After our month in DC, we decided to spend a week in NJ/NY to see friends. We originally had planned on going straight to NY from DC but we had to go back to TX for a couple of days to attend Ginny's (Peter's mom) Celebration of Life.
New Jersey
We arrived in Newark on Sunday mid-day - Tom picked us up at the airport and then we had lunch at Coniglio's in Morristown, sharing a pizza and salad among the three of us. Kim was working at a track meet so we stopped by to see her and Riley. We then went back to their house and had some wine before going out to dinner at Huntley Taverne where we shared a great salad and fish dish. We stayed the night and then Riley dropped us off at the train staton the next morning to catch the train into the city.
New York
We spent the next six nights at Mark and Alicia's apartment. While in NY, we did the following activities::
Central Park - We walked around Central Park, checking out the newly renovated Conservatory Gardens which had beautiful tulips and the newly constructed Davis Center in Harlem which will operate a pool in the summer and ice skating rink in the winer. The park was heaving with people - more than what we would have expected for a Monday.
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| Walking around Central Park |
Good Night and Good Luck - We went to the matinee performance of this play with George Clooney. The play was a little show at parts but overall very good and funny.
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| Good Night and Good Luck |
9/11 Museum - We spent a little over two hours here and wish we had more time - we could have easily spent three hours. The museum is very well done - excellent exhibits and cool how they did the layout. The museum is underground surrounding the original footprint of the towers - you could see the original spots where the columns were. We would definitely go back to do it again.
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| 9/11 Fountain Memorial with World Financial |
Hell's Kitchen - We went to this Broadway musical that is based on Alicia Keys early life and includes all songs from her. The music and dance was spectacular!
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| Hell's Kitchen |
And ate/drank at the following places:
Lava Shawarma - Had lunch here - we each got a beef and lamb shawarma - Keith had his in a pita and Shawna had hers in a wrap that they crisped under the grill. Very tasty.
Buceo 95 - We met up with Helen and her husband, David, for dinner at this tapas restaurant on the Upper West side. We shared several dishes for the table - all good. We then went back to their apartment to meet their kids.
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| Dinner with Helen and David |
Masa - We had lunch at this three Michelin Star Japanese restaurant. We sat at the counter and the decor was minimalist. We were not allowed to take photos. The wine pairing was excellent. Every course except the first and last was nigiri, which Shawna had not had before, and it was made by hand in front of us. We enjoyed every piece except for the sea urchin. Overall, it was very good but probably not worth the money.
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| Masa |
Chez Mark/Alicia - We had dinner at Mark and Alicia's place. We started out with Aperol spritzes out on the 3rd floor outdoor space. Then we had a couple of bottles of wine. Mark made a very yummy salad and chicken parm.
Fushimi - We had dinner at this Japanese restaurant before our Broadway show. We shared a few appetizers - all very tasty. The restaurant was a bit of a scene but not bad for a pre-Broadway place.
Baccarat Hotel Bar - We met Rak (who was in town for work) and Mark here for a drink. The drink prices were outrageous but was nice to see Rak for a bit.
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| Drinks with Rak and Mark |
Black Iron Burger - We met Guy for lunch here in the Theater District - Mark joined us. We each got a burger - very good.
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| Lunch with Guy and Mark |
Chez John/Edi - We drove out to NJ to have dinner at John and Edi's House. Mark and Alicia also joined us. They ordered in Mediterranean which was really good so we had that for dinner with a few bottles of wine. It was great to meet Edie and their two girls.
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| Dinner with John/Edie and Mark/Alicia |
Bar Hugo Rooftop - We had drinks at this rooftop bar in Soho with Mark/Alicia and Kim/Tom and Kaley prior to dinner. The place was packed. We lucked out with some nice weather - views were nice. Service took a while but drinks were good.
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| Night out with Kim/Tom and Mark/Alicia |
Altro Paradiso - We had dinner at this Italian restaurant in Soho with Mark/Alicia and Kim/Tom - cute place and pretty good food. We shared a few pastas and appetizers for the table and then the two of us shared a pork chop.
Cork Wine Bar - After dinner, we had one more drink here - we shared a bottle of bubbly among the six of us (Mark/Alicia, Kim/Tom).
