Catch up on our NYC adventures here: G&D (and JayZ) in NYC: Day 1
G and I did our NYC vacation on the cheap, using credit card points to pay for our flight and hotel. To get the most out of our points we decided to stay in a cheaper hotel in Chelsea for our first night in NYC and then move to a more expensive hotel in Midtown (closer to all the action) for our second two nights. Although this was our plan for the sake of our budget, I have to say that I really liked splitting up our NYC trip across two different hotels and experiencing two different neighborhoods!
Before leaving Chelsea on the morning of Day 2, there was just one more thing we had to do – hit up Mood!
“Thank you, Mood!”
If you’re not a Project Runway fan this likely means very little to you, but Mood is the spot where the designers run around like mad with budgets, deadlines, swear words and personality disorders.
It’s awesome.
Being in the Fashion District, we had to pay homage. We discovered Mood was in this fantastic old building on W 37th Street, an old-school elevator ride (complete with an elevator operator turning the lever) three floors up and we were there. It was surprisingly quiet, the employees were incredibly nice and helpful and the selection was nothing short of amazing. I planned to buy some fabric to make something for Kate’s bedroom, but I was honestly so overwhelmed by all the amazingness that I couldn’t even land on a pattern or color!
(Now I get it, Project Runway designers. I get it.)
So yeah, I left Mood empty-handed, but I was oh-so-glad I saw it!
(So was G, even if he didn’t say so.)
Next up was our relocation to our hotel in Midtown. For nights 2 and 3 we stayed at the New York Hilton Midtown and were so pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to an Executive Suite in honor of our 10 year anniversary! In addition, we came back to our room at the end of the day to a bottle of champagne and a box of gourmet chocolates – what a wonderful surprise! All this is to say we very much enjoyed our stay and recommend the New York Hilton Midtown for anyone looking for a place to stay in the heart of it all when you’re in NYC. (Thank you again for the recommendation, Caron!)
After checking in, we hit the streets to continue our exploration and had a fantastic lunch at Bareburger – a delicious organic restaurant in West Midtown at W 46th Street. (More on this coming soon!)
After our bellies were filled with (legit) all-natural goodness, we hopped on the Gray Line (we purchased the All Loops plus Midtown Cruise package – loved it!) for a brief ride uptown and felt like true NYC tourists atop that big red double-decker bus!
We rode the Gray Line up to Central Park to take a peek, and then walked down 5th Avenue back toward our hotel, with stops at FAO Schwarz, Tiffany, and lots of window gawking in between!
Our afternoon of Day 2 was spent primarily waiting on David Letterman. (Diva.) We stood in line to claim our tickets, stood in line to hear our instructions, and then went around the corner to The Three Monkeys Bar for a beer before having to come back and stand in line all over again.
After about 2 hours total of standing in (at one point a very cramped and irritating) line, we finally got beyond the lobby of the historic Ed Sullivan Theater and into the show! The show aired Monday night, September 30th. Dave was hilarious, as was his first guest Sean Hayes (who arrived to the stage jumping from the 2nd floor audience level into a giant air bag (not Joan Rivers). It was a funny show, and despite the wait, we really enjoyed it.
After Dave, we returned to our hotel to load up on layers so we’d be warm enough for the Gray Line Twilight Cruise, seeing the Manhattan skyline from the water. I wish I could remember our cruise tour guide’s name because he was wonderful! Of all the things we did and saw in NYC, this was my favorite. Not only was it educational (I loved hearing little fun facts and tidbits about the NYC burrows and historic sites), it was also rather romantic (for most of the tour G and I were the only ones up at the bow) and incredibly beautiful.
NYC Skyline
It was breath-taking.
After our twilight tour we bar-hopped from the pier to beyond our hotel and checked out the nightlife at Times Square for a bit. We also wandered past Rockefeller Plaza and envisioned the ice rink and giant Christmas tree that would soon be there.
Such a beautiful city and such a wonderful day!
Read more about our NYC vacation here:
G&D in NYC: Day 3
Mood is awesome and overwhelming, isn’t it? My daughter and I had a fun couple of days in NYC this summer. I loved reading your trip recap!
Here was our experience at Mood. http://ourlifeinaclick.blogspot.com/2013/07/travel-nyc-with-my-girl.html
Just read your recap, Heather – looks like it was such a fun time! Your hotel was gorgeous. Which one did you stay at? We didn’t make it to Chelsea Market while we were there but now I wish we had!
Sounds like a fantastic NYC day. I have never split up my trip, but I have stayed in several different areas. I might have to try splitting the trip up like that because that sure sounds like fun. You’ll have to return to NYC to see the tree and everything decorated for Christmas. I love NYC during Christmas time (plus my husband and I got engaged on the ice at Rockefeller Center (I was a figure skater and he was a hockey player)
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That would have been so beautiful, Carissa! Maybe next time we’ll make it there for the holidays. What a perfect proposal you had!
I’m SO glad you had a nice stay at my Brother-In-Law’s hotel. I’ll be sure and pass along the compliment. NYC can be crazy. The food is always what keeps things in perspective for me and helps me suffer through the crowds, etc. That and seeing my family. Now that you’ve done the big touristy stuff you’ll have to go back and stay in Chelsea and then explore East Village, the Upper West Side, etc. Grab dinner at Neta (and eat Tuna Collar) and be sure to stop for ice cream at Van Leeuwen.
Great recommendations, as always – thank you, Caron!