New York City Mother and Son Adventure

Arrived in NYC at LaGuardia from Chicago, a mom and son's trip! This was a drop-off for a weeklong business course at Fordham University for our senior sons, and a little time for two moms to enjoy the city. We dropped our things at a city apartment where the boys would stay for the week with family. We all enjoyed a short walk to the Neue Museum next to Central Park for lunch at the Austrian Cafe Sabarsky.

The moms checked into our gorgeous hotel. We were upgraded to a corner room on the 16th floor tower, complete with tea, cookies, tea cups, a beautiful display of spirits, and glass-bottled water. The hotel is beyond beautiful... a historical, "gilded age" mansion with stunning art and decor everywhere. In fact, the HBO show "Gilded Age" is based on the life of heiress Charlotte Goodridge, coming to life here. The hotel embraces that era, with the modern tower reflecting the same decor as the mansion. I cannot wait to return and experience this hotel again!

We began our night at the hot spot, The Portrait Bar, with our squad, the best hard-working young people living in NYC, before meeting up with our sons. You can get your reservations as people line up midday to reserve a table for later in the evening. Staying at the hotel gives you preference. We loved beginning our night in this sexy, moody atmosphere. We all enjoyed a mix of concoctions, some tequila-based and some rum.

Dinner at Zou Zou's was delicious. Great ambiance. Our crew loved the awesome Mediterranean food and atmosphere! Order the hummus app tower. All enjoyed the steak and lobster skewers (incredible). Don't forget their awesome Kataifi cheesecake!

Wonderful breakfast post-workout. My roomie went to a great local boxing class at Gotham Gym in the West Village, and I went for a walk outside, ending with an interior stair climb. The walk-up water & coffee bar (in Portrait Bar) was perfect pre-workout. Went back for the citrus-soaked water all morning. Breakfast was outstanding at the Cafe Carmellini, loved the fresh turmeric juice and my mushroom omelet. Highly recommend a walk on the High Line Trail, an elevated walk through Hudson Yards with great neighborhood views as you are perched above the city. Also, great views of the Vessel, an awesome structure you can walk up for an even better view. We entered the High Line via the Hudson Yards Mall, which has everything you could ever need, and a great respite during extreme heat!

After grabbing our students from Fordham in the Bronx, we walked them through the subway experience they'd be managing on their own for the week. After an afternoon rest and lip gloss emergency help at Blue Mercury, I realized the great shopping near our hotel and ABC Home nearby.

We had dinner at the hot spot Bond Street Sushi, which was unbelievably good!! If you love yellowtail sashimi, do not miss. The crispy rice apps were enjoyed by all.

One more morning at Carmellini (and one more mushroom omelet!), a perfect place to catch up on work. Dashed over to ABC Home to check out their fabulous rugs. Quick photo shoot in the beautiful hotel lobby-thank you, front desk photographer Chantal! Goodbye NYC, I cannot wait to return. And I especially cannot wait to return to The Fifth Avenue Hotel!!