A December Saturday in NYC with 3 teenage girls? When you've got a persuasive daughter, an affinity for the Big Apple, and round trip bus tickets from Boston for only $32, the answer is yes.
Here's a quick peek at our timeline:
- Leave the house at 6:15am
- Leave South Station, Boston on the 7:30am Bolt Bus
- Arrive NYC (34th & 8th, near Macy's) at 11:10 ~ 35 minutes ahead of schedule!
- Walk the streets of Midtown Manhattan: 11:15am to 8pm
- Leave NYC on the 8:30pm Bolt Bus
- Arrive South Station at 12:45am (exactly on schedule, with a rest stop)
- Arrive home at 1:30am
With a loosely planned agenda, we were able to cover a lot of ground in not a lot of time. Our stops...
1D World near Madison Square Garden
Pretty much a supersized concert souvenir stand selling all things One Direction. The girls are big fans so it was a must see. They added their grafitti to the walls but didn't make any purchases.
Macy's
The line for Santa was way too long but Mrs. Claus was just hanging out by some better sportswear.
We looked, but didn't touch, the dresses in the Bridal Salon.
Ebby had done some research online and picked our lunch spot: LT Burger at Bryant Park. On the way we checked out the ice skaters and the carousel.
We got off to a rough start with the service at LT Burger (waitress mix-up meant it took 15 minutes for someone to take our order), but the food was delicious.
We all had The Standard burger, fries and a shake. $22 per person with the tip, btw.
After lunch we walked by the lions in front of the NY Public Library and up 5th Avenue to Rockefeller Center.
Last year when I came with Ebby it was too early for the tree to be fully decorated so this was her first time seeing it. All the girls were pretty impressed. I think.
Next up was my one requested stop for the day: Anthropologie at Rockefeller Center. I admired the windows and was duly impressed with the creativity and detail but they weren't my favorite.
Maybe it's because I'm jaded spoiled by the real Winter Wonderland animals we have in our backyard...
I found the interior displays to be more to my liking...
I thought this book page chevron wall was very clever:
Inside of Anthro I did see what turned out to be my favorite display of the day ~ something so cool it deserves a separate post. Hint: book wall...
Onward up 5th Avenue we admired more windows and storefronts and general festive atmosphere.
I gazed longingly at Henri Bendel as we walked past. I did take in the windows at Bergdorf, but again, I liked them but didn't love them--though I'm sure my boys woudld've loved the dog circus themed window!
Our next stop was the Plaza Hotel. The girls were particularlyenchanted by the sight of Afternoon Tea at the Palm Court. At $50-$60 per person that wasn't happening (this time), but we kept it classy by posing by the lobby Christmas tree instead.
Luckily you can get less expensive fare in the basement concourse level of the Plaza at the Plaza Food Hall. It was my first visit here and except for the shortage of women's restrooms, it was a thumbs up. We wandered around to get the lay of the land and ended up at the Billy's Bakery outpost.
I've read good things about their cupcakes so when presented with the opportunity to sample, how could I resist?? For whatever reason, I overthought my flavor selection. I should've gone with something classic like Vanilla or Red Velvet, instead I got Banana Nutella. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but too banana bread-y for my taste. Oh well, I'll try again next time. Such a burden!
On the way to find a seat, this sign caught my eye at Three Tarts.
They had a variety of flavored handcrafted marshmallows. Making marshmallows has been on my list for years, but it has yet to happen. For $1, I figured I'd see what the fuss was about. I chose a raspberry marshmallow. It was light & airy, with good raspberry taste. It would've made a yummy s'more...
Before it got dark, we finished up at the Plaza and headed across the street to Central Park for photos and a brief bit of exploration. Ah, nature!
After our stop in Central Park, it was around 4pm-- a little more than halfway through our day in the city! This seems like a good spot to take a break the retelling of our adventure. Stop by tomorrow for Part 2 which includes hotspots such as FAO Schwartz and Times Square!
Thanks for stopping by,
