Girls Getaway: Serendipity in the City

Happy Hump Day, friends! I'm thrilled that the sun is FINALLY shining here in Upstate New York. Being that it's Wednesday, it's perfectly acceptable to start thinking about the upcoming weekend, right? But first a recap of last weekend in New York City with my best friends!

You might remember when I visited Connecticut a couple of years ago to first see M's new house and visit with her 1 1/2 year old son. Since then, M and her hubby have welcomed a sweet little girl into their family, and I'm blessed to be her godmother. This weekend, we celebrated the much-awaited arrival of A's baby. Check out her adorable bump!

I learned so much about motherhood from these girls this weekend. It's something that both frightens and fascinates me-- more so the former than the latter. I'm actually terribly worried about my journey down that road, but A passed on the best piece of parenting advice she's received so far: Do the best that you can for your kids and offer to pay for their therapy later! Made me laugh and put things in perspective. It's like everything else in life. Nobody's perfect, and we're all going to make mistakes.

A and her husband have been living the dream in the city for the past decade or so, but they're soon-to-be happy homeowners in the suburbs.

A lives not too far from Battery Park, so we spent a relaxing afternoon picnicking on the lawns and people watching. With a promenade, playgrounds, monuments and all kinds of athletic courts, there's something for everyone at the park. I hadn't been to the city in ages, so I was amazed at how much that area has changed. It's a beautiful view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, in addition to some pretty over-the-top yachts and the Manhattan Sailing School in the harbor.

Rather than stay in A's apartment, we thought it would be fun to do a mini-getaway/ slumber party at the W Downtown. My favorite parts of the hotel-stay were being able to sit at the terrace lounge overlooking the city and the luxurious Bliss bath products that smelled like lemon and sage. So clean and fresh!

Our room overlooked the Freedom Tower, so we were able to see the massive construction project and long lines of people waiting to check out the impressive structure.  

                   

The New York experience is synonymous with so many different things including good eats. Saturday's dinner was at Kingswood in the West Village, which has an outdoor-garden feel and a seasonally driven menu that changes daily. I had a salad with greens, cherries, hazelnuts and valdeon blue cheese for an app and the hangar steak with chimichurri and fingerling potatoes for my entree.

We had brunch on Sunday at a cute cafe downtown, Kitchenette. The breakfast menu is filled with yummy options like herb and goat cheese omelettes, brioche french toast, granola topped with apples and pears and waffles with honey cinnamon butter.



The bakery cases at Kitchenette were filled with cookies, cupcakes, layer cakes and more. It's a miracle that I showed some self-restraint and didn't order one of each to snack on during my train ride home!  



I'm hoping to drag the Sailor down to the city for some sight-seeing, exploring and, of course, shopping soon. I think that my latest trip there piqued his interest, so I'd like to propose a fun-filled agenda for our own weekend getaway. What's your favorite thing to do while in New York City?