Girls Trip to NYC

I just had the best trip to NYC with my bestie. We both love Hamilton and it is the 10 year anniversary, so Leslie Odom is back on Broadway as Aaron Burr. We planned a whole trip around seeing Hamilton and had the best trip. Wanted to share some must dos.

We stayed at Lotte Hotel Palace in NYC. It is built into an old mansion so has some really beautiful elements. It was also in an amazing location - so close to tons of shopping, amazing restaurants, and the theatres. The rooms were old since the tower was built in the 1980s but the rooms were HUGE for an NYC hotel room, so a great option for two introverts who need some space from each other. Disclaimer: I paid for this hotel while I was still collecting my big law paycheck so it is not exactly budget friendly...I had a $55 dirty martini...

Here is a pic of the outside of the hotel featuring your favorite posing millenial bestie:

I do so much traveling alone, this was the first time I had traveled/shared a room with someone in probably 7+ years. We got along so great and it was a fantastic trip. I started my trip the way I start every morning, by pulling a tarot card, and you will see I pulled the best possible card before a girls trip - the three of cups - foreshadowing a great time celebrating with best friends, which we lived up to as much as two introverts who get over stimulated and like to go to sleep early can do. Everyone at the airport thought Bryannah was my wife which I will take as a compliment because as you can see, she is absolutely beautiful so I'd be happy if someone thinks I could pull that ;)

This is the Dreamy Moons Tarot, which was fittingly gifted to me by Bryannah for my bday this year!

When I travel I usually use the michelin guide app to look for restaurants. It's a great way to find spots that are not touristy but instead that usually are loved by locals. As always, it did not disappoint. Here is a brief overview of where we ate, all of which I would recommend:

Fasano: Italian restaurant just a few blocks from our hotel. I find Chicago to be an Italian food desert. We started with the tuna tartare, which was probably the best tuna tartare I have ever had (though follow along more and you will see I say that all the time - its great for every day and everything to be the best ever). It came with straciatella (the inside, gooey part of burrata) which was such a creative flavor and something I've never experienced with tuna tartare - kind of like the italian version of cream cheese. We also split pasta - one red sauce and one cream sauce. We got the short rib risotto and mortadella and proscuitto tortellini. Delicious pairing. They had Charles Heidsieck champagne by the glass, which was much appreciated. I love being able to find a grower producer by the glass and for NYC the prices were reasonable.

53: Modern asian restaurant also near our hotel (53 w 53rd street - clever name...). We started with the yellowtail, and lobster and caviar dumplings for appetizers, then we split two clay pots: the wagyu and black cod. Everything was absolutely delicious and it was the perfect amount of food. The rice in the clay pot gets crispy. Would highly recommend. For the champagne, they had Billecart by the glass, which was slightly better because it was poured from a magnum, but overall I still prefer grower champagne.

Cafe Boulud: this one is a one michelin star French restaurant that we went to for brunch. It reminded me of my absolute favorite spot in Chicago, Obelix. The brunch was such a vibe, the mimosas were amazing, the staff was incredible, and all of the food was so delicious and rich. We ordered the french omelette, croque madame, and steak tartare. As expected, everything was doused in butter and flavor. I highly recommend checking this spot out for an amazing NYC brunch. It was again walkable from our hotel, about 10 blocks away. The madelines were delicious and they also gifted us a delicious chocolate pastry -paris-brest noisette et choclat - which was so decadent.

As far as the tourist-y things we did, we obviously are huge Hamilheads so visiting Trinity Church where Hamilton, Eliza, Angelica, Phillip, and Hercules Mulligan are all buried was super cool. Lo and Behold Trinity Church is right across the street from Printemps, which is this amazing French department store that features a beautiful restaurant, champagne bar in the middle of the makeup room, gorgeous Christmas decorations, and an amazing Champagne by the glass menu featuring one of my favorite producers ever, Jean Marc Seleque. A glass was had along with some tasty bites. They also have a wine shop downstairs that features, yes, more JM Seleque with a great price tag. I had to buy a bottle for us to drink in our hotel!

Multiple people recommended stopping by the Baccarat hotel bar for cocktails. Was absolutely amazing inside. It's such a gorgeous vibe in there with really cool artwork, the lighting is AMAZING (it switches from all pink, to red, to blue lighting, all dimly lit). The bartenders were so nice and non-pretentious, and I highly recommend checking it out.

Before Hamilton, my friend booked this awesome restaurant called the view that is a SPINNING RESTAURANT. We were both kind of expecting it to be cheesy like those old retro spinning restaurants used to be, but we were incredibly blown away. The restuarant was recently redone in February of this year and they clearly did it right. The food was absolutely delicious, unbeatable views, and, as always matters to me, the champagne list was good with some by the glass grower options.

We did a lot but like I mentioned, we are tired girlies. We were home from Baccarat hotel by 9:30 and decided to order room service and watch Christmas movies, and drink the delicious JM Seleque champagne I had bought earlier in the day. Probably a new core memory for me unlocked. It's so nice to have friends that are easy to be around :)