Explore, New York, New York City, Weekender (US)

The Weekender – New York City, NY

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Location:  New York City, NY

Visit: Multiple times, most recently May 2018

New York is one of the world’s great cities of the world, exemplified by Manhattan’s towering skyscrappers, dozens of museums, Central Park, amazing restaurants, exciting nightlife and an energy that is hard to match in the US.  We got engaged in NYC, so it holds an even more special place in our heart (read our review of our engagement lunch at Per Se).  We have a lot of friends who live in New York, mostly from David’s time living here, but also new friends we have met along the way.

Having both been to NYC many, many times, we’ve hit all of the tourist highlights long ago.  Although they are iconic (Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue Shopping, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, etc.) not much has changed over the years, so we opted out of doing too much tourist stuff this trip, and focused more on the great food and cocktail culture of this fantastic city.

In this post, we will give you some great recommedations of places to eat and drink (and stay), but will also outline how we used our Top Travel Tips to save us a ton of money, enjoy a bunch of five-star experiences and not break the bank.

With a somewhat flexible schedule, we were able to leave on Thursday afternoon, from Los Angeles and arrive Thursday evening.  We had a companion ticket on Delta, which allowed Patricia to fly for almost nothing (just the tax) based on our usage of the American Express Delta Reserve card.  At a retail cost of over $500 for this flight, the companion ticket pays for the annual fee on it’s own!  After dropping our bags, we walked from where we were staying to a local tapas & wine bar, Ardesia.  Located in the Hells Kitchen neighborhood, Ardesia is a perfect neighborhood hang out.  They’ve got a mix of traditional tapas (croquettes, olives, shrimp) and more Americanized fare, like pulled pork sliders and beet salad.  They specialize in wine (20 by the glass and 100 by the bottle), but also have a great selection of beers and a full bar.  We sat at the bar and talked up the staff, who were super-friendly, knowledgable and more than willing to let us taste a few wines before we settled on a couple we liked.  We finished of the meal with a cheese selection and couldn’t have been happier.

Friday was another flexible day with work assignments completed throughout the day, but with some time to explore the city, as well.  We brought our dog, Sauvignon Blanc (Sauvi) on this trip, so focusing on outdoor options was key.  Our first stop after breakfast (traditional NYC bagel) was to head up to Central Park for a long walk.  It’s actually the one part of Manhattan that we hadn’t spent too much time in, so there was plenty to see, as we made our way from Columbus Circle to the Loeb Boathouse.  The Boathouse is a New York landmark, appearing in countless movies and television shows.  Located on the eastern end of The Lake, The Boathouse has a full service high-end restaurant and an outdoor patio that serves more casual food and drinks.  It’s really the perfect place to park yourself after a few hours in the park and have a glass of wine.

Sauvi in Central Park
Relaxing at The Boathouse
Lake views from The Boathouse

From the park, we headed to Mid-town to check out a hotel that we’ve been hearing great things about, The Refinery Hotel.  The hotel itself is gorgeous, with classic details on the facade and modern beauty within.  The highlight for us was visiting the rooftop bar, which overlooks the Empire State Building and was already packed by mid-afternoon.  The cocktails were amazing, but really it’s the overall vibe and views that set this place apart.  Although we had a free place to stay on this trip, The Refinery will definitely make our short-list for hotels on our next trip.

Refinery Rooftop
The ladies of Four Star Life
Rooftop cocktails

As the sun set over the Manhattan skyline, we headed back to our accomodations to get ready for the evening.  Our primary destination was Cosme restaurant, an amazing, high-end Mexican restaurant by global restraunteur Enrique Olivera.  Cosme’s sister restaurant, Pujol in Mexico City, has been listed as one of the top 100 restaurants in the world for several years, and Cosme recently joined the list.  The food is what can best be described as modern, upscale, global/Mexican.  Some top dishes include things like razor clams (with green chorizo & herbs), abalone tostada (with salsa macha & peanuts), stripped bass (with black beans & plantain saffron), mole rojo (with nut butter & quelites), lamb belly (with green mango & tamarindo) and the star of the show – duck carnitas (for 2) with onions, radishes and cilantro.  Some of the best “tacos” we’ve ever had.  Wash it all down with some high-end margaritas and a little guacamole for good measure and you are set for the night.

The next day we started early and headed to Estela for brunch with local friends who are in the food and beverage industry.  Estela is known as a chef’s hang out, so you know the food is amazing.  Their brunch menu includes some breakfast items, but skews toward lunch – Iberico ham, burrata with salsa verde, grilled beets with béarnaise, ricotta dumplings with mushrooms and a nice panna cotta with honey to finish it off.  With a nice base of food in our bellies, it was time to do a light bar crawl.  It happened to be Cinco de Mayo weekend, so we swung by the infamous Tortilla Flats for a quick margarita and then headed to meet some friends at a nearby neighborhood wine bar.  We tried to go to a place we had heard great things about, called Dante’s (food and drink) but they were packed when we dropped by, so we set up a reservation for that evening and heading back to our place to rest up a bit for our final night in town.

Cosme – Duck Carnitas!
Tortilla Flats
NYC – West Village Neighborhood

We headed back out around sunset and stopped on the way back the West Village at one of our favorite hotels and rooftop lounges, The Kimpton Ink48 Hotel.  Located on the corner of 50th Street and 11th Avenue, the hotel has a sleek, modern vibe.  Their rooftop has views of the Hudson River and Midtown Manhattan, and if you get right sunset the effect of the sun against the mirrored skyscrapers can be dramatic.  It’s so close to where we were staying, so we definitely wanted to pop in for a quick drink.  Afterwards with head back to Dante for some food and great drinks.  Considered on the best cocktail bars in the world (worlds50bestbars.com), Dante is definitely worth a visit.  From their Worlds 50 Best Bars write up: “Dante originally opened in 1915 as an Italian espresso spot and has since become a registered New York City landmark, but it didn’t become a drinking destination until Australian bartending legend Naren Young took over in 2015. His Negroni Sessions menu has become one of the must-visit happy hours, offering 12 takes on the classic cocktail for just $10 between 3pm and 6pm on weekdays….The vibe remains bright and classic, in keeping with the original owners’ intentions, and the food on offer from morning through night is far better than any bar needs to provide. Dante under Young’s care has become a city landmark for entirely new and delicious reasons.”

Rooftop Bar – Kimpton Ink48
Rooftop View – Kimpton Ink48
Caffe Dante – cocktail destination
Dante Bartender – Master at Work!
Dante – Cheese Board
First Class flyer

The next day, we grabbed a quick bite with our friends at a great place called Añejo (to keep with the weekend’s Mexican theme).  After a night of a few too many drinks, the huevos rancheros were the perfect pick me up.  Sadly, it was time to head back to LA.  We arrived at JFK a little bit early, zip through TSA screening (apply for TSA Pre-check if you don’t have it) and were able to enjoy the Delta SkyLounge for a bit before boarding.  One of the perks of staying loyal to airlines is that you can get status, which comes with some perks.  In this case, we had received two First Class upgrades that were going to expire at the end of the summer.  So why not enjoy them on the flight home.  Needless to say, flying in a lay-flat seat with full meal and wines by the glass certainly took the edge off of the flight home.

The Champagne Life on a Sparkling Wine Budget

“Top 100 Travel Tips” included in this post:  Airline Loyalty Matters (#8), Visit Great Cocktail Bars (#13), Save Time at TSA (#17), Ask the Locals (#28), Plan Your Own Trip (#45), Eat Well (#65), Using Taxis & Uber (#66), Pace Your Siteseeing (#68), Leave Time for the Lounge (#71), Happy Hour (#82)

Here is a breakout of what we spent and what a typical trip would take (with less amazing experiences), as well as a “price is no object” alternative, for comparison’s sake.

Summary

Where to stay

Refinery Hotel:  ($400-$600). New hot spot with views of the Empire State Building.  (63 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018) www.refineryhotelnewyork.com/Official

  • General Rating:  85 (Exceptional)
  • Four Star Rating: 76 (Great)
  • Notes:  Good sized rooms.  Modern updates and a fabulous rooftop bar with amazing views.

The Kimpton Ink48:  ($300-$400). Modern highrise on the west side with rooftop views of  Midtown Manhattan. (653 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036) www.ink48.com

  • General Rating:  83 (Exceptional)
  • Four Star Rating:  83 (Exceptional)
  • Notes:  Not as centrally located as some of the other nice hotels in Manhattan, the roof top terrace, views and reasonable price make it worthwhile.

Where to eat

Where to drink