Lady Gaga, Eataly, Little Italy and More!

My cousin Jenn and I are always up for different things, but we didn't expect one of those aspects to be our bathroom in the hotel we were staying over the holiday break. We scored a great deal on a room at the Hudson Hotel on W. 58th St. and overall, it was quite unique. As written in my previous post, the Hudson is one of New York's finest boutique hotels - I absolutely loved the foyer and the lobby, the ivy vines along the walls and the ceiling, the fancy chandelier, the Library bar and pool room, which were reminiscent of an old school lounge and so much more.
I thought the hotel was one-of-a-kind, even when it came to our room. The only thing that kind of shocked us was the window in the shower looking out into the bedroom with only a sheer curtain separating the two. Although strange, it made for some laughs (we made a quick video showcasing the room). I stood in the bedroom area waving while Jenn was in the bathroom filming me - it definitely helped us become creative in covering up the space.  
After checking out on Thursday and dropping off our bag to my friend's office, we headed to Barneys to see what Gaga's Holiday Workshop had to offer. We both love Lady Gaga (I went to see her when she came to Philly last year - great concert!) and couldn't wait to see what they had to offer. The architecture within the space was all gaga with her fabulous flare and extremely detailed in every way. 

 The entrance to Barneys New York

 I was gaga over Gaga's Workshop!

After leaving Gaga's workshop with a few purchases, we met Jenn's friend Sarah and headed down to Eataly, 200 Fifth Avenue, for a late lunch. Although significantly larger and most likely more congested, Eataly reminded me of Philly's Reading Terminal Market. With several different sections, if memory serves me correct, we decided on La Pizza  and La Pasta. I enjoyed an antipasto while Jenn and Sarah savored delicious pasta.

Walking off our Italian delights, we stopped at some shops - Kate Spade included - while heading downtown toward NYU - where Sarah works - to be closer to the 9/11 Memorial. Jenn and I registered for visitor passes to the national memorial in November when we decided to visit the Big Apple. With early evening passes, we decided to head downtown a little early to visit the preview site, which I had the opportunity to see when coming up for San Gennaro back in September. The memorial itself was breathtaking and amazing. In writing this, I thought of several ways to describe the experience, yet, none of those words or descriptions seem to aptly convey the site and its meaning.

Finally, we headed to Little Italy to meet my friend, Chris, who so kindly held our bag for the day and grab some grub! I think Italian was definitely a theme on this short-lived, but action packed trip. A subway ride and over to Cafe Napoli, 191 Hester St. A second visit for me (in a span of seven years!), the food was just as good as I remembered. We had a seat by the window - perfect for people watching - and enjoyed some wine and conversation. Jenn and I both ordered gnocchi albeit prepared differently - mine was with pesto and her dish was prepared with tomato sauce while Chris ordered calamari fra diavlo over linguini. Everything was yummy! 

We decided to skip dessert at the cafe and head over to Rice to Riches a few blocks away instead. The specialty shop was absolutely delish - we ordered an epic, which was more than enough for the three of us to share! I would recommend Rice to Riches anyday and tell you to "Eat Now, Think Later!"

Our short NY trip was over just as quickly as it began. That night, we headed back to Penn Station and took a picture of Macy's "Believe" on the way! 

Goodbye 2011...in just a few days, a new year will walk right in....hello and welcome 2012!

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Holidays in the Big Apple

Most people who know me, know I love New York! Although I am and will always be a Philly girl, there is something about New York that had me at hello. I probably sound redundant, but I just can't help it. So, when my cousin and I both were off from work between Christmas and New Year's, we decided to plan a short trip up north. At first, we were going to see a show and then we decided to just relax for a couple days and take in the city and all that it has to offer (for the most part). After getting stuck in some train traffic, there were a ton of people at the Hamilton train station, we made our way into the city and north to Columbus Circle to check in at our hotel - Hudson New York. The hotel's lobby was amazing and the photos just don't do it justice.

After checking in, and since we were staying so close to Central Park, we decided to walk around before heading back to get ready for our dinner reservations. Although it's been four years since I finished graduate school - right there at Columbus Circle - it felt like just yesterday I walked through the Park on a daily basis. And, I can remember the first time I was taken to the ice skating rink in Central Park back in 2004 - such a long time ago - and I didn't even realize there was a rink in the park back then. Everyone looked like they were having so much fun and we stopped for some pictures. 

Driprock Arch 

For some reason, I think because it was the setting of some part of a movie, and I wanted to take a picture in front of this bridge. 

As any girl(s) would do, we then went to The Plaza. I have never been before and it was decorated so beautifully for the holiday. 

And, while we were at The Plaza, we came across Eloise and her tree - actually we heard someone mention it while we were at the train station and thought it would be something to see. I think my niece would have loved it a handful of years ago and maybe even now since she, like me, loves New York!

That night, Jenn and I were excited to hit up Mario Batali's restuarant, Babbo, 110 Waverly Place, for dinner. We made reservations a month in advance and almost thought we weren't going to make it on time because of rush hour traffic, but our cab driver was great - he floored it - and the meal was definitely worth the trip. I enjoyed some "Brasato al Barolo" with porcini mushrooms - an odd choice for me, but Philly's Fitzwater Cafe's brasato won me over last winter - and Jenn chose Chianti Stained Pappardelle with Wild Boar Ragu - yum!

 Both were amazing and after dinner, we headed to Amity Hall for a couple of drinks with a friend and then headed back to "the library" - a bar and pool room at our hotel.

Until tomorrow...

October through December

So, I definitely have been MIA over the last few months on posting and really keeping up with my blog in general. I never even posted photos or information about my Clearwater trip way back in March and the time has just flown by since then. Although I did relay parts of my summer New York trips, I left out my short lived visit to DC, the National Monument and Madame Tussauds wax museum - my first visit.

The last few months have been jam packed with wonderful things - a trip to the Bahamas; visiting New York with my mom, sis-in-law and niece for a Broadway show (we love them!); a venture down to Atlantic City; a few birthdays; a concert; planning two fabulous events (one for La Salle University's Communication Department and one for The Eye Institute); celebrating Thanksgiving Eve with some of my best girlfriends and so much more. Here's a compilation of photos over the last few months and hopefully, I will have some time to compile actual full-fledged posts for each fun event!

La Salle University's Communication Department

Shining Star Event

October 22, 2011

NBC Studios - Bala Cynwyd, PA

John and I - Balloons and all!

Shining Star Honorees 

La Salle University's Communication Department's Alumni Advisory Board

The Eye Institute's

"Looking Out for Kids"

Charity Fundraiser

November 5, 2011

Salus University - Elkins Park, PA

All funds help provide vision services and eyeglasses to underserved children.

Moise Fokou - Event Co-host and Philadelphia Eagle

VIP Reception Set Up

General Reception

Bahamas Trip

November 12-16, 2011

Riu Resort

 Hotel and view from our room 

 

 The beach was the best part about this short-lived trip.

Sports bar in the hotel

Scuba gear...yes, I went on the small dives, but technically I still used the equipment and went diving!

 

Thanksgiving Eve

November 23, 2011

Philadelphia, PA

Me, Meghan, Marlena, Erin and Veronica

Ladder 15, Rumor and Drinker's Pub

Fun times!

(We obviously had an absolute blast!)

 Christmastime in Atlantic City

Tropicana and Providence

November 26, 2011

Marlena, Jenn and I

We wear our sunglasses at night!

New York City

December 3, 2011

Mamma Mia and dinner at Bar Americain
My mom, Diane, Olivia and I



My niece, Olivia, and I

The Rockefeller Center Tree

There were way too many people for my mom and I to get up close and personal - the last time I was in NY around the holidays/for the holiday was 2004 - such a long time ago, but Diane and Liva passed through the crowds to capture a couple of memorable photos (which I stole!=).  

Until the full posts...

"Live, Love, Laugh"

xoxo