New York City
New York is one of my favorite cities! After reading a Runner’s World article that named The Hampton’s Marathon & Half Marathon as bucket list must do race, I decided to sign up. I researched quite a bit through Pinterest and created a detailed itinerary for us to follow.
Day 1 – Thursday
We stayed at the Courtyard Marriot Manhattan/Central Park for two reasons. One being it’s close proximity to Central Park and the other being that my mom was able to get a couple of free nights with points (thanks Mom!) We had lunch at Sarabeth’s – great food and drinks. Afterwards, we took a walk through Central Park, and I managed to channel my inner Blair Waldorf for a picture on the Met steps. On the way back to the hotel, we visited Columbus Circle and the Plaza Hotel.
We arrived in the Bronx early so that we could grab beers before the Yankees game. Yankee Tavern was the perfect spot. It had lots of locals (I could listen to those accents all day) and pretty good prices on the beer. The Yankees played the Red Sox, and it was Big Poppy’s last season. Even though we aren’t Yankee or Red Sox fans, it was fun to witness one of his last games. The new stadium is amazing, and I am not ashamed to say that I bought a ten dollar hot chocolate mostly for the souvenir mug.
Day 2 – Friday
We started the morning with breakfast at Dean & Deluca. I may or may not have wanted to go specifically because of the show “Felicity.” The hubs and I were planning to ride the Staten Island Ferry to view the Statue of Liberty, but we missed the boat, and decided to make our way through the Financial District. We saw the Charging Bull, Trinity Church, and the New York Stock Exchange. Lunch was Shake Shack, and it was definitely worth the hype – delicious and quick!
The afternoon was spent at the World Trade Center /9-11 Memorial. It was extremely heavy and sad, but I’m glad I was able to experience it. The Memorial and Museum helped me grasp the magnitude of the horror of that day even more than watching the events unfold on television.
Before dinner, we had drinks at Houston Hall. This is definitely a place we will come back to – it’s a very charming, enormous beer hall. It seems to be a spot where the locals go, which made me love it even more. We ate dinner at America’s first pizzeria – Lombardi’s Pizza. It definitely satisfied my craving for official New York style pizza.
Day 3 – Saturday
Race day started very early (for me) – so early, that I was walking by people still out at the bar on my way to meet the Hampton’s Jitney. The Jitney was a very convenient way to get to Southampton. I arrived just in time to pick up my packet and check my gear before having to head to the start line. I would definitely recommend this race to other out of towners. The organizers were great and the race was incredible! The course took me through beautiful hedge-lined residential roads and even provided a quick view of the beach and ocean. Southampton was gorgeous, even on the cloudy day, and I managed to get a PR. After the race, I strolled down Main Street stretching my legs and grabbing a much needed coffee before taking the Jitney back into the city.
The afternoon was spent resting (and eating pickles because long runs make me crave sodium). We walked to Butter for dinner, and I devoured my roasted chicken (so good)! Afterwards, we have drinks at Bar54 in Times Square. A rooftop, in my opinion, is the only way to do Times Square. The drinks and a view for extraordinary.
Day 4 – Sunday
We slept in a bit (I needed it), and then traveled to the Upper West Side to have breakfast at Jacob’s Pickles. It was delectable, and yes, I of course ordered pickles as an appetizer! They make their own in house, and I still regret not buying a jar to bring home.
The rest of the morning was spent site seeing at Grand Central Station, the Chrysler Building, the New York Public Library, the Empire State Building, and the Flat Iron Building. After that, we strode the High Line and dined on the patio at Serafina for lunch. We then made our way to Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment, the Friends apartment building, and the Dominique Ansel Bakery to get frozen s’mores. There was a very long line, but the sweet treat was worth the wait!
We dined at Nom Wah Tea Parlor in China Town for dinner and then took in a show at Smoke Jazz & Supper Club on the Upper West Side. The show was amazing, and the club had a great atmosphere. Being up way past my bed time was worth it!
Day 5 – Monday
We started our day with a 3-mile run across the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn and then back into the city via the Manhattan Bridge. In Brooklyn, we stumbled upon the Gotham tv show set. Admittedly, we got lost a bit after getting back into Manhattan and ate up a good bit of the morning looking for a subway station. Lunch was a quick bite at Gray’s Papaya for New York style hot dogs.
We picked up a bottle of champagne and traveled to North Cove Marina for a sailboat tour of the Harbor with Tribeca Sailing. I highly recommend them and Captain David. We were the only ones booked for the midday time slot, so we received a private tour. The captain was extremely knowledgeable, giving us lots of history of the landmarks and the city in general. We had fantastic views of the Freedom Tower, Governor’s Island, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and lower Manhattan. Sailing was my favorite part of the whole trip!
The afternoon was spent at Rockefeller Center and the Top of the Rock observation Deck. We snapped some great pictures of the Empire State building.
We ate dinner in the Flatiron District at Kat & Theo (another great Pinterest find). The food was wonderful, and I fell in love with the design of the space. It was a perfect way to end the trip, as we left for home on a very early flight the next morning.
-xoxo CD
