A morsel of Manhattan

No. 74 How to spend 30 hours in my favorite place.

My dependence on daily caffeine is at an all-time high. Oops. It is not only a joyful ritual, but something I daresay need to begin the day. My current order is either a cortado (equal parts espresso and steamed milk) or a tall flat white with an extra shot (this one has more milk than the cortado). Either choice is delightful and perfect for these very cold days.

My goal is to eventually return to my hot-black-coffee ‘roots’ which was always my grandfather’s preference.

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Enough about coffee, last week I was in New York City! The best place on earth. OK, that is debatable, but NYC is one of my favorite places and even though the visit was incredibly brief, it left me wanting more. I am already figuring out another opportunity to go back.

The visit was for work so the majority of the time I was actually in an office building, at a desk, working. However, I still got to soak in the goodness of New York through a couple cab rides, a chic dinner in Tribeca (Fouquet’s is great), a sprint around Rockefeller Center on my lunch break, and a NY-pace walk (very fast) to Penn Station. Not bad for about 30 hours total!

You see, my love of New York started when I was five years old. Instead of a warm-weather getaway, my family went to New York! I have never been to Disney (yes, never), but I have been seeing Broadway shows since I was teeny tiny. We saw ‘Guys and Dolls’ with Nathan Lane, Martin Short’s one man show (long ago), and countless other musicals and plays over almost twenty years that have instilled a lifelong passion for live theater and music. And NYC.

The feeling one gets from leaving the theater after viewing a musical is electric and strongly contributed to my desire to play music through high school and college. I was even in the pit orchestra for a couple shows - too fun! I just love it.

Beyond shows, we walked miles upon miles, went to cool restaurants, museums, and everything else quintessential NY for every single visit. It was a jam-packed vacation each year and it left an incredibly positive impact on how I live each day. I have definitely had my fair share of those street-vendor hot dogs.

Passion for the city stuck with me as I opted for a semester ‘abroad’ at NYU where I focused on creative writing (I wrote a NY restaurant guide before the internet took over) and music (performed at the Blue Note Jazz Club), then I moved to NY in 2008(!) for a stint as an assistant editor at a finance magazine.

Now, many years later and a career path that has gone in a very different direction, I jump at any chance to go back to my favorite place. Even if the majority of the time is spent at a desk. ;)

If you’re looking for an extensive NYC-guide, I’d be happy to share all of it with you. But truthfully, the city has changed a lot. The last time I was in New York without working was in 2019. Seth was supervising the installation of the US Open tennis courts (truly) so I got to run around the city on my own each day. It was marvelous! New York in August - so hot and so awesome, but so hot.

Quite a bit has changed from 2019 to 2025 and I daresay a large number of the restaurants and landmark shops I used to frequent have disappeared. Not the most fond of change, I can’t bear to list everything that’s ‘missing,’ so how about we focus on the positive?

If you find yourself in New York City for an incredibly quick visit, I strongly recommend…

The Sunday Six this week is a mini guide to NYC. Thank you for your support!

Please note: everyone’s ‘best of’ NYC will look a little different. The following is a hyper-specific guide to my favorite spots and experiences and is in no way a comprehensive guide to the city. This list does not cover every neighborhood nor does it include anything outside of Manhattan (I know Brooklyn is the ‘it’ place these days.) This is simply a small selection of personal favorites.