I have grown to love New York City with it’s energy and bustle. It’s everything you would imagine of the big apple. On this particular trip, I had the special opportunity to spend a few extra days so that my sister could come out to see me. She was traveling from California and we hadn’t seen each other since before my engagement. I know it’s a special time for her as well, so I wanted to make sure that we somehow got together.
But first, a bit of business. I had come out to the East Coast for a two week work trip. It’s the longest trip to date and I was visiting 3 different cities and driving! I can drive in Los Angeles, but driving in NYC is a total different story. During one of my meetings my contact had got ahold of some extra tickets for the Taste of Tennis. This was during the same time as the US Open so I was so excited to go. Food and tennis, some of my favorite things!
It was pretty awesome, I got to mingle with some of my favorite pro tennis players while eating some of New York’s finest food. It’s was a big win for me that night! 🙂
But now to the main event, the reason I was extending my stay and so excited to see my sister! I had surprised her by coming in a day early and I had a big question to ask her.
I was so happy she accepted, not that I was concerned. She’s been a major player in my life since I was little so naturally she would have to play the biggest role at my wedding! With that all said and done, we started our weekend of luxury by staying at the iconic Waldorf Astoria & Towers.
We are definitely sisters because we have the same passion for food! We are on a mission to eat our way through the world and starting with the best restaurants in the world. Night #1 was Le Bernardin, #18 on the list of best restaurants in the world.
What an amazing start to the weekend! The food was delicious, different from what we had expected, but tasty. To walk off all that food, we took a stroll to the Empire State Building where we took in the sites. It was surreal being in this amazing city with my sister. We’ve come a long way and I don’t just mean distance.
The next morning we had a delicious lunch at Eataly before my first wedding dress fitting, at none other than, Kleinfelds!!! I was shocked that my sister managed to get an appointment for me because it was such short notice, but if you know my sister you know she can move mountains!
I felt like I was on the show, “Say YES to the dress”. The bridal salon was beautiful and just like what you see on TV. The ladies from the show were also working this day. I found a dress that was lovely, but sadly it wasn’t my dress. I didn’t have “that feeling” so we walked away empty handed but a head full of amazing memories and… pictures!
The day was not lost because right after we had an afternoon tea appointment at the Russian Tea room. It was an interesting take on tea and not traditional at all.
I’m not sure how we managed eating at so many amazing places, but this one I was most excited for, Thomas Keller’s Per Se! If you know anything about Thomas Keller you know his food is exceptional. Per Se was more of an experience than a meal. What’s even more surprising is it’s location, it’s located inside a mall. The 3 Michelin star restaurant was one of the most expensive and tastiest meals of my life. Each dish was better than the last with amazing flavors I’ve never tasted. We literally could not breathe after all the deliciousness. The servers work like they were trained in the military, stoic and knowledgeable. What an unforgettable night!
After Per Se dreams, we woke up and made our way to our next hotel stay, The Plaza!!! Anyone that’s seen any romantic movies in New York knows the luxuriousness of The Plaza, it’s the same hotel that Ann Hathaway and Kate Hudson were fighting over to have their weddings in the movie, “Bride Wars”. It’s set right in front of Central Park, such a dream to stay here!
Continuing on our food mission to eat our way through New York, our next stop was Alain Ducasse’s upscale French bistro, modeled after the Paris original, serves up classic fare… Benoit Bistro!
Stuffed and not sure what the day had in store, my adorable sister had other plans for the day. I knew she had wanted to stop in Tiffany & Co. which no trip to New York would be complete without going to the flagship store on 5th ave, but I didn’t realize this would mean something completely different.
As if this amazing trip wasn’t enough, she wanted to give me an engagement gift… Tiffany pearls. I had no idea until she wanted me to try some on. She’s definitely the sneaky one in the family! I couldn’t believe that I was wearing Tiffany pearls! They were perfect, classic and timeless. Thank you!!!!
After the rush of the pearls, we made on our way to afternoon tea that Palms Court inside The Plaza. We didn’t have the stomach to eat all of it, we were busting at the seams and tonight was our last night so that meant another amazing restaurant, Jean George.
This was a whirlwind weekend filled with luxurious hotels, mind-blowing food and a lifetime of memories. Thank you to my Maid of Honor and the best sister one can ask for, she made my engagement so special. I’m so glad we got to share in this moment together.