As I mentioned in last week’s post, I took a trip to NYC as a belated celebration of my 21st birthday. We were there for five days in total and I had such an amazing time! I got to stay in a gorgeous hotel, shop in some of my favorite New York department stores, meet up with some New-York-based friends and family, and try out fun new restaurants throughout the city.
This was my third trip to New York and it was probably my favorite so far! Here’s my recap of day one and day two of the trip.
Wednesday, May 18th, 2016
We flew into LaGuardia on Wednesday in the late morning and checked into our hotel, the Waldorf Astoria Towers. We got there a little before check in, so we dropped off our bags and grabbed some coffee and a quick lunch before doing some shopping at places like Saks Fifth Avenue.
At Saks, they had a special event going on and these white flowers were hung from the ceiling throughout the beauty department. It was like walking through a fairytale!
After we were done with shopping, we went by Rockefeller center to Rock Center Cafe and grabbed drinks and chips and guac outside before it started to rain. I finally got my own touristy shot of the iconic Prometheus sculpture in the plaza, so that was something new to check off of my NYC bucket list.
Since it had started to rain and our room was ready for us, we headed back to our hotel. I can honestly say that this hotel stay was one of the very best that I’ve ever had. They knew that we were there for a belated birthday celebration and when we got to our room, they had left me a handwritten birthday card and some of their signature red velvet cupcakes. Throughout the entire trip the staff was incredibly friendly and attentive and the hotel itself was gorgeous!
I finished off the evening by getting settled, unpacking and watching some TV before turning in for the night.
Thursday, May 19th, 2016
Day two started out with breakfast at the hotel and then we headed to Soho! We stopped at the Alex and Ani boutique and I almost bought these adorable otter bangles (they’re on my wish list now.) We also went to Bite Beauty’s Lip Lab and I was able to design and purchase my own shade of lipstick! I plan on doing a more detailed post on that whole experience some time soon, so stay tuned for that.
Our next stop was to the Kate Spade home pop-up shop on Broadway. The entire place was decorated perfectly to the Kate Spade esthetic and I would’ve been totally down to move in and make myself at home.
After wrapping up in Soho, we headed back to the hotel for dinner and to get ready to go see Misty Copeland with ABT!
After shooting some “outfit of the day” photos in one of my favorite parts of the hotel, we headed to dinner at Bull and Bear. They started us off with a round of complementary champagne for my birthday and some absolutely remarkable buttermilk biscuits. I liked the biscuits so much that I ended up having two!!! I also ordered a chicken Caesar salad, which was wonderful, and from there we headed to Lincoln Center!
ABT was absolutely amazing! The show was a total of three parts with the final being Firebird. Misty Copeland starred as the Firebird and she was incredible. This definitely wasn’t my first time attending the ballet, but I can honestly say that Misty is one of the most talented dancers I’ve ever seen. She dances with so much passion and you can really tell she loves what she’s doing.
We took a cab back to the hotel again after the ballet was over and stopped briefly into Sir Harry’s. Before heading back upstairs, I took some more photos of the hotel’s main lobby after it had cleared out a bit.
Throughout my visit, it was interesting to see how the vibe of the Waldorf varied based on the time of day and what day of the week it was. During the weekdays, the Park Lobby would be bustling with businessmen in suits and the carpeted lobby would be scattered with tourists checking out the shops and restaurants.
When evening rolled around, the vibe would change and become a bit classier and more like a cocktail party out of the pages of Town and Country. You’d find both guests and New Yorkers throughout the hotel, drinking in the lounges and bars, in evening or black tie attire while socializing with friends and making some new ones. I had the pleasure of meeting some interesting individuals on evenings like these.
Both day one and day two of my trip were packed to the brim with activities and fun experiences. I’m happy that I get to share them with all of you through posts like these. Be sure to check back soon for more blog posts and photos from the trip!
