Saturday, June 9, 2012

TGIF...

I was lucky enough to have my parents finally come visit me out here this past weekend. It was a trip almost two years coming - and I can't express how excited I was to show them around my New York and see them for the first time since Christmas.

We had a great weekend - a perfect balance of their uptown, upscale Manhattan of past visits, and my downtown day-to-day life. All the things we did piece together like a pretty great guide to wining and dining with a dash of culture and shopping from Soho to the Upper East Side:


{We dined.}
  • Gotham Grill: White table clothes, amazing seafood and a very 90s New York vibe, like Gramercy Tavern and totally delicious (the seafood salad is unreal)
  • The Modern: minimalist, fancy and contemporary - just like the museum (amazing duck confit)
  • db Bistro Moderne: fancy and delicious
  • The Standard Grill: great spot for an early breakfast al fresco
  • Public: trendy, brunch-y, delicious lentil salad and great drinks
  • La Piscine: on the roof of Hotel Americano; lots of delicious fried seafood with a side of DJ
  • Brasserie Julienne: cute little french joint on 2nd Ave in the 80s, live jazz with your moules frites
  • Morandi: loud, busy and seriously great Italian fare on Waverly and 7th Ave

{We drank.}
  • La Piscine: Before dinner every night we had cocktails on the roof with an amazing view of the city
  • Kingswood: After dinner at db, I brought my parents to meet up with friends and see one of my favorite West Village bars
  • Public: a dirty martini for Mom, a bourbon iced tea for me and the Bloody Maria for Dad

{We saw.}

  • The MoMA:the Cindy Sherman exhibit was cool and creepy, but the permanent exhibits are always refreshing and unmissable
  • The East River Ferry: A fun and unique way to get between Manhattan and Brooklyn - especially on a warm day; we took it to and from 34th street to the flea market 
  • Brooklyn Flea (Williamsburg): people watching, antique-ing and artisianal everything - of course
  • The Met: My favorite museum in Manhattan, and the Steins Collection and Shiaparelli and Prada exhibit were crowded but truly wonderful (unfortunately the Cloud City exhibit on the roof was closed for weather)
{We shopped.}
  • Uniqlo @ 53rd & 5th: picked up 4 shirts for my dad, but the crazy atmosphere and sheer amount of clothes is a little too much
  • Treasure & Bond: cool, well-curated jewelry, gifts and apparel on lower West Broadway in Soho
  • MoMA Design Store: so many unique and useful knick-knacks, and perfectly sized art prints for $10

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