New York City Mini Break- Day 3 and Final

[SBETigg]

Husband and I missed the city and wanted a romantic escape. We used his Marriott points (accumulated from far too much business travel) and checked into the Carlton (on Madison and 28th) for a four day weekend.

May 17-20. Sherri and Sean, romantic weekend in Manhattan.

Day 3:
We slept quite late, had a leisurely morning, and headed out in time for lunch. We ended up at Heartland Brewery at the base of the Empire State Building. There are several Heartland Brewery spots around the city, and they are usually good for a reliable drink or snack, casual pub food type fare. Afterwards, we headed to the New York Public Library. They were featuring an exhibit I wanted to see: Shelley's Ghost. Plus, it was a good chance to go in and get a look at the gorgeous library interior.

I'm a little obsessed with the history of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (author of Frankenstein). The exhibit was small, but did not disappoint.

We ended up with more time on our hands than expected, so we walked some more, enjoyed some time in Bryant Park and exploring more of the city on foot as we slowly meandered further away from and eventually back to our hotel.

After an afternoon rest, we found a fun sports bar and settled in to watch the Preakness (very exciting race, and now we have a Triple Crown possibility in I'll Have Another). For dinner, we knew we wanted to explore Chelsea and decided to walk again instead of hailing a cab since we were enjoying seeing so much of the city this trip. Our meal was at Gascogne, and it was incredible. The atmosphere, the service, the food, all wonderful. We ate in their garden, very romantic. I had the escargot and a lobster risotto, which was very good, but my husband ordered the cassoulet and that was beyond amazing. I didn't want the evening to end, so we also got dessert (chocolate lava cake with pistachio ice cream) and sampled some armagnac. Then waddled back to our hotel- walking, again, which actually felt good after all that food.

Day Four: Sunday, our departure day, but we were not in a rush to leave. We checked our bags after we checked out and headed over to Park Avenue/Gramercy to find a brunch place. We ended up at Barbounia, a pretty little spot with Middle-Eastern flair that turned out to be another good choice. After brunch, we got our bags and headed toward Grand Central up Fifth Avenue (to pick up some souvenirs for the grown-up kids at home on our way out).

What made this trip for us was that we planned to enjoy the city at a leisurely pace, walk a lot, and be willing to try new things. We usually spend more time in Times Square, and we really loved being out of that hustle for this trip (though Times Square is really fun, too, and I love seeing shows- just not this time).

[Tink#64]

Absolutely awesome! I've truly enjoyed reading your trip reports! It sounds like you had a most magical & romantic trip! We are headed to NYC in about 3 weeks, our trip will be very different as we've never been & will be hitting all the common tourist spots with our teen DS's!

You make it sound so easy to roam around and explore, I can clearly see your experience with the city! Thanks for sharing your lovely trip with us!

[SBETigg]

Shari, the tourist spots are still fun for me even though I do know the city a little better by now. You're going to have a great time. When you first arrive, even crossing the street is an experience. You stay at the crosswalk and wait for the walk sign to appear and marvel at all the natives just bravely darting right off the curb when it clearly says not to walk. Then, by the end of your stay, you're walking ahead of the signals like a regular New Yorker.

[Kenny1113]

I agree I have enjoyed reading as well! I love NYC and your trip reports take me back to my Aug trip. I definitely enjoyed the non touristy areas more ,but of course you have to do them a least once in you're life, DH had never been before. My kids are dieng to go, and I'm dying to take them. Trying to see if it will work out to take a day (or two ) trip over while we are in DC.

[Nini]

I love how you just wander the city. I always want to do this, but my husband always ends up planning other things. One of these days ...

It sounds like eating at Gascogne was quite an experience. A hidden gem in the big city!

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip and thanks for the reports!

Denise