A Long Weekend in NYC: Broadway, Central Park, + Good Eats
As you may know, Fridays are for date night posts. This past weekend, Darren and I went on a four-day “date night” in NYC! Our three year anniversary fell on April 9th, so we decided to spend the 13th-15th celebrating with a trip to the Big Apple. We really lucked out because the weather was SO nice, which made exploring the city much more enjoyable. Keep reading for a complete itinerary of where we went, what we ate, and more!
Day One – Saturday, April 13
We ended up getting in to the city a bit late because of a slight delay on the train due to a medical emergency. After checking into our hotel (we stayed at Hotel Shocard in Midtown/the Theater District), we headed straight to dinner. I found The Distillery through it’s high rating on OpenTable. Luckily, it was very close to the theater we were seeing a show at later that evening! With not a lot of time to spare, we both ordered smaller fare: the Chicky Sliders – buttermilk chicken on three mini brioche buns topped with apple slaw and maple sriracha. The sliders really hit the spot after a long train ride. The Distillery offers a 10% off discount to those seeing a Broadway show, which was an added bonus!
From there, we headed over to Studio 54 to see Roundabout Theater Company’s production of Kiss Me Kate. With a star-studded cast including Kelli O’Hara, Will Chase, and Corbin Bleu, we knew we were in for a treat. The songs were so fun, the dancing incredible, and the set fantastic. I had a huge smile on my face the entire time! If you haven’t heard of the show before, “I Hate Men” and “Too Darn Hot” are great places to start.
To finish out the day, we took a (crowded) walk through Times Square on our way for after-show drinks. No matter how many trips I take to NYC, the lights of Times Square at night will always be addictive for me. There’s something about the flashing screens and busy streets that make your heart race a little bit. It’s thrilling! We popped into the hotel bar, Gleason’s Tavern, for a quick sip before bed. The bartender was kind enough to make me a mock-tail and it was a delicious, fruity mix that I gulped down in seconds.
Day Two – Sunday, April 14
On Sunday morning, we woke up a bit early and went out to explore Hudson Yards before brunch. There is currently a new interactive art piece called The Vessel, which is comprised of 154 interconnecting flights of stairs and offers cool views of the city. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go on it, as you need to grab a (free) timed ticket to enter and we had brunch plans then a matinee show. Still, looking up at the structure from the ground was just as impressive. Climbing to the top will be a goal for our next visit to NYC!
From Hudson Yards, we walked back to Hell’s Kitchen for brunch. Another top-rated OpenTable find, BarBacon is a self-described “food forward, craft concept” restaurant and bar who’s mission is to “celebrate bacon and to find and promote artisanal bacons for all over the country.” As a bacon lover, I was very excited to try this place. I ordered the Bacon French Toast – brioche french toast with hickory cinnamon sugar, cookie crumble, bacon, maple butter, and fresh berries. Darren got the Biscuit Egg Sandwich – candied fennel bacon, cheddar cheese, and scrambled eggs on a buttermilk biscuit, served with homemade chips. Everything was so yummy and I was craving more bacon all day afterwards!
With time to kill before the matinee, we decided to take a walk through Central Park. The weather on Sunday was even more beautiful than the day before. Everyone was out and about, and the park was full of life. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip: just strolling around and taking in the day.
I was particularly infatuated with the blooming cherry blossom trees! I had looked up the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens prior to the trip in hopes of seeing their trees, but the map showed that very few were in bloom. This definitely wasn’t the case in Central Park! From tiny white flowers to fluffy, pink petals, I was mesmerized by the trees. See a few of my favorite shots below…
As the matinee grew closer, we headed toward the theater, stopping into an Irish pub to catch the Celtics first round playoffs game. Shout out to The Perfect Pint for playing a Boston sports game in New York! At 3 PM, we went next door to the Lyceum Theatre for a performance of the new musical, Be More Chill. While a unique and entertaining show, I have to be honest and say it wasn’t my favorite. The set didn’t wow me; I could tell that they were going for futuristic, but it ended up being a bit too minimalistic for me. The book was also seemed to dumb down the plot for the audience. However, I found one of my new favorite musical theater songs in this show: “Michael in the Bathroom.” It may sound like a strange title, but you should go listen to it, like… now.
Finally, before settling into our hotel room to watch the premiere of Game of Thrones, we grabbed dinner at West Bank Cafe. I know it’s going to seem like OpenTable is a sponsor of this post (they’re not), but the app was honestly a life-saver this trip. With so many options in NYC, OpenTable helped narrow things and we weren’t disappointed with any of our choices. The dining room was quite at West Bank, which was just what we needed after a busy day surrounded by foot traffic. Our server was great (he looked like a younger, slenderer Richard Madden) and we enjoyed the food. Darren and I shared calamari to start, then he had the Salmon Tartare and I had the WBC Burger. It was a lovely night.
Day Three – Monday, April 15
On our third and final day in the city, we headed out of Midtown and down to Greenwich Village to meet our friend, Elizabeth, who lives in the city. With the sun shining in the morning, we decided to stop by Washington Square Park to see the Arch and enjoy the weather. We also grabbed a quick treat from the Doughnut Project nearby – a spot I discovered in research from our last trip to NYC. I chose the Strawberry Milkshake Doughnut, with a strawberry, malt, and heavy cream glaze, finished with strawberry dust and strawberry garnish. It was heavenly!
Unfortunately, the sun didn’t last very long. But we made it to the Waverly Diner just before the downpour started. Elizabeth picked this spot, as it’s one of her favorites to hit up once her late shift at work is over since they’re open 24 hours. Their menu is extensive and you can order breakfast all day. Elizabeth went from strawberry pancakes with sausage. I had a waffle with strawberry preserves and Canadian bacon. Darren enjoyed scrambled eggs with hash and a bowl of fruit. It was so nice to catch up with a good friend over good food!
Once we wrapped up brunch, we headed back to the hotel to grab our bags, then caught a train at Grand Central Terminal. It was a fun trip filled with lots of walking, yummy food, and great theater. We can’t wait for our next trip!
