second weekend in July

Let's take a wee break in the NYC posting (only two more to go!) and catch up on modern times.  The weekend that was.  The past few days.  Ready?  Me, too!

On Friday Conrad and I went to Maestro for the first time in far too long.  Travel and such - we always try to reassure them that we still love them.  They have a new seasonal drink, a pina colada/daiquiri concoction that went down a treat. 

Conrad and I shared a few usuals:  guacamole, octopus, chicken mole. 

We made an early night of it and came home to wind down, reading.

Saturday morning I was out the door early and on a good, long walk. 

Conrad joined me for the last mile,

and we made our way to Amara for breakfast and a welcome decaf latte. 

It's always a delight to be back there, and I am already looking ahead to this weekend and a morning meal again.  I had a massage scheduled for later that morning, and Conrad had some errands outside of the condo as well as packing to do (he's in San Antonio for work right now).  I did get some other things done at home myself, but by dinner time, we had headed down to Van's.  That fine gentleman mixed us up some margaritas,

we sat outside sipping them,

and then he cooked us up some very tasty pork steaks. 

We watched an episode of the latest season of Stanley Tucci's Italy show, and then turned in.

Sunday morning I did a short walk early on,

wanting to be back before Conrad left for the airport.  I got him out the door and got Olive for a walk. 

After Van got up, he and I went down to Julienne for a nice little brunch.  That may have been the highlight of the day.  Back at the condo, I finished off my weekend project:  ironing napkins. 

Yep, that's my exciting life.  A dinner by myself of leftovers, some television and reading on my iPad, and like that, the weekend was done.  I miss it already.... 

Thursday in NYC

Sooooo... this one may be mostly a photo-dump kind of post.  Sorry!

I was up before the others once again, and once again it off to the nearby Starbucks to grab a decaf latte to enjoy on our suite's patio. 

Our plan for the morning, once we all got going, was to head up to Rockefeller Plaza and take in the views at the Top of the Rock.  We had originally thought to go up the Empire State Building, but Steven recommended the Top of the Rock so that we could get views that included the Empire State Building.  Sound advice, and a cheaper ticket, so Top of the Rock it was.

So, a photo-dump.  Friends, here are the views from the Top of the Rock. 

And here we are enjoying being there. 

And here are shots of the Plaza. 

And, finally, here is what the walk back to the hotel was like.

Not much narrative, I know.  The views speak for themselves, though.  A beautiful, sunny day, and so much to gawk at.  It wasn't too crowded - busy, but not too crowded.  A nice way to cap the morning.

We got back to the hotel, had a casual lunch outside enjoying some items from Eataly and Whole Foods, read a bit, napped.  A fine and lazy afternoon of it.

Dinner reunited us with Bill and Gene

over in the East Village.  We met at their apartment then walked to a Greek restaurant, Pylos.  I confess, I looked at the restaurant website and didn't think too much of it.  The restaurant, though?  A handsome space, good service, and a pork shank that I wish I could have taken home with me and enjoyed the leftovers from.  So good.

Our evening concluded at the hotel bar.  The special vesper for me,

a regular one for Conrad,

a martini for Van. 

It was a nice enough space,

but it was rather loud despite so few people being there - voices really carried and bounced around the space.

And then to bed.  One more full day in NYC ahead! 

morning walk for the LG

A short post - more NYC to come soon! - and a reminder that the Little Girl is absolutely adorable.  

An easy mile with her this morning, and you can be sure she got a treat when she got home.

Wednesday in NYC

(and also in Connecticut...)

The Wednesday of our NYC trip started late and lazily.  There was a Starbucks run (a block away - here are some photos from the neighbourhood on that short jaunt). 

Then the three of us finally made our way through Madison Square Park,

pausing to admire the dogs and the surroundings, to Eataly.  Shopping for light snacks for the room and a spot of lunch.  Ah, Eataly is fun.  We parked at the little Campari bar

in the centre of everything

and had a cocktail

and something to eat. 

Service was wonky, but we were unbothered.  After lunch, we popped next door to the Eataly wine shop where we browsed, Conrad bought a bottle for the room (that we never did open), and left gobsmacked at the prices of some of the reserve bottles.

The rest of the afternoon, as I recall, was devoted to napping and reading and relaxing.  As it should be!

Late that afternoon we headed to Grand Central Station

and boarded a commuter train up to Stamford. 

In Connecticut.  That's where we met up with Steven - so good to see him. 

It's been a couple of years or more, I think.  Ryan couldn't join us, so the four of us enjoyed catching up over a dinner not too far from the station. 

Steven is just so damn delightful.  I hope it's not so long before we see him again.

After dinner, her dropped us off at the nearby station, and it was two trains back into the city.  Once there, we headed to Wine:30 again.  Marco seemed glad to see us.  We splurged on a nice wine to end the night,

and then came back to the room, took a last look at the city at night,

and then headed off to bed.