Celebration Trip to New York City

December 2010

David's a fan of two things- the Oklahoma Sooners and the New York Yankees. We've been to the city to see a baseball game, but that was a few summers ago and we made it a goal to return to see the city in the winter.

pictures from google pics

After finding out we were expecting a baby, we had more motivation to make those plans a reality! So we booked a trip for mid-December. It was as cold, if not colder than we expected. And, being naive about the first trimester of pregnancy I did not know how much fatigue I would have. So, we bundled in lots of layers, I took afternoon naps each day and we made the most of a long weekend in on of our favorite cities. Luckily for us, our trip ended a day before the huge snow storm that rocked the city for weeks. Had we stayed any longer a long weekend may have become a couple of weeks :) Next time we will be sure to go in Autumn or late Spring. In any case, it was sort of magical to be around all the Christmas lights and cheerfulness of the season.

On our first night we went to One If By Land, Two If By Sea restaurant. It was on a list of NYC's most romantic restaurants... it was quite a jewel and we highly recommend it!

pictures from restaurant's website

One of the things we enjoy doing it trying different menu selections than what's normal for us while eating out-- in particular when we are at a fancier restaurant that offers exciting and unusual options.
We ate from the prix fixe menu and enjoyed tuna tartare, duck pate, beef wellington and sole meuniere.

D's pumpkin cheesecake

my citrus and sorbet with panna cotta

The next day we walked around the financial district and central park. We made it through Central Park and were a block from a bakery we wanted to visit when the local public school's were dismissing for the day-- needless to say, the cupcake shop was quite packed by the time we got to it. Its sort of a fun thought that one could run by a cupcake shop on their way home from school...

D's gingerbread cupcake

my chocolate with vanilla frosting cupcake

I like exotic foods but prefer the classics when it comes to desserts :)

On our last evening in the city we went to Serendipity 3. Its a charming little cafe made famous by the namesake movie. It started as an espresso bar and grew into a desserts restaurant and then a full fledged restaurant. I'd called to make reservations but they were booked through the New Year so we decided to try our luck at waiting for a table. Our first time in line resulted in a 3 hour wait OUTSIDE. We gave up after an hour in the freezing cold. But, we returned early the next morning, an hour before opening to try again before having to fly home that afternoon. This time we were one of the first three in line and almost guaranteed a lunch seating! By the time the cafe opened the line was down the block, but we got in and it was so worth the wait! The restaurant is charming and a has a vibrant ambiance. Kids would love it.

our dessert - apple pie sundae

and an espresso

Before leaving I picked up a copy of the Serendipity cookbook and while checking out a man approached me from behind the counter and asked if I would like him to autograph the book... I was a little puzzled. He continued by saying that he owned the restaurant and was one of the 3 original partners who started it years ago. He was a sweet older man and I love that he signed it!