Two days and a morning Cafe Gitane breakfast before heading to the airport in New York just isn’t enough… but I’ll take a quickie any day! Plus, this was the first time we were back in New York together as a couple in over two and a half years (for some reason our work trips just haven’t coincided). Regardless, we were excited to be able to swing any kind of East Coast hang sans Rex for a few days thanks to awesome grandparents! Straight off the plane we tossed our bags in our hotel room and went out for a night walk. (Side Note: Maybe we’re getting old, but flying during the day is way better than a red-eye. It was so nice to arrive at a normal hour and not feel like a zombie.) Back to our night walk! Hands down my favorite way to spend any night in New York!… taking in the familiar buzz and energy of the city. The people watching! And those late night crowds out to dinner… at the same restaurants that were popular years ago. Walking around in the evenings, reminiscing, it felt like nothing had changed. New York is great like that. Although so much has changed, so much still feels comfortingly the same. Oh and, of course we had to get a late night slice of pizza before heading in for the night.
For some reason I always feel the need to stop by our old apartment, so our first morning back we walked from our hotel in Soho, hand in hand as if we’d never left, straight to our old walk-up on Carmine Street. It always makes me a little sad to see the streets in the West Village turn over with new restaurants and shops. I wish time would stand still, same friendly barista faces and all. But of course such is life and new changes are exciting to see as well. One aspect that made me sad this trip was how empty Bleecker Street is these days. So many boutiques and shop stores are now vacant which is such a bummer.
Additional highlights from this trip also included cozying up at one of our old go-to’s Smith & Mills for afternoon happy hour, and dinner at Beatrice Inn where we dined on the best duck we’ve ever had! Was so New York-romantic, we just love that spot! I hosted a happy hour with Blue Diamond Almonds (more on that to come) and we spent a day exploring Cobble Hill, an area of Brooklyn I hadn’t spent much time in previously.
I pretty much always stay at The Ludlow Hotel whenever I go back to NYC now, but it was all booked so we played another nostalgia card and stayed at the Soho Grand. The first hotel we ever stayed in New York together (before we moved into Manhattan).
So happy to be back!
Note: These Rachel Comey mules (on sale!) are still not cheap but have been my favorite investment this spring! I love the low heel, they’re crazy comfy (I walked miles in them in New York), and add just the hint of color to my typically all-neutral looks.
In true California girl style the only items I bought on this trip were all from California designers. Go figure. Stopped into the new Jenni Kayne in Tribeca for a peek, and it’s such a pretty space! Their pre-fall collection is looking good (shown here).
Another spot that I made sure to pop into this trip: Roman and Williams Guild–a must! I left so inspired by this space–part store, Parisian café and bakery, and flower shop. So incredibly curated, and beautiful. It’s definitely pricey but go for the gorgeous decor inspiration.
