but a great sign that we were in for the type of weekend that would be perfect!
After asking the concierge for lunch ideas, she directed us around the corner to
Penelope, which was exactly what we were looking for. We were able to order a lunch consisting of wine and fancy salads ...
bingo. I got the curried chicken salad and a glass of sauv blanc, and I was in heaven.
Afterwards we shopped in Soho until dark, and then we stopped for a bit at
Spring Street Natural for an appetizer to share and a glass of wine. We'd eaten there during our New York trip in March, so we knew it was good. And it's right near C. Wonder ... perfect!
That night, we had reservations at
Saxon and Parole. A quick outfit pic near the elevator, and we were ready to head out!
We sat in the back room, which I would highly suggest because it can get a little loud.
Kate and I ordered the same drink ... the cucumber gimlet. Oh my gracious, was it delicious.
We ended the night with a nightcap at
The Crooked Tree, where we also shared the pumpkin pie crepe. {I'll just let you marinate in that one a bit}
The next morning, we hit the city for some more shopping!
We fueled up first by visiting
Friend of a Farmer. It was my second time eating there -- my friend Kerry and I decided several years ago to cross some items off of our bucket list and do 1) New Years Eve in Times Square, and 2) party in The Hamptons, and we brunched there then. It was definitely just as good and worth the wait for a table. Order the Farmer's Special ... you will not regret it.
After brunch, we shopped, shopped, shopped! Sak's was just as beautiful as you would believe it to be during the holidays.
We also visited Rockerfeller Center to see the tree. Crowded, yes, but worth it? YES.
Before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner, we stopped at
Fig & Olive for our tradition of wine + an appetizer before dinner reservations.
We got ready for dinner and snapped a quick outfit picture before heading downstairs to meet a very special person...
Completely serendipitous, but the one and only
BLC was in New York at the very same time, and ... AAAAND ... she was staying at the exact same small hotel as us! To just add to the sheer craziness, the girls that I was with knew one of the girls that SHE was with ... ya'll,
YA'LL. Come on. Killin' me.
Our two groups merged and we went for a drink at
Asellina. Tons of laughs, tons in common, I am still reeling at the coincidence (do you believe in coincidence?) that had us two friends staying at the very same hotel. (BLC and I first met
here and then got together again
here)
After parting ways for our dinner reservations, we made our way to
Sons of Essex, which had a very cool atmosphere and great food.
Back in March, we had our first
Beauty & Essex experience, and that was a ton of fun, so after dinner we crossed the road and headed there. We waited in a looooong line -- what happened to the days when the bouncers would point at my group and pull us in ahead of everyone else? *sigh* Time for Botox. Kidding.
Not really.
First stop: the restroom, where they serve free champagne.
We then made our way upstairs and indulged in one more glass of champagne before calling it a night. I know ... we sound old ... but for what it's worth, we didn't get in until 2am. :)
I left early the next morning to start my journey home, but I think my heart is STILL in NYC. :)
We had an amazing girlfriends' weekend as always, and I can't wait until our next trip!
