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