Where we stayed
Roger Smith Hotel- a wonderful location blocks from Rockefeller Plaza/Christmas tree, very comfortable beds, huge rooms for NYC, and very well priced for this time of year. There is a bar downstairs which is always a plus for any traveler and a few nibbles for breakfast (yogurt, fruit, coffee, etc.) Here is the thing about NYC, there are a million good hotels, a billion great restaurants and thousands of things to see and do. You just need to get your priorities together about what you want to see and eat, then get a hotel close to all of that.
Where we ate
Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station- a New York staple and a must for your bucket list. Located at the bottom of the station, you take a step back in time to enjoy cocktails and seafood from the oyster bar. The restaurant is HUGE so you can make lots of noise (we were celebrating my little sister's engagement, which happened minutes before in snowy Central Park) and they take reservations. So many options for seafood and oysters, not sure you could ask for much more.
Barraca- tapas in Greenwich Village with the best sangria in the city. Sign me up. We ordered almost everything on the menu and each dish was better than the last. It was nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the tourist, so heading to a quiet dinner in Greenwich Village was amazing. The ambiance of the restaurant is inviting and dimly lit with all of the young up and comers of the city dining around you. And order the sangria, please.
Flex Mussels- Each daughter got to pick a restaurant for our 48 hours in the city, and this was mine. This place has been on my travel list for eight years because I read that they serve the best PEI mussels in the state of New York. They held up to their reputation. They serve mussels about 10 different ways in various broths and condiments. The Thai mussels will change your life and dipping the bread in the broth was a religious experience for my mouth. With two locations, we visited the Upper East Side because they could take a large reservations; everyone in our group loved their dishes. From bagel doughnuts, to baked eggs, to mussels this is a fabulous place for brunch and is a perfect way to start the day.
Margaux-located inside the Marlton Hotel, which has the most fabulous bar that feels like Goodwill Hunting or a meeting of The Skulls and killer cocktails. Our dinner was nothing short of wonderful. The menu has farm to table appetizers including homemade burrata, hummus and cheeses, all of which are amazing. Entrees include handmade pastas and salads, A+. One of the highlights for me was the wine list which is well thought out and pretty tasty. We would know, our dinner lasted about two and half hours :)
Le Bernardin- Legendary. I don't know how else to say what happened at the #1 restaurant in the country and #2 in the world. Get ready for an experience of your lifetime. I repeat, an experience. The food is divine and will "wow" you when you read it on the menu. But when the dishes arrive and you taste them, you suddenly realize you have never tasted bass this way, or tuna sliced so thin you can see through it and is cooked with a perfect sear around the edges. You will be even more blown away by the service, the exquisite service that is four Michelin stars. The service is similar to a performance on Broadway, well thought out movements from every person on staff, and hits upon hits with everything from the bread service to frozen olive oil on my dessert. And the wine, dear lord. Looking around the restaurant you almost get overwhelmed with the business deals going down, the people who look to be celebrities but you can't seem to remember who they are, or Eric Ripert (chef and owner) walking around to check on his guests BUT even as all of that was going down around us, we were treated like royalty. All of us. No matter who you are or where you come from or your reason for being there, we are all the same to them and treated like A+++++ patrons. Travel tip: go for lunch, they have a three course menu for $84 that will give you all the feels of a four Michelin star restaurant and will leave room for your mortgage payment. You also cannot make reservations until one month out, do it on Open Table and set a reminder on your calendar; this will get you a seat in the main dining room. If you don't get a reservation, plan to get to the restaurant at 11:45 (they open at 12) and ask to sit in their lounge. They serve the three course menu and have bar bites, you get all the tastes and service of Le Bernardin but don't have to have a rezzie.
*Thank you everyone who gave recs on Facebook for places to eat in the city, I feel a sense of accomplishment that my cyber friend group has such great travel/food knowledge. I could not get a reservations at any of the places you recommended because it was two weeks before our trip, but have no fear, they are on my travel list recs for New York and for our next trip it will be utilized to the fullest extent.*
What we did
Christmas, that is what we did. We did everything Christmas from the Rockefeller tree to the Christmas market at Columbus Circle to wandering in the Waldorf Astoria to see the decorations then to watching the light show at Saks Fifth Avenue. My dad and I took a Sunday stroll to see the Today Show being filmed and Jaggs and I had cocktails at the bottom of The Plaza Hotel. You really can't go wrong when you are in New York. Plan to see it all but stroll around making sure to look up and enjoy the sites.
Getting around the city is easy with Uber and cabs. Pro travel tip: check out your credit card offerings before you leave. Our AMEX was giving $85 credits from all NYC airports if used Uber. There is also an app called Via that is a ride share anywhere in the city for $5. Can't beat it.
*This trip was originally planed to be a Jones family Christmas celebration in place of doing traditional presents and holiday stress, however the magic really came alive when my little sister got engaged on Saturday in snowy Central Park to her boyfriend Rand. To say we are over the moon for the two of them is an understatement and getting to be there with them to celebrate for their next chapter was a memory I will never forget. We love you so much Katherine and Rand and look forward to celebrating your wedding. Pretty positive we got a solid start in New York. Welcome (officially) to our family, Rand. Katherine, you are one of my most treasured gifts. *
