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1.02.2013

N E W Y O R K

It occurred to us that we both had the hope of visiting New York during the Christmas season not long after knowing each other. Like many, my initial image of Christmas came from watching Home Alone 1 and 2. The shrill cries of the burglars after that succumbed to an alarming number of booby-traps placed by a little kid, the running throughout the streets of New York and Central Park in particular, and the pigeon lady was my idea of the holiday season for many a years. While we were both well older than the little boy in Home Alone, we both wanted to come to this city and satisfy our childish dreams of seeing the City during this time of year.

This trip we wanted to accomplish a few things including seeing the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, ice skate outdoors somewhere in the City, window shop just to get a glimpse of the holiday window decorations, and eat to our hearts content. Although we had both been to New York before, one of us seemed to miss out on a lot of the tourist attractions the first time around so we went and did some of that as well.

T H E C I T Y
Walking around the city, we realized how small we were. The buildings tower over you from all sides. Vancouver sure isn't like this by any means and neither is London, mind you.

T H E A C T I V I T I E S
We did a lot during our short stay in the City but without a doubt one of the highlights was seeing the Nutcracker at the Lincoln Theatre. Performed by the New York City Ballet, it was really something else. I think living in Europe introduced me to musicals and orchestras and I'm glad I got to see this after because I wouldn't have appreciated it as much had I not known what to expect. A good way to jump start the holiday cheer I think!

Among the other Christmassy things we got up to included going to the Rockefeller Center (we ice skated under the Christmas tree, went up to the top of the rock, and took a crap load of pictures), walking along the decorated 5th avenue, and eat to our hearts content.

T H E I N D U L G E N C I E S
With all the food options available in NYC, we had to come up with a list of places we wanted to try out prior to our trip. This also forced us to make reservations early considering some of the restaurants that we wanted to go to are usually booked at least one month in advance. Our list included bakeries, food trucks, diners, cafes, restaurants and food stalls at the Christmas Market. Some of the places we visited that we would recommend to anyone?

Degustation: An amazing restaurant recommended by Alice, this restaurant was located in the east village. The space was small but the food was innovative, extremely tasty, and the portions small enough that you can a variety of dishes. One of the best meals that we've ever had, hands down. We will be writing a review on this restaurant so stay tuned for that.

Sushi Yasuda: Sushi in New York when we have loads of such establishments in Vancouver? I may have doubted it at first but not anymore. The omakaze was delicious and the sushi was some of the best I've ever had. I would rival it with Sushi Sam's in San Mateo, California as the best sushi I have had the pleasure of eating.

Basso 56: I have been to this restaurant before but Janice had not. Located centrally between Times Square and Central Park, this is a small italian restaurant. I had the wild boar ragu with in-house made pasta once again and it was just as I had remembered it - delicious. She had the seafood pasta pictured below.

Clinton Street Bakery: One of the breakfast spots that I was most excited about visiting was without a doubt this restaurant. We were lucky to get a seat so quickly but soon after there was a queue out the door. We had the caramelized banana waffle and the blueberry pancakes. Sounds simple right? Well, if it is, they simply did it better than anyone else. Could rank as the best breakfast I have had anywhere in the world.

Shake Shack: One rainy afternoon, as I was pale with hunger, we visited this fast food place that is commonly compared to In and Out Burger in California. I might have been trembling at the time but I was thoroughly satisfied. Great burger and great fries. We were lucky to even get a seat, there was a ton of people there looking for them. Would definitely come back here again.

Honorable Mentions: We'll let the pictures do the talking :)

T H E A C C O M M O D A T I O N S
We stayed at the Paramount Hotel in Times Square. Affordable and extremely central. Between cabbing and taking the subway, we got to all our destinations without much of a hitch. Just one oddity we noticed? Cabs will not pick you up during certain times of the day (something like a changeover period). So if you notice that you're failing to get a cab at a point during the evening, that may be it?

T H O U G H T S
Though it was our second time in New York, I think it's safe to say that we enjoyed New York more this time around. The food we had was fantastic and I can't wait to come back again - if only for the food and coffee. This blog post turned out to be uber long so I apologize for that - it is definitely picture heavy! We hope you enjoyed it though!

We will be churning out a few restaurant reviews for this City so tune in for that soon!

Cheers,

K.

7 comments:

  1. I would love to see NYC at Christmas time (I visited in summer)! Thanks for the vicarious visit. The city looks as wonderful as ever.

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  2. Nice new blog man. I lived in NYC for a few years, and I really miss it a lot. Shake shack man!!!!! *drool

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    1. Oh man, I was starving to the point of trembling. It was so good... barely found a seat though!

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  3. Nice new blog indeed. May I ask what font do you use? :P

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