Girls Getaway to NYC - Day 2

Friday morning began with a taxi ride to MOMA (http://www.moma.org/) where we were all excited to see the exhibits from: Tim Burton (Batman, Edward Scissorhands), Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present (Sex and the City), and Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century. As we walked around to MOMA’s entrance, we realized the line was to the end of the block. Our decision was made…we were not going to stand in line to wait when there is so much we wanted to do today.

We walked to Central Park where Luiz and Sylvia were kind enough to 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 our horse and carriage ride, we walked across the street to Sarabeth’s Bakery (http://www.sarabeth.com/). I knew we’d have a great lunch here since I have eaten at their only non-NY location, which is in Key West, about a year ago. I ordered their famous Tomato Cream Soup and tapenade, but everything that ended up on our table was delicious!

After we refueled at Sarabeth’s, we were off to the The 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).