Saturday July 30, 2011
Malibu, California
GORGEOUS Weather
I've been so busy at work and at home(getting some remodelling done) so have not had time to write about my 50th birthday weekend with my sister in New York City. It was special. very. Not only because I was able to spend one on one time with my sister but also with my Uncle and his wife before they move to Colombia to retire.
My sister treated me to a couple of nights at the Ritz Carlton in Battery Park and my BFF Nicky was generous to allow us to use her apartment located near Sutton Place for another 2 nites. I had loads of fun! And way too much alcohol. I've had enough alcohol for the next 50 years for sure!
Had way too much of this and WINE!
View from the hotel room: Magnificent!
Since my sister lives in Boulder, she wants to eat good Asian food when she comes to LA and had the same desire when in NYC. So for the first night we went to Megu. A very chi-chi and expensive Japanese place in Tribeca. It's not quite traditional (more like Nobu) but the food was great! And my sister treated me. I had wine (what else is new) with dinner and my sister had cold sake as they had quite an extensive list. And one she tried was 40$ a glass!
We really enjoyed our dinner and it was a great way to begin our long weekend together. After dinner, we walked back where I showed my sister the World Trade site. It has changed since I've been there right after 9/11. It still makes me sad and horrified but am looking forward to see it again after the construction.
Megu's
This was the best appetizer. Rice cracker crusted asparagus.
The next day my Uncle and his wife joined us. We had lunch at Gigino in Wagner's Park. We ate outside even though it was hot as the view of the Statue of Liberty was beautiful After lunch we caught the free shuttle that makes stops to all the key tourist attractions of the Financial district. We got off at South Street Seaport which was a disappointment for my sister and I. Gone is the market, museum, the bookstore and now it's filled with chintzy stores. It was Ruby's first time though and it is the best place to get a view of the Brooklyn Bridge. And Kim was able to find a gift for Jackson - Achmed the Dead Terrorist talking doll!
South Street Seaport
View from South Street Seaport - Old and New
Brooklyn Bridge - The most beautiful bridge in America in my opinion.
We then decided to walk to a couple of the major sites. My favorite is Trinity Church. I believe it is one of the most beautiful churches in America and one of the oldest. It is also where Alexander Hamilton is buried. And they own, I believe, at least 30% of Manhattan's land. One of the most beautiful concerts I've been to was at Trinity Church during Christmas season, where Handel's Messiah was performed by the Trinity Choir.
Trinity Church
The graveyard of Trinity Church.
I then took them to the New York Stock Exchange. I thought we could go in but since 9/11, they have banned tourists from entering the NYSE. It was heavily guarded but still fun to see. Downtown, New York is so historical that you really need one or two days to fully appreciate it and learn the role it played in American history.
We made it back to the hotel in the nick of time as the skies opened up and it started POURING. So we had a drink at the Ritz Carlton bar and after the rain stopped said our goodbyes. It's sad to see my Uncle leave the country but at the same time I'm so excited for him. It's going to be an adventure and I can't wait to visit them!
My sister and I then rested a bit, then took a cab to my new watering hole, the Crosby Hotel where I met my BFF Susan. After a drink, we went to Balthazar for dinner which is always fun. And of course, we had champagne and wine!
The next day, Friday, we checked out of the hotel and Susan was so nice that she picked us up with Tenzing her cute little puppy. We dropped our bags at Nicky's and then I took my sister to go see the Alexander McQueen collection which I blogged about recently. I then had to take a conference call so I went to the office while my sister enjoyed the city on her own. After the conference call, I met up with her at the IBM atrium and we met Susan for some delicious Chinese food which I will blog about. And Susan, brought a bottle of red wine so the drinking continues!
We then walked down 9th avenue which is fun and then my sister and I went back to Nicky's. We were going to have a late night as we had tickets to go see Sleep No More NYC. It was the most unique play I've been to. It is a modern day MacBeth and it's "immersive". The play is located in the McKittrick Hotel in Chelsea which is a hotel that was built just before WWII, was open for only about a week and has been closed until Sleep No More NYC. Basically, your tickets are good for certain check in times. The earliest is 7pm which is what we chose. When you check in, you are not allowed to bring any bags, etc. So the guys were lucky because they had pockets. I had to take my credit card and some cash and stash it in my bra! You then get a card and then are led to the bar. The bar was smoky and had a very 1950s feel to it. Our card was the Ace of Spade. When they call your card, you now are allowed to "enter" the play. But first you must get your mask. You are never allowed to take off your mask. We then got into a very dark elevator and people are escorted off each floor. And many people get separated when this is happening. This is what happened to Kim and I. When I got off, I ended up in a dark cemetery. I then went into a room where a couple was sleeping. They woke up and started "acting". There are no words and the acting is done via dance. So basically, you walk around the hotel (all 4 stories of it) while the play is being enacted fluidly through the hotel. I made the mistake of not following the actors when they left the room. It seems if you did that you will get the whole story. I ended up finding Kim after about an hour and we explored the play together. I was getting hot though with the mask so told her I'll meet her at the bar. An hour later, I finally made it to the bar as I got SO LOST. Kim got their first and was waiting for me for about 30 min. So it was a strange and new experience for us. I recommend it but if you go, remember to follow the actor to get the story.
My sister and I then went to a Japanese place for a late night snack. We then went back to Nicky's where we drank more wine and talked until like 4am!
The next day I WAS HURTING! I slept until noon, took a shower and then took another nap until 4pm! I was well enough though to meet Kim's high school prom date for drinks at the Crosby Hotel where my BFF's son Jordan is a bartender. He surprised me by treating me to my first Birthday Cake! And it was SO GOOD! It was so sweet and thoughtful of Jordan to do this.
We then went to Angelo's in Little Italy for dinner, where we met up with Kim's college friend Tsukasa, Susan and her husband Ray and Steve (Kim's date for high school prom) and his partner Adrian. We had a HUGE but very good dinner. I love Angelo's because the food is good and it is SO NY Italian. We had somewhat of an early night as the plan was to do the Highline in the AM (our last day)
Little Italy
Jordan!
Well, the Highline did not work out as this time Kim was hurting (I did not drink the nite before). So I did some errands in the AM, and then Nicky made it back with the dogs around noon so we chatted a bit as Nicky has never met Kim. We then took off to Blue Water Grill for my birthday brunch with Nicky and my BFFs Bob and Rick. We had a fabulous brunch which started with an AMAZING seafood tower. It was so much fun catching up with Bob, Rick and Nicky. Just like old times when we all hung out at Nicky's place in the Hamptons. And what a great way to end my birthday weekend!
let's join our hands together to stop this kind of wrong doings. It may risk lives in the future if we just let them continue.
Posted by: Belstaff Coats | December 05, 2011 at 03:07 PM