We just came back to Nashville from a 5 day trip to New York City. We had lots to do in the city and it was a blast. Here is the day by day breakdown of the fun times.

Saturday

Our flight was from BNA to Newark and we take the train into Penn Station. After making it into the city we took a taxi to get us the rest of the way to the hotel. We checked into the Platinum Suite at the Dream Hotel which had a balcony and a fun view of Times Square. It also had an incredibly comfortable bed! Our concierge brought our bags up and then walked us to the liquor store so we could use his personal discount. We chilled out in the room and then got ready for our rosé cruise later that evening. Before heading to the harbor we checked out the rooftop bar at the hotel called PHD Terrace. It is a super cute spot with a video photo booth and floral sitting area. We then took an uber to Pier 40 where La Nuit En Rosé was departing. It was a magical evening surrounded by people wearing pink and white. We drank so much rosé and saw the Statue of Liberty up close. My friend produced the event and we got to hang out with her for a while which was awesome! Food included delicious little sandwiches, oysters, and rosé risotto. After the cruise we went back to the room to change and then got some pizza at Famous Original Ray’s Pizza by the hotel. We also hit The Stagecoach Tavern for some late night drinks.

Sunday

We went to brunch at Serafina in the bottom of the hotel. The main reason we came to New York in the first place was to see the world premier of Ryan Lindveit’s composition “Up Close At A Distance” by the New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall. Words cannot even describe how incredible it was to see my brother up in the balcony of Carnegie Hall while his piece was being performed by almost a hundred musicians. I started crying when the conductor pointed up to him in recognition after the symphony completed the song. The piece had so many twists and turns and kept you wanting more to see where it would go next. I am a very proud sister and am so impressed by Ryan’s talent! We threw an afterparty in the Guest House Suite of the Dream Hotel with friends and family in honor of Ryan! There were snacks and food from a local deli and the hotel restaurant along with champagne and Manhattans. When everyone arrived, I gave a toast. We all had a great time celebrating! For dinner, we hit an Irish pub near the hotel. Late night, Ryan, Brian and I went out on the town and found a drag show and a cowboy gay bar. We also wandered through Times Square. Then on the way home we got some more pizza from Ray’s!

Monday

I had breakfast again at Serafina with my mom and brother. We got vouchers from the hotel and I had some delicious eggs benedict. Then we checked out of our room and took the Long Island Rail Road to Port Jefferson to hang with Brian’s family. It was a kind of crappy day with a lot of rain. We had lunch on the water then drove around the town to sightsee. In the afternoon we just hung out for a while and chilled. For dinner, Brian’s uncle made a delicious homemade meal with meat and potatoes. After that we played a tournament of Mexican train dominos. I hadn’t played that game in years and was not doing well when we first started. By the end of the night I had won quite a few rounds of the game.

Tuesday

I went back into the city for dress shopping! My mom, Brian’s mom and Brian’s aunt came with me. Our first stop was Kleinfeld where the TV show “Say Yes To The Dress” is filmed. It was so fun! This was literally the first dress shopping I have done at all. I tried on some very beautiful dresses. Although I did not “say yes” I feel like I have a good direction for what I want in a dress. After Kleinfeld we went across the street to the Kleinfeld Sample Store. I tried on at least a dozen dresses here. After all this wedding dress activity, we grabbed lunch at a cute French bistro called LeSinge. My mom and I then tried to go to Glamour Closet which is another sample wedding dress store but it was closed. All the other bridal stores around were by appointment only except we did walk into Macy’s and I tried on a few more dresses there. My mom took the train to Connecticut and I met back up with Brian at our hotel for the night which was Hotel Mela. I had planned my oufits for the rosé cruise and Carnegie Hall but did not really plan well after that. We were going out to dinner with my cousin and his wife and I did not have anything to wear. Brian and I took a quick trip to H&M on Times Square and got me a cute new outfit mainly picked out by him. Dinner was at Osamil which is a Korean restaurant near the Empire State Building. It was great to hang out with my cousin Luke and his wife Aileen and catch up on life. After dinner we hit Gibson + Luce, STK and The Long Road.

Wednesday

This was our last day in New York and the weather could not have been better! We checked out of our hotel and left our bags there. My cousin’s wife works at the restaurant at The Met and made us reservations there. We started walking that way and made it there by way of Central Park. It was such a gorgeous day! We saw the big fountain and a cute little lake with tiny sailboats. For lunch at The Dining Room at the Met, we both did the prix fixe lunch with three courses. The food was absolutely incredible. Our meals included grilled octopus, Kampachi crudo, lamb loin, gruyeré soufflé, cheesecake and baked Alaska! After lunch we went to the rooftop at The Met that has stunning views of the city. We walked back uptown to The Whitby hotel to meet up with Brian’s friend from childhood who he hadn’t seen in years. It was a really cool little hotel bar and Conan O’Brien was hanging out there too. As our vacation was ending, we took a train back to the airport and flew home to Nashville. I was very thankful to get the nice weather on the last day and can’t wait to get back to New York in the future.

Until next time, NYC.

Cheers!