We started our last full day in New York the same way as our second, at the bagel shop.

Today, it was Pick A Bagel, an almost as highly rated and much closer to our hotel stop than Best Bagel and Coffee. The line was long but moved quickly.

I opted for a sesame bagel with chive cream cheese while Robert again went for a breakfast sandwich. After breakfast we walked down to Rockefeller Center.

We wandered around the garden fountains, a few nearby stores and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Our next stop (my favorite!) was the New York City Public Library.

I’ve had a long love affair with books for as long as I can remember and couldn’t wait to see the iconic Library Lions.

The Library was definitely the most beautiful I’ve ever been in and Robert was a great sport, letting me explore to my heart’s content.

Love that man.

Next up, Grand Central Station! Another must do on my list after seeing it in 8 million movies but never having been myself. 

We had a little difficulty finding our way inside and got to witness a very fun looking road race taking place around the perimeter but finally made it.

Once we’d had our fill we purchased subway ticket and headed for the Brooklyn Bridge.

I was anxious to walk across the bridge and was also under the impression that we would find some fun shopping in Brooklyn.

The Bridge was great! Although I never found the shopping 😦 New Yorkers or those familiar with the city…WHERE can you find unique stores (gifts/clothing/art etc.)? I am SURE they exist (probably in Brooklyn!) but alas, google/facebook failed me and shopping wasn’t really meant to be this trip. Luckily for me eating was definitely meant to be.

After giving up on Brooklyn we ubered back to the Chelsea Market and stopped for lunch at Giovanni Rana.

 

We were overdue for some Italian and had an amazing waiter who let us do the pasta journey which was usually only available at dinner. It may have helped that it was my birthday…

The Pasta Journey is basically a flight of pastas of your choice, aka, this indecisive girls dream. We chose three pastas, the reginette with espresso braised shortrib and porcini mushrooms (yum); the lobster mezzaluna (even more yum) and the ravioli carbonara (the most yum ever).

Everything was absolutely delicious and our waiter was kind enough to bring us a birthday tiramisu on the house 🙂

Sufficiently stuffed we browsed the stores in the market including the highly recommended Arts and Fleas. Finally, a little shopping!

After the market we walked a portion of the Highline, an elevated public park which was very cool.

It was full of gardens and art installations, including this one that looked like a tank of Lobsters but was actually just a tank full of trash and litter.

After the Highline we headed back to our hotel for a nap before dinner. I awoke from my nap to a knock at our hotel door (always a little nerve wracking) and was delighted to find it was a concierge with a very special delivery…doughnuts!

Doughnuts are definitely one of my guilty pleasures and my sweet friend Anna had arranged the surprise. So special and thoughtful! After a doughnut appetizer we headed to a VERY late dinner at Blue Ribbon Brasserie.

This was definitely one of the more interesting (and hard to find) restaurants I’ve ever been to but the service was fabulous and I had no trouble washing my doughnuts down with fried chicken (I highly recommend this combination by the way, especially on your birthday).

We lingered at dinner, reminiscing about what a great weekend it had been and all the delicious things we had eaten. We both agreed that a yearly weekend getaway to the city was a fabulous idea. I plan to hold you to it Robert!

We caught an early flight out the next morning and were back in SC before 9 AM. After getting some birthday cuddles in with Renly and unpacking my bag we headed to my darling Aunt Vanessa’s for a final birthday dinner!

As always, my family made me feel very loved with special decorations, handmade cards and thoughtful gifts. Birthdays, when done right, are the absolute best ❤  Here’s to 30!