A Holiday Trip in NYC
Daniel and I snuck away for a quick weekend trip for just the two of us! It was so lovely and a blessing in so many ways.
We arrived in NYC via the Acela from Washington, D.C. and it was pretty hassle free. I hadn’t traveled much in nearly two years due to getting sick with Lyme and RMSF so I truly was just going on faith that I would be okay.
I think one of the best things we did was have a rough idea of restaurants/places we wanted to go but we made no specific time itinerary since my health can change so much day-to-day and even hour-to-hour. This left us a ton of flexibility and room for spontaneity and wow, it was an incredible time! I’m so thankful Daniel had been there a bunch recently for business, because he knew some great restaurants I’d adore!
Bar Verde was so much fun and the vegan nachos were out of this world deeeelicious! I was the most stuffed at this restaurant and ironically ate no meat?! Also, the fresh squeezed lime margarita with stainless steel distilled tequila was fabulous as well. The only drawback as far as a date atmosphere is concerned was the noise level inside, however, it was entertaining for people watching and the explosion of flavors!
We arrived Thursday night and 11 Howard really outdid themselves! They were super kind when we checked in and Joe (one of the bellman) wanted to make sure I had wine I’d enjoy (on the house) so we were just expecting a bottle of red to arrive.
Upon arrival in our room, there was ice cold champagne, a raw cacao dark chocolate bar (from a local shop in Brooklyn), fruit, and chocolate covered strawberries waiting. I mean… seriously?! I may have mentioned a little backstory when booking the hotel—that it was our first time in NYC together in fourteen years—but didn’t expect this.
It was the red carpet treatment l and was surprised and excited the staff at 11 Howard made us feel so special! Cecelia, the concierge, even sent me an email with specific organic, paleo, and gluten-friendly restaurants in the area when I inquired after having some trouble researching on Yelp.
We popped the champagne and toasted glasses, changed for a quick dinner and headed down to the Library to get a quick bite to eat. The Library, like most of 11 Howard, was modern and chic, with clean lines and a mid-century feel. It was a neutral palette with soft hues thrown in—including “Millennial Pink” as my husband would say. The hotel was the perfect getaway for us—being south of the epicenter of manhattan where the noise never stops made it feel more manageable given my health concerns.
I am so glad we decided to stay in SOHO upon my friend Taruna’s recommendations. It is a blessing to have friends who used to live in the city! I remind myself… friends and family are better at giving recommendations/reviews then reading something random on the interwebs—there’s just so much noise out there..
The Library was limited with AIP options and the burger we settled for was just ok (we couldn’t eat the bun) but the french fries really stole the show. After traveling for most of the day, you really only need a good bowl of french fries anyway.
By 8 pm I was questioning—with the exhaustion of travel and my health—if I could make it to meet a dear brother in Christ near Rockefeller Center. Naturally, we ordered espresso’s and moved forward.
We took some pictures of our travel experience on the way to his office…
I am so grateful we talked ourselves into keeping the date with our dear brother because he is just like family to us. What a treat to start the trip off with meaningful conversation to ground us before our trip!
Afterwards, we were out in Times Square trying to hail a cab past midnight and finally crawled into bed at nearly 1AM. D and I are not so young and spry anymore so 1AM was a big deal—good friends are worth that sacrifice!
The next day we found a local bagel place, Baz Bagel, to serve us gluten free everything bagels made from scratch and kettle boiled. We ordered the JP Special (vegan cream cheese with ice cold lox) and it was heaven (because heaven clearly is endless bagels and lox).
Bagels and lox was one of Daniel and my favorite breakfasts that we had to give up this year when we committed to eating for healing and not harming.
It was perfection! Loaded with all the goodies—capers, thinly sliced red onion and a thick slice of tomato. As I sit here on the train back to DC writing about it, I just want to go back right now!
After that, my fatigue set in so I rested a bit (I also a burning cough chest cold I brought up with me, which was holding me back a bit as well) and D ventured out to explore (which meant shop)..
In the afternoon I found a La Columbe coffee shop for an espresso with a splash of oatly and like the YELPERS said, the coffee was delicious, but some staff were not so welcoming. Oh well! I figuratively and literally decided to look for the sunshine in the rain—yes, it was pouring the entire day!
By then it was around 2pm and D joined me for coffee. Our stomachs were rumbling so we went across the street to Humble Fish. I love what this company stands for regarding their fish and quality of food—“fresh every day, not frozen and not mixed with fake stuff.”
I was craving a big plate of veggies and clean protein and this establishment did not disappoint! I got the classic bowl filled with fresh kale and spiced poke with citrus vinaigrette. The heat in the spice blend took me by surprise (in a good way). I was still a bit hungry after digging in so the young man at the register was kind enough to give me a side of quinoa for free to add a bit of heartiness to the dish—delicious! My husband got the traditional poke/rice bowl which was salty and sweet and I ate the last couple bites of his.
After fueling up, we went less than 2 blocks to a fancy store that neither of us realized how expensive the dresses were! <insert jaw drop here> Let’s just say I might have had a Cinderella moment trying on some beautifully crafted dresses. The fabrics were divine but the price tags were a bit much to stomach, so in Gods divine providence, they didn’t have the right size of dress I needed.
I still had a ball being in the store—all the pink, sparkles, and amazing fabrics. It was like playing dress up!
That place got me inspired for sparkles! I had been talking to D for a couple months about a Christmas dress I could repurpose for dates beyond the holidays and was waiting for this trip to see if NYC might have something special that Northern Virginia didn’t.
Over the past 1.5 years of suffering I had not gone clothes shopping regularly so it was a treat to enter the SOHO Bloomingdales. The top floor was where all the party/cocktail dresses were and the prices were digestible. I ended up buying the first dress I saw (though I tried on maybe ten or so). You just can’t go wrong with pink and sparkles! Wellllllll maybe you can but I guess there is a reason D has started calling me twinkle toes. Now I have to live up to the namesake.
Getting ready in the hotel room.
In the spirit of spontaneity, D and I discussed going to a special/fancy dinner for our last night in NYC.
I needed a rest as I was feeling lightheaded at Bloomies so D headed back to the hotel at my prompting and I ended up snagging a table in the 3rd floor cafe with a single woman who looked about my age. I splurged (health wise) and got a small coke (I know, I know) and a cooked sushi roll.
The single woman was working on her laptop and we ended up talking quite a bit about motherhood as she was a working mom with a one year old. She had a great perspective and we laughed and I started to tear up talking about my little nugget Brayden and how he’s overcome so many health obstacles thus far in his four short years. It was a sweet and life giving moment where two strangers shared their hearts in a small cafe department store. She left to do a little shopping before home and I was rested enough to walk the two blocks back to 11 Howard.
Saturday morning, D finally got me to Hu Kitchen where I had been dreaming about going in person since Daniel started going on his NYC business trips this Fall. Their motto is “getting back to human” and “no weird ingredients ever.” We had the most delicious grain free paleo bagel sandwiches with foraged crispy bacon and zucchini cheese sauce. I also snagged a side of heated fresh cut pineapple that tasted like it had been sautéed in coconut oil and cinnamon—yummo!
Because I wanted more nutrients, I also snagged a side of fresh cold beet salad. Beets are a superfood powerhouse that helps carry oxygen in the brain that I’ve come to rely on during my sickness and I’m willing to take all the help I can get with this intermittent but intense brain fog! I was fading fast with exhaustion so D and I quickly went through the store to get some goodies we can’t find back home like their special grain free crackers, dark chocolate gems, and DF/GF/SF real dark chocolate bars mixed with vanilla and cashew butter—I’ll take fifty please!
We decided it was best I rest in the room for the remainder of the day as we had a 5:30PM dinner date at AI Fiori. The food was underwhelming and overpriced but it was a special time with my husband that we will absolutely treasure!
Quick picture at the end of the night in the hotel lobby of the restaurant.
At the end of dinner, a manager I met briefly (in the ladies room no less) sent champagne over to our table. We asked to bring it to the bar area as we had been sitting for several hours where we met a sweet Mom and daughter from LA—it was a God ordained meeting. We were all strangers but quickly became united in our discussion of love for Jesus and pressing on in the midst of much suffering. What a thrill to meet other believers who keep fighting the good fight!
The next morning we were up at 6AM to catch the early train from Penn Station to Union Station.
What a wonderful trip! I can’t wait to go back! Praise Jesus for this opportunity for my husband and I.
