"Here's Lookin' At You Kid" In The Big Apple

I started this week a pampered woman. I had a mani/pedi at The Vineville Salon followed by a stroll through our new  Freshmarket.
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The manicure and pedicure were divine. If you haven’t ever treated yourself to one at Vineville Salon – call Erin Teipel right now! She’s truly a delight and my fingers and toes have still not begun to fade – a WEEK later. I’m telling you right now, this is the real deal.
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And Freshmarket – oh Freshmarket! Let me count the ways. White asparagus, yellow carrots, and little baby squash. Sugar-cane-skewered salmon, beef Wellington, and Chicken (Paris, Vienna, Geneva & London). Baby cannoli, toasted almond crème torte, and mousse tulips. But the real icing on this pampered woman’s cake . . . the CHEESE! All I can say is . . . “you had me at” . . . Manchego.
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… And then, to my unparalleled (and DEFINITELY pampered) delight, I got “Carrie”ed away! Swept off to New York for the holiday weekend by a Southern Gentleman for whom I simply cannot make any comparison, I had a perfect weekend. I am not going to give him a clever nickname or a descriptive moniker. I will simply tell you – just that – first and foremost, this man is a Gentleman. “Carrie”ed away, for a perfect weekend, by a perfect gentleman . . . who could ask for anything more? And where do I ever begin?
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A Love Letter To New York City:
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“We had it all.”
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The flight, Friday, was exhilarating! I couldn’t wait to get there. Spotted . . . “Hellooo, Ted Turner.” XOXO
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Dinner at Canyon Road was spent sipping one of my true favorites - the Cactus Margarita and adoring every last bite of the Duck Quesadillas. This darling cantina is a place where the crisp, white, delicately southwestern, candle-lit ambiance makes you want to request the single corner table. So call ahead and have them put that cute little “reserved” card on it for you.
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And lest you doubt my adoration for the quesadilla, you should also know that I ordered them for brunch on Saturday as well. At Arriba – the (breakfast) Gerardo Quesadilla is a must. Afterwards I partook of the only truly acceptable after-brunch-activity in all of New York City . . . a stroll through The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Grecian Gods & Goddesses, Martinis on the rooftop, Superheroes . . . be still my beating heart. 
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Later on, trading in my sombrero for a helmet, I had a slice of the south and the best draft beer a girl could ask for when we joined a group of Auburn Fans at Bar 515. If flatscreens-a-plenty, raging testosterone and being one of the only girls is your thing – do not miss a football game at this bar. I was “in heaven”!
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Our lazy Sunday was filled with all things New York and wonderful. Cupcakes and Milk at Buttercup, a Woody Allen Movie at City Cinemas on 59th and a couple of burgers and “skinnies” at JG Melon. But it was infused with a pinch of Macon as well – Mimosas with Maconians in the morning and Carrie Preston as “Sally” in the afternoon. The Toast of my Sunday goes to the staff at JG Melon. I have never before been to a more friendly place in all of my visits to the city. Well - I mean - FOUR people said goodbye to me! When you go, order your cheeseburger medium rare, ask for extra pickles, and “heavens to Betsy” do NOT skip the cottage fries.
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Monday was bittersweet. I relished the last day there and dreaded ever leaving. So we drowned ourselves in more of the best that New York has to offer. The Drunk Man Noodle at Spice Thai was nearly hallucinogenic, a stroll through the heart of Central Park and a Strawberry Popsicle were refreshing, and the only thing better than the Cheese Pizza at Patsy’s (once shipped all over the world at the craving whim of Frank Sinatra) was the long walk and conversation on the way there. The end of another wonderful day was spent sipping Lillet and watching the Season Premier of Gossip Girl . . . “New York, New-hew York!”
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Well what was my favorite thing about the trip you ask? Shucks, I haven’t even mentioned it yet. That’s right . . . as usual, I “go and save the best for last."
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Tourists come to Central Park from around the world to experience the magic that it offers. They row boats, rent bicycles, ride in carriages and on the carousel, sit on bronze statues to take pictures, lie on blankets and play with toy sailboats. Yes they do all of these things . . . and miss out on what I believe is the real heart-BEAT of Central Park.
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This trip introduced me to so many of the reasons that New Yorkers Toast their dear city again and again. But of these things – MY favorite was a little thing that my Gentleman likes to call “Roller Disco.” The New York Central Park Dance Skating Association is quite amazing! People from all walks of life put on roller skates and “feel the love.” The music, the colors, the costumes, the skate tricks . . . even an adult-sized tricycle. It is the epitome of people coming together for nothing more than a lift to the spirit. And it lifted me up to watch them. This may sound (to someone who has never experienced it in person) like a funny thing to say about roller skating and disco but . . . well . . . the romance of it all just broke my heart – in the very best way.
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When I was leaving I passed by a shop and saw a snow globe in the window. It said “I Heart New York” on the base so I bought it and now I don’t have to close my eyes to imagine myself back there. I do “heart” New York, I have always “heart”ed New York, and (after this weekend) I “heart” it just an OH-SO-MUCH bit more.


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