Girls Getaway Guide News

Upon landing in The Big Apple, we gathered our luggage and caught a taxi to our hotel, the Affinia Shelburne (http://www.affiniahotels.com/), which is located on Lexington and 37th. We were absolutely delighted to check in to our 15th floor room, which was complete with an amazing view of the New York City skyline, a balcony, kitchen and enough room for a small party (versus the NYC hotel rooms you can barely move in). The Affinia Shelburne is offering a wonderful Sex and the City package, so be sure to visit their website for details.

We packed and were off to Chicago....at least the Broadway production of the musical. As a fan of the movie, I was eager to see the live stage version. It certainly lived up to its big screen adaptation with great music, lively dancing and that interactive feeling you can only find when watching live theater. All three generations loved it! To top it off, the theater must have known my mom was coming as they offered her wine in her very own sippy cup. Too perfect!
Friday morning began with a taxi ride to Central Park where Luiz and Sylvia were kind enough to horse

give us a tour of the park. Luiz made his way to NYC from Brazil and Sylvia came to the city from Amish country where she used to pull a plow. That's right...Sylvia is a horse. We climbed aboard the carriage, and Sylvia did her job. In fact, Luiz said she probably didn't even need him since she knew exactly where to go. But we needed Luiz and were thankful he was there to provide us with informative facts about the park and point our key sites. Since my grandmother had never taken a carriage ride through Central Park, this was a really special outing for her.

After we lunch at Sarabeth's Bakery, we were off to the The love

Pulitzer Fountain, the meeting spot to catch the bus for our Sex and the City tour, which is provided by On Location Tours (http://www.screentours.com/). At first I wasn't sure if I would enjoy a 3-hour bus tour in congested NYC, but the tour and overall experience exceeded my expectations. Our "sexpert," Staci, was full of interesting Sex and the City information and pointed out key sites that were featured in the show and the movie. We saw places like the Plaza Hotel, Buddakan (site of Carrie's rehearsal dinner), 40th Street (where Carrie smacked Big with flowers after he stood her up at the altar), The Pleasure Chest (where Charlotte bought her rabbit), The Library, the park where Miranda tripped over her stroller, church where Samantha's "friend" worked, Scout (Steve & Aiden's bar) and more! We had a really good time, and appreciate Staci sharing her fabulous insight with us. What a terrific tour, and a must for any Sex and the City fan!!! Even my grandmother, who never watched the show, enjoyed the adventure.

After the tour, we were exhausted and returned to

the hotel only to find that the upstairs, outdoor bar, Rare View, had just opened. With an incredible view of the NYC skyline, including the Empire State Building, we fell more in love with our lovely hotel. After cocktails, we ordered room service from Rare, which has some of the best hamburgers I have ever tasted (and I love hamburgers).

We enjoyed our morning coffee while sitting on our balcony and gazing at the New York skyline. With some caffeine in my blood stream, I was ready to start my day as a "shopaholic." Our cab driver dropped us off in Soho and hit as many stores as we could (H&M, Banana Republic, Bloomingdale's, Top Shop, Scoop, Steve Madden and more). We even had fun shopping for my newest nephew (their grandson/great grandson).

We met up with my cousin Nikki (who lives in the city) and Aunt Nancy at Mezzogiorno Restaurant (www.Mezzogiorno.com). For appetizers, we ordered calamari sautéed with tomato, avocado and red crushed pepper and sautéed baby artichokes with pistachio and parmigiano cheese. Nikki and I split the pan seared chicken breast with avocado in a light creamy truffle sauce and ravioli with black truffle...so good! Our table split three desserts: crème brulée with raspberry and caramelized sugar cane, baked apple tart "Cortina" style and creamy zabaione pudding with fresh strawberries. Everything was perfect! A great recommendation for anyone looking for good food in Soho.

Our last NYC meal was brunch at Pastis (http://www.pastisny.com/) with Nikki and Nancy. With French pastries, perfectly scrambled eggs, huge home fries and Bloody Marie's, it was a delectable dining experience and a lovely way to end our girls' getaway to NYC. Cheers to our return trip! Goodbye New York...we love you! A special thank you to Affinia Shelburne and On Location Tours for their generous hospitality!!