My New Happy: New York With The Girls

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

New York With The Girls


Last month I took a girls trip to New York City and spent a long weekend with my sister and four cousins.  Dawn is an 8th grade teacher in Manhattan, and she had been asking us to come visit for years.

This trip was so different from the last visit with my husband.  Our plan was to stay low key and spend lots of time enjoying each other's company.  It was interesting to see NYC from the perspective of someone who has lived there for ten years.

We arrived on Friday morning and headed to Dawn's apartment, located in lower Manhattan and about fifteen blocks from Battery Park.  She shares a 400 square foot flat with a roommate, and they pay $3000 a month for the privilege of a great location and two bedrooms.  All I could say was WOW.


We walked down Broadway to shop, have lunch, and meet Dawn at her school. She has a view of the Statue of Liberty from her classroom.  Not too shabby.


We had dinner that evening at Stone Street, an outdoor venue in the financial district with multiple bars and restaurants, and a young, hip crowd.  I'm pretty sure I was the oldest person there.


We soon headed uptown to our home for the weekend - a beautiful Brownstone on the Upper West Side.  I've always wanted to stay in one, and it didn't disappoint.  Very spacious, with three bedrooms, a small kitchen, and an outdoor space.  I have no idea why I didn't take pictures inside.  Serious blogger fail.


The Brownstone was only blocks from Central Park, and every morning I took a walk around the neighborhood.  There were always tons of tourists visiting the John Lennon memorial.


We were also within walking distance to Lincoln Center, the home of New York Fashion Week since 2010 (this year the event will be in a new location, since the NY Supreme Court ruled that having shows at Lincoln Center violated its use as a public park).  The evening I left, the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) awards were held there.  How fun would it have been to walk down and watch the red carpet arrivals?  I might have met Kimye!


We spent Saturday exploring Central Park.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, and it seemed the entire city was out on the grand lawn.


That evening we headed to Queens for a rooftop BBQ.  I told our Uber driver, "take me to Queens, at once", and looked everywhere for Prince Akeem, but I guess he was busy back in Zamunda.  

The views of the city were phenomenal.

On our final day, we visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, and had brunch in Tribeca.  Juliette Lewis was seated at the table next to us.  She's so teeny tiny in person, and we really only recognized her because of her voice.


The 9/11 Memorial Museum, which opened in 2014, is so beautifully done, and I will be writing a separate post about it soon.


It was a wonderful long weekend with the girls in New York City.  We talked and laughed, ate delicious food, and stayed up late every night.  I got to see a side of the city that I hadn't experienced on my previous trip, and the memories will last a lifetime.

29 comments:

  1. I've only been to NY for work and never had a chance to explore much. What a great trip! Your photos are amazing!

    Jill
    Doused In Pink

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    1. You should definitely go back for fun - SO much to do!

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  2. I love New York! Glad you had a great time!

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  3. that's probably the closest I'll ever get to New York - glad you had such a fabulous time :)

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    1. You never know Leanne, maybe you'll visit there someday!

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  4. What a wonderful trip! I took my mom to New York as a surprise birthday present a few years ago. Loved it! Love your pictures and love that you had a fantastic time with a great group of ladies!!!

    livingoncloudandreanine.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you Andrea. I would love to take my mom to New York one of these days - if I could talk her into it!

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  5. so nice to see your photos from this trip!

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  6. Love your trip pictures! I've never been to NYC. My husband grew up about 20 mins outside of the city!

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  7. LOVE this post and your photos. I lived for years on West 88th Street, near-ish to where you were staying. It makes me a little homesick to see your photo of a brownstone! xx

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    1. How wonderful to be able to live there. I would love to have an apartment and visit for a few weeks during each season.

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  8. Love your photos. I want to go back to NYC soon.

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  9. What a great trip! And 400 sq feet for two bedrooms...yikes! That's small! But how fun to stay in a brownstone, I've always wanted to do that too.

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    1. Their place is so small, and so expensive, I don't know how they do it.

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  10. Wow Lana, I wished I had known you were in NYC last month! Next time you come to the city I would love to meet you! It looks like you had a fabulous time & I love your photos. Thanks for sharing and take care.
    Julie xo

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    1. Julie, I didn't realize that's where you were. Coffee would have been fun!

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  11. It's a different world, isn't it? I used to live in NJ so NYC was my city.
    Now I so favor the quieter (and cheaper) life, but it's nice to get to a big city every now and then.

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    1. I'm definitely not a big city girl in general, but I love to visit there!

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  12. I am so happy to see your pictures! My daughter and I visited NYC this summer too! It is a fabulous city! Susan

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    1. I remember seeing your pictures on IG - I think you were there just after I was!

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  13. This seems like such a wonderful relaxed stay! Often when I visit NY it is all "rush rush rush". This sounds wonderfully laid back.

    We have also rubbed shoulders with quite a few famous people there, once in Soho with Nichole Kidman and Naomi Watts in a lingerie shop. They were both super thin and Nichole was VERY tall.

    bisous
    Suzanne

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    1. This was definitely a laid back trip - which was hard for me, but I still enjoyed myself. I'm pretty sure people in Hollywood only eat mints and water :)!

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  14. So glad you had so much fun on your trip, Lana. I love the photo of the John Lennon Memorial - and the one of you and your sister! I haven't seen the 9/11 Memorial Museum - but I imagine it evokes a lot of emotion in everyone who visits it.

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  15. Hi Lana! I'm so behind but am working on getting caught up today and this weekend. I'll tell you all about my month of chaos in an email when you get back. Now you girls no how to do New York! It looks like an amazing trip. You've been everywhere but the Southeast! No fear!

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