This past weekend I took a long weekend trip with my daughters. I love vacationing with them even if it is just a weekend trip. We did a lot of that when they were little. As a single mom I didn’t always have money for a big summer European trip or spring breaks in the Caribbean but we always took weekend trips and did fun local staycation type things during their time out of school. Now that they have grown up and I do get to spend some spring breaks in the Caribbean, we still try to continue the tradition of quick fun filled weekends at least once a year.

Here are a few fab things I did in the Big Apple (does anyone still call it that?)

Rode a train-We took the Amtrack from Virginia to New York. I had never taken an actual train before but I have ridden metros and subways. This was a pretty cool way to travel though.  It was similar to a plane ride but without the TSA hassle and you could still use your cell phone if you needed too. I felt like Harry headed to Hogwarts. Landing smack dab in NYC after emerging from Penn Station was a little magical. We definitely weren’t in Kansas anymore. There is a level of intensity and electricity  in the air of NYC that I don’t believe is duplicated anywhere else in the US.

Hailed a cab-okay this might sound like a really small thing. I have summoned up my fair share of Ubers using my app but actually sticking my hand out there halfway off the curb to stop a speeding cab was something I had only imagined while watching my Sex and the City sisters do it. I must say it felt pretty close to what I would imagine having a superpower would feel like. Being able to stop a speeding bullet aka yellow cab was pretty cool.

Ate brunch outdoors-we stayed in the upper east side which might sound a little more high brow than it actually was. The hotel was certainly nice enough but what I really liked about it was that I didn’t feel like a tourist. We were in a more residential section of the city with lots of apartments, eateries and small shops. I felt like a Real New Yorker sitting out on the terrace sipping my Bloody Mary and eating my avocado toast.

Bought a cool T-Shirt-I think pretty much everyplace I visit I end up with the obligatory tourist t-shirt which usually makes its way to my workout clothing drawer, but this one is pretty chic. I resisted the typical tourist I LOVE NEW YORK shirt and went for a white graphic tee with Less Monday More Friday in black lettering. It’s now my second favorite next to my Workin for a Birkin tee.

Saw my first real live Birkin– speaking of working for Birkins I would have to put in quite a bit of work to snag the vintage Birkin I saw in Soho. We visited What Goes Around Comes Around consignment boutique.  There I saw the holy grail of handbags in a show case retailing for a mere $221, 000.00. Please make sure you catch the sarcasm in that last sentence. I am not even sure how much money you would need to make in order for that to be a reasonable purchase but after seeing the price tag on that one, I need a to swap out my Workin for a Birkin T-shirt for one that says Workin for Retirement.

Ate at a real pizza place-Okay, I have always wanted to eat pizza in NY from a place where locals actually get their pizza. I love pizza but because of my plant based diet I have pretty much given up eating it on a regular basis in an effort to cut back on dairy. But hey, I was in New York and couldn’t pass up a slice of the good stuff in the city that makes it like no one else. This pizza place wasn’t touristy, it was real, with locals including construction workers with heavy accents, who as they talked amongst themselves were fluent in the kind of french you ask people to excuse. They did however have excellent manners when it came to trying to maneuver around our table and they called me Miss instead of ma’am.  Classic!

We had such a great time exploring New York together. We also saw a Broadway show-no it wasn’t Hamilton, as I really don’t have magical powers.

We ate at Tao-An Asian Fusion restaurant I had been wanting to visit since I missed out on eating at this hot spot during my Las Vegas trip-It was good but not as great as the Ramen I ate at much less fancy  place in the broadway district. The best part was the massive Buddha. Check out how tiny the people are in the picture below.

I managed to haggle with a street vendor-my daughter says I didn’t do a good job at this, but I did talk him down just a smidge.

I had the best vegan ice cream at Amarino and it was shaped like a flower.

We also visited the Metropolitan museum of Art, the financial district and Central Park.

This was my second New York trip. I think most my New York dreams came true and I can’t wait to return next time as a more seasoned visitor.

I’d love to hear about some of your favorite things to do in NYC!

Until Next Post,