NYC

Cinnamon Roll Crawl

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(Sorry for the silence last week — I fainted last weekend, hurt my head, and was dealing with that for most of the week. I rested a lot, and tried to not be on screens — hence my absence. But I am back!) For whatever reason, I decided that this weekend, I needed to do a self-guided Cinnamon Roll Crawl. I spent a lot of time (once my headaches disappeared) researching the best cinnamon rolls in the city and my plan to do it.

 

For whatever reason, I decided that the best way to get there was to RUN! So I ran along the West Side Highway to get downtown (because of course, the best bakeries are downtown).

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NYC Marathon 2025

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My favorite day of the year in NYC — and this one did not disappoint — The NYC Marathon. Actually, New York showed off in any way and it was truly a magical day. I did not run — but cheered for 5 hours — and it was absolutely glorious.

 

My preparation for the marathon started on Saturday by watching Kipchoge’s documentary — he is my absolute favorite runner (and maybe even athlete, close to Nadal) and this documentary is so inspirational and incredible.

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NYC Bakery Run 2025

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This past Sunday, I ran the first ever NYC Bakery Run. A half-marathon with 8 bakeries. Yep, the route covered 8 different bakery stops. All were incredible — and it was such a fun and different day! Thank you, Tipster, for putting together such a fun, successful and unique day!

 

The run was put together by Tipster. Tipster is a website and journal that is in the know of everything cool, hip, and new. This was their first issue in NY (It is based in Copenhagen) and it covered all the best bakeries. So it made sense that their big NYC start was a half marathon with 8 of these bakeries listed. We went to all of the ones listed above minus Apollo Bagel and Win Son Bakery.

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Caffe Panna

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Nothing beats a scoop of ice cream on a hot day. Actually, even on a cool day, a scoop of GOOD ice cream makes everything better. Last week, I was introduced to Caffe Panna, an ice cream shop located on 19th and Irving, started by Hallie Meyer (the daughter of Danny Meyer, famous and fabulous restauranteur). I was super excited to try this ice cream, and it EXCEEDED my expectations. It was so so so delicious, and I want to go back and try multiple different flavors. And yes, I am lactose intolerant, and ice cream hurts my stomach, but this ice cream was worth it, trust me.

 

How cute is the store front? It Is just a window where you order and receive the ice cream.

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Currently Loving June 2025

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BLINK and here we are in June. In disbelief at how time flies, floats, and passes. So here is what I am loving right now.

 

1. My Boy Home

 

My boy is back from boarding school and I couldn’t be happier to have him home. And with me. And in my arms. He had the best year and I am forever grateful for this experience at his new school, but man, I have missed him. And so happy to be reunited.

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Steve’s Key Lime Pie

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I have a lot of favorite desserts, but one of my TOP favorite desserts is key lime pie. And now just any key lime pie, but Steve’s Key Lime Pie. Steve’s pies are sold at dozens of stores in Manhattan, but if you want the freshest, then you have to travel to Red Hook in Brooklyn to his store. Yep, 30 minute drive — but oh so worth it. Especially on a beautiful sunny day, nothing beats eating Steve’s Key Lime Pie with the water view.

 

We used to come out to Red Hook every weekend to grocery shop, walk around, and feel like we lived in the burbs. Now, it is a fun adventure to go just to look out at the water and eat pie.

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Two New NYC Restaurants

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This past weekend, we wined and dined in some new restaurants — both of them we loved and would return in a minute. Therefore, needed to tell you all, as both are special and must visits.

 

Cafe Louis Vuitton

 

Located on the 4th floor of Louis Vuitton’s NYC flagship, this cafe is a gorgeous location to have a special meal.

 

Tusia did her hair and looked gorgeous for our mother-daughter Good Friday (aka no school) date.

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Flower Girl Workshop

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Last week, I took my THIRD flower workshop, and I couldn’t have loved it more. In the past five years, I have taken three flower arrangement classes, all from the NYC florist, Flower Girl. Every time, I leave having more of a sense of how to create a beautiful creation. Trust me, if you have access to take a flower arrangement class, take it. So fun. So fun. And I love coming home with a new bouquet, too! WIN WIN.

 

Final Product!

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Jesse Krimes at The Met

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If you are in NYC before July 13th, I highly recommend stopping by the Jesse Krimes: Corrections exhibit at the Met. It is the best exhibit I have seen in a long time — and the story behind it is amazing. And even if you don’t have the chance to see the exhibit, I highly recommend learning more about Jesse Krimes (from this post, but also the other articles link, etc…) — he is someone to know of! Long story short, Jesse was put in prison for selling drugs, and during this time, he created art with the items he has access to while in prison.

 

This piece, called “Purgatory” is when Jesse was in solitaire confinement for a year (awaiting trial as he could not afford bail).  He created this with bars of soap and decks of cards — and put the faces of people from the paper using hair gel to create an impression on to the soap.

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Catbird Rings

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My 7th grade daughter, Tusia, has been on the search for the perfect rings for quite some time. Problem is, she has tiny little fingers, and we didn’t want to break the bank with a ring. So when I remembered Catbird — a Brooklyn based Jewelry company that I fell in love with two decades ago, I knew it was the perfect place for us to go look at for rings. And it was EVERYTHING and more than we had hoped for. The staff was incredible, all the jewelry beyond perfect, reasonable prices, and exactly what we were looking for.

 

We ended up getting two rings so she could stack them. She wanted them on her pointer finger — and they literally had every size imaginable — so it was perfect.

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Chocolate Croissants x 2

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YUMMMMMMM. One of my family’s favorite food items is chocolate croissants — I mean, WHO doesn’t love chocolate croissants??? So when in the Flatiron area of Manhattan last Friday, I fell upon not one, but two, different bakeries, that were so beautiful and scrumptious, that I had to get something at each. First off….

 

Lysee

 

The store looked like a museum. On the ground floor, there was a sit down cafe, and to order take out, you walked up the stairs to where the baked goods were all displayed and where you placed the order. Even the bags are beyond chic and beautiful.

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NY Historical Society Exhibits

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It has been exactly one year since Flaco died, RIP. If you don’t remember, Flaco, was an escaped owl from Central Park Zoo, who roamed Central Park for a year’s time. I, along with many other New Yorkers, became enthralled and fascinated with Flaco (see my post here from March 2023)

 

I spent many many hours (and steps) searching for Flaco. I followed specific websites to find location, and just fell in love with the story of Flaco being free.

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Comedy Cellar

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This past Friday, instead of going out to dinner, I went to Comedy Cellar with a friend (Ken and Tusia were skiing for the weekend). Not only was it fun to mix things up — instead of a typical Friday just going to dinner with other couples or friends, but doing an activity. Always love an activity — especially when it is a super fun activity like STAND UP COMEDY. Can it get any better or more fun? We LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED and omg, I want to go back as soon as I can. It was that much fun.

 

Comedy Cellar — the best place for comedy. It was my first time going, but definitely not my last!

 

There are a bajillion shows per day — and on this Friday night, we attended the 6:45 pm show (there were 3 shows AFTER this one!). You must reserve in advance on line (it sells out quickly) and the cost is 2 drinks minimum. We showed up in the rain hungry, so we went to Artichoke Pizza and ate a slice of pizza at the counter — another fun highlight. (When was the last time that happened? Loved it)

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Luna Luna + Din Tai Fung

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At the VERY start of break (yes, I am very behind on all posts and catch ups), we went to one of our favorite dumplings spots, Din Tai Fung, and also to a fun immersive art experience, Luna Luna. I highly suggest going to both — for taste, color, experience!

 

Luna Luna

 

Lots of color — and super cool to learn about everything. (It was VERY cold and we stayed in our coats the entire time)

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Fun NYC Activities Dec 2024

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Just a couple of days left until Winter Break…and we have squeezed in so many fun activities in the city. If you happen to be in NYC in the next couple of weeks, highly suggest doing the following:

 

1. The Rockettes

 

Is there anything more beautiful than Radio City Hall?

Tusia’s bestie performed at the start of the Rockettes, which gave us an excuse to buy tickets and go see the Rockettes. Always puts you in the holiday spirit! And her bestie ROCKED it. Future rockette!

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Thai Diner

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Always on a hunt for an adventure and a new restaurant, I read about Thai Diner and knew it was somewhere I needed to try. So I dragged the family there this past weekend — and loved every minute. HIGHLY recommend if you are in the city! Or if you come to visit — loved it. A mixture of diner food and Thai food — lots of flavor, spice, and deliciousness. It opens at 10 am, we got there at 11:45 am and had a 45 minute wait, but. we roamed the streets of Soho, so didn’t feel like a wait. There was a line around the block for 2 hours when we left. 2 HOURS!!!!

 

Located in Nolita on Mott street — across the street from my favorite (but no longer there) retail store, Warm, RIP). Easy to get to from our place on the subway.

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Currently Loving November 2024

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This morning when I was walking the dog, I was in disbelief that there were Christmas lights on so many of the stores along Madison Avenue….but then I realized, we are 2/3 done with November and it is almost December….how did this happen? In any case, Christmas light season here we are. And here is what I am currently loving.

 

1. Bonbon Candies

 

When I went to visit Cruzzie, I thought it would be nice to bring him and his friends something from NYC to CA. It had to be compact, easy to travel with, and something everything would like — which turns out to be candy. Bonbon candy. It was a huge hit and worth lugging it across the country.

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Marathon Signs

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One of my favorite days of the year in NYC is Marathon Day. There is an electric feel everywhere you go — so many people with smiles, cheering people on for accomplishing something they dreamed of doing, an inexplainable excitement. Truly a magical day in the city. The second best thing to RUNNING the marathon, is cheering all the runners on. Since this year, I ran the Chicago Marathon and have been dealing with a nagging injury (I can barely run right now, which is devastating, but resting it is the best thing for it), I opted out of running the NYC marathon, and instead cheered everyone on. And what a glorious day it was! With Tusia and two of her friends, we decided to make signs to go cheer everyone on at mile 25.  Making signs was a great activity in itself!

 

The first problem was trying to find poster board. We didn’t think about making signs until. the day of, and on Sunday morning, no store nearby had poster boards. So I had to get creative with how to make a poster board — in this case, I had a big gift bag, that I cut into parts, put white paper on the side, and taped it all together. You do what you gotta do!

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Pop Up Bagels

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One of Tusia’s best friends brought over THE BEST BAGELS AND BUTTER I have ever tasted. Currently all the rage, Pop Up Bagels, is rumored to be one of the best (if not the best) bagel in NYC at this time.

 

They have a lot of locations in the tristate area — 3 in the city (UWS, UES, downtown) — Westchester, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Every time I have walked by, the lines have been out the door. So when our bestie stopped by with bagels and butter for us, it was a win win HAPPY day!

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Tatter Textile — Basket Weaving Class

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You know how small the world is? Small — but here is an example of how small it actually is. When we were trying to figure out if Thacher was the right school for Cruz or not, we were put in touch with a NYC parent who has kids attend Thacher. This woman, happened to be the owner of Tatter Texile. I had no idea what Tatter was, but when I told my mom, she explained that Tatter is a textile store / workshop / library that she takes a million of zoom classes from. So when this summer I became interested in basket weaving, my mom signed me up for a basket class AT Tatter. I loved every minute of it — not just making the basket, but meeting the owner (Jordana — lovely human), being crafty, and getting a taste of Tatter and its beauty! Tatter offers a slew of different classes in all different art forms — highly recommend checking it out!

 

The beautiful library – I LOVE the sofa.

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New Top Jewelry

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Since Cruz has been in California, he has truly become a California Kid. He looks SOOOO Californian with his hair, style, look, etc…So it was no surprise when he asked me if he could get a necklace (something he would have never have asked me for before his new school experience). Since I was clueless on what would look good — I asked a friend that knows everything hip and stylish. She knows all the hidden gems and secret places, and told me about “New Top Jewelry” — a store where you can have custom made jewelry made. I love that she doesn’t gate keep, and tells me exactly where to go. I am so thankful for this, because I would have NEVER EVER EVER have found this place on my own. It is located Soho border of Chinatown, and looks like a total random store.

 

GOLD! Chains! Charms! ID bracelets! Anything and everything you want!

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