A Fabulous Weekend

Issa and I had an absolutely fabulous weekend in NYC. It was bittersweet to see so much open and yet so much still closed. The city is hurting, but it felt really good to be there again and to share it with a much older Issa. 

Our adventure started Saturday morning:

We were one of the last flights to make it out before the snow started in NC! It was not the smoothest flight, and the gentleman near us with the egg sandwich didn't help. By the time we made it to NYC Issa was pretty queasy, but we sat in the airport and grabbed a snack before hailing a taxi. Unfortunately, Issa was not as solid as she thought she was and got carsick. Fortunately, we had an amazing cabby who was also a dad. He was so kind and traveled with paper towels. It's almost funny now.

We check into our super cute hotel: Row. It was right at 8th and 44th, so the location was perfect, and the room was cozy:

The hallways all had fun murals of the city:

We had big plans to just have lunch at the restaurant hotel or food court, but they have had to close it because of Covid. We went back up to the room to try to scout some other lunch options. We made a short list and ventured out, only to find them all closed. (We quickly learned not to trust websites. The situation is constantly changing up there, so hours and openings are in flux all the time.) We got a little turned around, and accidentally found Times Square and the Olive Garden there:

While it wasn't the local spot we had hoped for, it was food and we were starving at nearly 4:00. It was fun to sit and watch Times Square, and it gave us everything we needed for a first round of shopping!

We shopped Forever 21 and American Eagle before we ended up in the largest Sephora:

We had a blast and hit some great sales before taking in Times Square at night:

It was wild to see it so empty, but it has the same energy. We ended up going to a Whole Foods for dinner snacks and breakfast provisions before settling into the room for face masks:

Sunday morning we got up and explored Rockefeller Center:

We had brunch at Ellen's Stardust Diner:

And Issa learned she likes avocado toast! The talent at the Diner is incredible, and we had a blast!

From brunch we went to FAO Schwarz where we made Six inspired teddy bears:

Then it was the main event:

The theatre for Six is incredible:

And we had incredible seats:

The show itself was even better than I imagined, and Issa loved it! 

We went back to our room to change before hitting the big Macy's:

We had so much fun shopping for new outfits to wear to the next day's tea, and there were some awesome sales!

We ended day two at an Italian restaurant that is 100% gluten-free:

They actually have restaurants in Florence and Rome, too, and the waiter and I bonded. I had the risotto of the day:

Issa had the cacio e pepe:

The whole meal was incredible, and as we were eating it started to snow. It truly was perfection.

Our final day took us to tea at the Plaza:

It was gorgeous and incredible people watching:

We both agreed that you go for the experience--not the food. It was all so heavy! The space is incredible, though, and it was fun to look at many of the displays in the hallway. Issa is also thrilled because the waiter thought she made a far better tea selection than I did; she laughed every time he walked away because of his subtle shade in my direction.

We headed back to the hotel after tea to change. We arranged for a late checkout, which was awesome. We also decided to do Uber Eats to get some salad after all that heavy:

We got everything packed up with just one extra tote, which is a real tribute to our packing skills:

We made it to the airport in time to grab a snack and settle in before the flight home:

The flight itself was awful! We were one of the last out before the storms, and it was incredibly bumpy air. Fortunately, we made it safely and Issa decided she kind of likes turbulence.

Everything we did was phenomenal, but the uninterrupted time with my girl away was such a gift. We laughed so much, and these will be some of the core memories we hold onto forever.