NYC: GOING WITH THE FLOW IN THE SNOW!

Lucky me -- back to the Big Apple again after last October's visit (see previous post).  This time the hubby is in tow as the principal reason is a bat mitzvah celebration on his family's side.  Of course I took the opportunity to schedule in a few fabulous meals and two Broadway shows plus an exhibit at the Met, all crammed in to four nights/three full days of non-stop action. Never were the words "man plans and God laughs" more fitting than experiencing NYC's second largest recorded snowfall, beginning the night before the event.  For much of the eastern seaboard, it became a series of plans changed, plans canceled, plans uncertain until the last minute, and everyone going with the flow.   Our original plan stayed in place for the first 24 hours: we checked into our hotel -- The London on W. 54th.  A benefit of traveling to snowy cities are the reduced rates, plus this hotel's location is superb for access to pretty much everything. We landed in time to have dinner at the exquisite Le Bernardin, the flagship restaurant of Eric Ripert, garnering three Michelin stars, the 18th spot on the World's Best List, and pretty much every other accolade out there.  The dining room is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.  Service was impeccable but never snobby, even when I altered the chef's recommended preparation of a dish. The four-course tasting menu is practically a bargain compared with others in this caliber .. Per Se (east coast sister to The French Laundry) used to be there but has apparently slipped (see review) and is more than twice the cost. The nearly all-female sommelier staff (6 in all) were very knowledgeable with a neatly-edited list focused on certain varieties -- heavy on white and red burgundies.  I asked what percentage of patrons bring in their own wine and the answer was: "None.  It is not allowed."  It was a spectacular meal in all aspects.  No wonder it is the toughest reservation around.  Hamachi sushi   Seafood pasta with shaved truffles  Beautiful salad with apple Amazing white tuna and waygu beef Black walnut dessert   The all-white blossoms towered in the center of the room   The Met visit included taking in the Costume Institute's exhibit featuring international style/fashion icon Jacqueline de Ribes.  The hubby was about as interested in this as having a tooth extraction, but he makes an effort to be a willing participant for which I am grateful. What's unique and special about this woman is her attention to detail -- a dying art. Few women have the time, means and interest to concern themselves with always appearing "just so." We live in an era of people getting on airplanes in flip-flops and tank tops. It's not so much about the designer clothing, but rather the caring about one's appearance which seems to be sadly diminished.  Enough said ...      The gowns are timeless and look fresh today as they did 30 years ago The gown which she is shown wearing to a costume ball was on display Not part of the exhibit but I was inspired to shoe shop after ... Bergdorf's still had their post-Christmas sale going on! Friday afternoon was when the plans for Saturday and Sunday began to change so rapidly it was hard to keep up.  The bat mitzvah scheduled for Saturday late afternoon with evening party got moved to Sunday.   We made a beeline for the box office at Lincoln Center to change our Sunday matinée tickets (The King and I) to Saturday evening, plus change our nearby dinner reservation as well. So far, so good.  We informed the hotel we would be staying through Sunday instead of spending one night in Westchester and coming back to the city for a night.  No problem there. We LOVED the hilarious Something Rotten  (second time for me) and departed the theater to a light dusting of snow as predicted late Friday evening.  Saturday morning was something entirely different as the snow was really coming down.  Nonetheless, the hubby hightailed it down to the box office to get matinée tickets (phenomenal seats!) for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (again a repeat for me) --  as even in a snowstorm Hamilton is impossible.  Not 90 minutes later as we showed up at the theater we were informed our show -- and all of Broadway -- was cancelled due to the weather. In fact, the entire city was shutting down save for the hotels and the restaurants within the hotels.  Hello Jonas, the blizzard of 2016.  Frankly I don't see why so many folks had to be hugely disappointed. In some cases the tickets are next to impossible to get; people traveled long distances for special occasions that they may never have again.  The actors were already in place; you could hear people cheering as they exited the stage doors to go home. Couldn't the productions just have a big slumber party if folks connected with the shows couldn't access their normal means for getting home???  Snow piled up in Times Square with the  die-hards still trying to get tix before alerted to the closings Why the smirk?  Because in the hubby's  native Ohio, two feet of snow is called "spring."

Fortunately our dinner that evening at Nougatine was spared (cannot say the same for the hotel's umbrella which the wind literally dismantled). This is the more casual companion eatery to Jean-Georges at Columbus Circle.  Even that was all upside down as the casual side was overwhelmed in order to accommodate hotel guests (the restaurant is in Trump International Hotel, but you-know-who had nothing to do with this!) so we were seated in the formal dining room with our choice of menus. Anything goes in the face of a blizzard..

One of my favorite shots ... perhaps the  driver needed to make a hasty retreat. Below as we're walking down Central Park South back to the hotel.  I would have killed for those cross-country skis.

we had a great time with the hubby's family, most of whom live in the northeast or Florida so these visits are regrettably less frequent. Congrats to Lauren, the bat mitvah girl, and her family. It's not easy undoing and redoing an event for which the planning begins more than a year in advance.  

With the hubby's cousins Andrew, Nancy (mom of Lauren) and David Stone. Below are the beautiful grounds of Elmwood Country Club in Westchester County

As for the experience of being in the "center of the storm," we actually thought it was quite an adventure ... Shout out to JetBlue for getting us home on time Monday even with all the clean up!

A BIG BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED WITH A NIGHT AWAY

I don't know about you, but I would be very happy to have my 65th birthday (several years away!) marked by a night at the luxurious and gorgeous Ritz Carlton in Rancho Mirage (Palm Springs area) with two of my besties, who also happen to be my sisters. And so it was last month as we three marked this milestone for Margie, the first-born (sounds so much nicer than "oldest") of the "Michaels" girls ...

Here we are in the "olden" days, from  left to right in reverse order of age

Margie and I both know what it is like to be born in such close proximity to the end-of-the-year holiday season -- middle of December for her and early January for me. Middle sister Janie drew late September, which occasionally intersects the Jewish holidays, but not as challenging from a planning perspective.  My suggestion was an over-nighter on the exact date which turned out to be splendid as the desert area had not yet geared up for high season.  With an Amex Platinum booking, we scored a gorgeous and large room at a great rate; the hotel had vacancies so this was the perfect time.

The reflecting pool; enormous Christmas tree and the desert in the background

Lovely (and delicious) amenity delivered to the room

Main lobby area

The biggest question was whether we hit the Desert Hills Premium Outlets (in Cabazon) on the way in or back.  The latter was the winner so we could maximize our time at the resort and take advantage of the all the niceties offered.  This property has been around for many years, but Ritz Carlton took charge a few years ago with a major re-do and it is splendid.  Who doesn't like being greeted at the concierge with limitless candy options for a great way to start (offered noon-5pm daily!).  The gingerbread house on display -- complete with the iconic Palm Springs Aerial Tram fully functional via pullies -- was really impressive.  The hotel's decor is soothing, with traditional desert colors blended in with plenty of both Christmas and Hanukkah cheer.  Their State Fare Bar & Kitchen is open all day, with very good food and service, and captures the beautiful views from nearly every table.

Well, maybe just one ....

The tram cabins went up and down via pullies

My sisters went off to enjoy the beautiful spa -- I was plagued with both a bad back and vertigo, neither of which I would allow to get in the way (especially the shopping part).  We reconvened for a wonderful dinner at Roy's near the hotel.

The restaurant's treatment of Margie was especially attentive, with both a happy birthday message awaiting her and a delicious birthday treat.  Again, traveling during "the calm before the Christmas-New Year's storm" proved fortuitous from a service standpoint.  

"Surf & Turf": shortrib & butterfish combo

Spicy grilled shrimp & rice

Wonderful Malbec brought along from home

Hard to believe we had epic fights growing up -- well, two of us anyway   Long forgotten!

As for how we fared at the outlets, well some things just aren't meant for public consumption. Suffice to say, we did our share to help the economy. What I can share is that the outlets are among the best out there.  Not only does nearly every major "designer" brand have its own store, the other end of the pricing spectrum is there as well -- Forever 21.  I'm not quite sure how that store could lower its prices more than they are normally, but they do. The mall is very well staffed, organized, clean, and welcoming.   The staff at the individual stores that we encountered were also very helpful.  I rate it "worth a look" at the very least.

Happy birthday once more to my big sis!