New Year's in NYC
01.01.2012
New Year’s in NYC 2012
Although I would rather swallow red ants than go to Times Square on New Year’s Eve, I did go traipsing about Manhattan on January 30, 2011. The day was mild and sunny and the crowds were out and about. You would think they were giving away baubles on the streets there were that many people.
I love New York in all seasons. It would be impossible for me to pick my favorite. Every year during the Christmas season, my daughter and I revisit some of our traditional favorite spots and we try to add at least one new one. As many years as we have been doing this, there is always something new to try. This year, we added the Plaza Hotel where the lobbied is adorned with pink decorations and a glorious pink tree, all done by the delightful and inimitable Betsey Johnson. 
We love Todd English’s food so we waited for forty-five minutes (after being told it would be a mere 15!) to eat at the Food Court in the Plaza. Although the prices are absurd, we splurged and his food, as always, was delicious. I had a fig and prosciutto flat bread pizza cooked in an open fire oven 
and my daughter had a tuna burger that was cooked to perfection. 
We were seated in the Ocean section of the Food Court. There are eight possible seatings, but you can order from any of the stations no matter where you sit. We got to watch as an intense young chef sliced gorgeous tuna into gorgeous slices. 
But the highlight drama was when a purveyor from Urban Truffles showed up, opened a cloth napkin to reveal more than a dozen black truffles. That got the chef’s attention and he stopped everything to make a purchase. It was like watching a high end drug deal go down. I don’t understand how the young purveyor trots around Manhattan so casually with such expensive merchandise. I’d have a minor breakdown. Then again, I probably wouldn’t part with those truffles in the first place. There is no flavor that is more incredible than fresh truffles.
Of course we saw all the windows. Of course we saw the tree. We stopped inside Bloomingdale’s to use the ladies lounge and bought cupcakes at the fabulous Magnolia Cupcakes. My favorite was the Hummingbird. No idea why it’s called that, but it was light and airy and filled with pieces of pineapple. Yum.
I hope everyone had a great 2011. I had two fabulous trips to Europe and a few smaller ones within the US. Happy and Healthy New Year to all!
Posted by teethetrav 08:07 Archived in USA Tagged food travel nyc times_square tourist_sites new_years todd_english magnolia_cupcakes food_court plaza_hotel Comments (0)
