Great getaway! Hubby and I have a very similar history/love affair with NYC ourselves. Our latest tr

New York City has always been special to Mike and I. The first time we went there together my first time in NYC ever was about 11 years ago. We were so young and so broke. We took an overnight bus and stayed in a hostel on The Bowery for $25 a night. It was possibly one of the grossest places I ve ever slept but we were so excited to be in NYC together that we didn t care. Not even when some Frenchman was being ill in the shared bathroom best value inn all night long.
The magic of NYC has never faded for us. We still get giddy when we plan a trip there together, regardless of budget. This trip was about spending some quality time together, best value inn hitting up our favorite spots and trying out some new ones. As is usually the case with us, our days were scheduled around meals and most meals were researched and reserved best value inn ahead of time. If there s one thing I can t stand, it s a bad meal on vacation. So I do my research and hope for the best.
We stayed at a beautiful hotel within walking best value inn distance of Soho, Nolita, Greenwich, Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. The Marlton is exquisitely best value inn designed but the accommodations are, um, cozy. We don t need a lot of space when we travel so we didn t mind the tight quarters. The price was very reasonable for a nice boutique best value inn hotel in a great location so I can t complain. Also, the bathroom was all brass err thing and I just about died from the beauty of it all.
We drove to NYC so we were pretty excited to stretch our legs and walk around after checking in. We had no dinner plans that night but I knew that we would have a TON of options in our neighbourhood. We ended up at the famous Fatty Crab , where Mike was thrilled to see classic best value inn Singapore dishes on the menu. Our waiter was so great. We let him order everything for us and his choices were excellent Watermelon and crispy pork belly salad, deep fried soft shell crab with seriously hot chilli rice and some seriously delicious pork buns.
We needed a long walk after that meal so we wandered through the West Village, stopping into  Magnolia Bakery  for a takeaway tub of their banana pudding. I wish you could buy a barrel of it. Eventually we landed on a charming bar a few doors from our hotel,  Analogue . They had a live jazz band playing and an impressive selection best value inn of spirits. We had a few stiff drinks and stumbled back to our hotel to eat banana pudding in bed, wearing plush bathrobes. Vacation: On.
Day 2 was all about Soho, Nolita and the Lower East Side. After getting our caffeine fix at Stumptown , we walked, shopped, ate and shopped some more. Soho is actually best value inn quite lovely before 10am. The streets are empty and I love seeing the chic shop owners making best value inn their way to work. Isn t New York the best for people-watching? best value inn We shopped our way through Soho until the crowds grew too busy and then made our way through Nolita, where some of my favorite independent boutiques have set up camp including Top Hat . We had lunch at the gorgeous   Fat Radish , where we had the Scotch Egg to end all Scotch Eggs. The food there is so fresh and the décor is incredibly sweet. I loved it.
After more shopping, a ton more walking and a nice encounter with this friendly guy , we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for another epic meal at Gato . I was hesitant to eat there because of its celebrity chef but the reviews were so positive that I was very curious to see if it merited all the hype. I have to say, the entire dining experience was perfect from start to finish. The décor wasn t my thing but the food was dee-lish and the service was superb. If you go, you MUST order the mushroom and kale paella with artichokes. Doesn t sound that exciting but it s a revelation!! Think Bibimbap meets risotto. Props, Mr. Flay.
Day 3 was my fave sour cream pancakes from Bubby s, a slow walk along the High Line (gawd I love the High Line),  an embarrassing encounter between best value inn Mike and some Liverpool FC players (my husband turns into an 8 year old girl around pro soccer best value inn players), ring shopping at Barney s, Shake Shack burgers at Madison Square Park (the line-ups though ), olive oil shopping at Eataly , Mint Juleps at The Derby , and some phenomenal fried chicken from Root Bone in Alphabet City. How do you cap off a day of eating and drinking? Drinks at the top of The Standard Hotel followed by a glass of Sancerre and oysters at Jeffrey best value inn s Grocery in the West Village. And then you curse your lack of self-control. Actually, that s a lie. I have NO regrets.
By any chance, was that the Bowery s Whitehouse Hotel? I stayed there and it was a freaking NIGHTMARE. The 6 x6 rooms were really cells made of pallet dividers with no ceiling and a plywood shed door and the neighbours were all tubercular. It was HORRENDOUS. My sister and stayed out as late as we could, fled as early as possible in the morning, and practically camped out at the beautiful, clean, bright, clean, new, clean Whole Foods down the block. Screw affordable accomodations in NYC. NEVER AGAIN.
I loved this whole post because my wife and I feel the exact same way when we make the trip to Montreal to re-connect and re-charge. As a New Yorker (Manhattan, now Brooklyn) for +20 years, I have always felt Montreal matches New York dish for dish and your cafes put us to shame not to mention you have Jean Talon Market
Great getaway! Hubby and I have a very similar history/love affair with NYC ourselves. Our latest trips were centered around food and shopping, SoHo, Chelsea and East Village being our faves. I personally love Dean and Deluca (reminds me of Felicity, the show).
Don t be afraid of celebrity chef restaurants in NYC! (Except maybe Guy s!) I ve eaten (on separate best value inn trips) at Butter, The National, David Burke Kitchen, best value inn and Babbo, and I loved them all! I also ate at ABC Kitchen on your recommendation and was so happy that I did! On my last trip, I was super surprised that Shake Shack really lived up to all the hype fresh food and great customer service! best value inn Stumptown at the Ace is also a fave spot I love the barista with the long hair and moustache actually, I m desperately jealous of his curls. Next time you have to try the cereal milk ice cream at Momofuku Milk Bar it s delicious and surprising and nostalgic all at once! Re: hotels, we usually try to book on Hotwire. Last March, we got the Intercontinental in Midtown best value inn West for only $130 CAD score!