NYC Recap

 Hooray for the upcoming long weekend! 

 Today I wanted to share a recap of our trip to NYC and what we did while we were there.  We had such a fabulous time.  I only wish we could have stayed anther day or two to explore more of the city.  There were so many restaurants and shops we just didn't have time to get to. If you live in Charleston JetBlue is the way to go.  Matt and I had never flown Jet Blue before,  but it was cheap and we loved the extra leg space, personal TVs and free snacks ( side note this trip was not comped or sponsored at all, we just loved JetBlue).

We flew out of Charleston late Thursday afternoon and got to city around 6.  

One of our good friends from college and Matt's best friend from growing up was sweet enough to give us his apartment for the weekend.  He lives right in the Chelsea area, so it was a great location.  This was the view from his balcony.  It slightly terrified me but it was too gorgeous of a view to avoid.  The city was to the left and the Hudson River to the right.

Thursday night we ate at Buddakon which came highly recommended.  It did not disappoint.

Wearing Madewell Dress

The inside was so cool.  You might remeber it from Sex and The City.

We shared several different dishes which was the way to go.  By far our two favorite dishes were the Tuna Tartare and the Edamame Dumplings.  The edamame dumplings were one of the best things I have ever tasted.  I know it seems like they would be bland but they were full of flavor and seriously melted in your mouth.

The next day Matt and I headed out to Long Island to tour the Gigi New York Factory.  Since starting my blog, they have become like family to me so we didn't want to miss an opportunity to see how they make their purses.   The amazing thing is each purse is hand made, it was so inspiring to see how they were assembled.  Stay tuned because I am working on a special project with them!

This is Matt and I with the owner Tom.

 One of my favorite parts was all the rows of different leathers.  See all that leather behind me??  Pure heaven.

In addition to purses Gigi makes all sorts of leather goods.  This book was headed to President Obama- how cool is that??

Watched them assemble my favorite tassel key chains.

After touring Gigi we decided to venture out and explore Long Island since we were already out that way.  Matt really wanted to eat on the water so Tom recommend The Buoy Bar.  The views were gorgeous and the fish tacos were amazing.

After lunch we walked to the beach.

I played total tourist and made Matt take my picture.

Blouse (on major sale 70% off) | Sunglasses | Shorts | Shoes| Tote (on sale)

We headed back to the city and decided to rest before dinner.  

 Took a few balcony pics before dinner

Wearing Joie Dress (on sale)

We stopped and had cocktails at Hells Kitchen before dinner.  

I had a cucumber martini and Matt had a pineapple martini and both were really tasty.

Then dinner was at Beauty and Essex.

While I think this is a fun spot to grab a drink we did not enjoy it for dinner.  We ordered several different items of food and they all were pretty disappointing.  The drinks however were amazing.  We both agreed the Lemon Basil cocktail we had there was our favorite all weekend.  

Added bonus in the ladies bathroom there is a champagne bar so after you pee grab a glass of champs:)

Saturday we got up and walked the High Line.  We loved it, it was not built last time we were in city.  We really enjoyed walking up above the city and all the beautiful greenery. That is Matt in the gray tee, he is such speed walker, I have to basically run to keep up with him:)

We got to Spotted Pig right before 11 and there was already a line.  

We got right in though and loved the atmosphere.  They also had a killer Bloody Mary with fresh horseradish.

The burger and corn soup were perfection.  We also had deviled eggs, eggplant toast, and the Cuban sandwich.  All the food at The Spotted Pig was pure heaven.  I can't say enough great things about this spot.

After lunch we walked around a bit to work off lunch.  Then we headed to the Standard Hotel Beer Garden.  I am so not a beer drinker but decided to try my hand at one.  The beer garden was super cool and I really recommend it.

With our good friend Richard who graciously offered us his condo for the weekend.

Ray Ban Sunglasses | Leopard Blouse (same style different color) | Jean Shorts similar | Initial Necklace | Wolf Tooth Necklace | TB Purse

Next stop Magnolia Bakery.  We devoured our food too fast to snap pics but we had the banana pudding and devils food cupcake with caramel.

I loved the vintage floor inside.

This cross body purse was all I packed for the weekend and it was perfect.  It easily fit in my carry on and worked great for walking around the city.

After all that food we needed some exercise so we headed to Central Park and rented some bikes.  This was so much fun.  We biked all of Central Park and then biked to The Met. 

I still get amazed by these paintings that are composed of all small dots.  Truly incredible art.

After touring the museum we headed to the rooftop bar.  Gorgeous views of the city and delicious drinks and food.  They had my favorite Rose and Matt had a really good lobster roll.

After a quick shower and  outfit change we got ready to head to dinner.

Off Shoulder Dress (back in stock in all sizes)| Initial Necklace

Next stop was dinner at Lure. 

The inside was really cool, it felt like you were inside a ship.

The food at Lure was so good.  If you love seafood and sushi you must check out this spot.  

The tuna tacos and crispy sushi rice were awesome.  I also had the jalapeno sushi roll and peach salad.  Loved every single bite.

After dinner we headed to Estela for a glass of champagne.

Then the Bowery Hotel.  I had heard lots about celebrities hanging out here so I wanted to check it out.  Sadly no celebrity spottings this trip.

Matt and Richard chilling. Their serious face for the Bowery:)

Sunday we slept in because what else do you do when you are kid free??  Then we went to the very top of Richard's apartment building for one last view- why we waited til the last day to do this beats me.  It was stunning.

Tolani Tunic | TB Glasses

New York is such a magical city.  Matt and I both agreed we want to try and make it back once a year.  We were however both excited to see these cute faces and adorn them in the cheesy NYC gear we bought them!

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