My sister, Amanda, and I spent a long weekend in New York City. We are girls who like to eat, and drink, so we planned our trip around restaurants, food trucks, outdoor markets, and bars that we wanted to hit up. In between all of our culinary conquests were a few sights we wanted to see and experience. We were up by 6:30 A.M. and we were in our hotel beds by 10 P.M. In between, we were feeding our bellies with just a taste of what this amazing city had to offer. That’s how we rolled. The photo above sums up our adventures. Below, you’ll find our highlights.
The weekend began with the most delicious brussel sprout and pancetta pizza from Motorino in the East Village. This celebrated pizza is topped with thin slices of garlic, melted buffalo mozzarella, olive oil, thick pieces of pancetta, and brussel sprout leaves. Now, before you turn your nose up at the word brussel sprout, hear me out… this pizza was the most delicious I’ve ever had! Get over your fear of brussel sprouts and try it! It will make you become a brussel sprout believer, I promise you.
After lunch we walked about 20 minutes south to the Tenement Museum. While there we learned about the Moore family, and the hardships they endured while living in here in the late 1800s. This is what I gathered from our guide, Jarell: 1. the stench was awful, 2. the street-peddlers mixed in ammonia to “clean” the spoiled milk, 3. the Irish were treated pretty horribly, and 4. the Moore family had to bury their youngest daughter. Oy.
It was depressing, so we decided to grab a beer before dinner at the Slaughtered Lamb in the West Village. That’s Amanda. She struck this pose every time I took my camera out.
The next morning we took the E train all the way down to the World Trade Center to see the 9/11 Memorial. It truly was beautiful, and utterly heartbreaking. I think what hit me the hardest was listening to Sean Rooney’s voicemail messages to his wife while he was in the South Tower.
I noticed that I started to feel anxious while walking around the museum. It wasn’t until I let myself just cry, that the anxiety began to go away.
This is a terrible segue, but we had the most amazing ice cream afterwards. It’s called the Salty Pimp from Big Gay Ice Cream. This ice cream cone made me happy from its tippy top to its delicious bottom. It’s basically vanilla soft serve ice cream on a wafer cone dipped in chocolate. What makes it so special, you ask? Dulce de leche and sea salt are injected and sprinkled in it’s every nook, including the very bottom of the cone.
Hey look… she’s making that pose again!
I’m a vodka martini drinker and my goal was to have a really good martini or three while I was childless in NYC. We went to a very special bar hidden away in Grand Central Station. It’s called The Campbell Apartment and it is a real gem. The décor, the low lighting, and the jazz transports you back in time to old, elegant New York. And those martinis are damn smooth.
We drank two martinis each and then stumbled across the way to Cipriani Dolci. This restaurant overlooks the hustle and bustle of Grand Central Station.
I don’t remember the meal. I’m sure it was good. I was a tad bit… drunk. I do remember the dessert though. It was a vanilla cake topped with a delicious Italian meringue. The cake was moist and light and the meringue was sweet and billowy. It sobered me up in the best way.
Uh oh. Your famous pose is getting sloppier, Amanda.
When the weekend was finally coming to an end, we took our last selfie high up on a roof top bar over looking beautiful Central Park. The martinis we were drinking were horrible and way over priced. But the view, like the weekend itself, was spectacular.
