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Since we survived the first day and night of our vacation, we decided to celebrate by doing some more wandering. This time we managed not to get lost and put ourselves in a perilous situation.
First stop: A peek at the filming of the Today Show. I used to watch Today every morning. To the point that I felt like I knew Matt, Ann, Natalie, Savannah, and Al personally. {I stopped watching when Ann -- my absolute favorite -- parted ways with the show. Boo.} It was chilly, but we managed to stay warm enough to catch a few minutes of Al Roker & Savannah Guthrie shooting a quick segment out on the Plaza.
We walked around and saw Rockefeller Center by day... still very neat, but not quite as magical as it was the night before decked out in twinkly lights and illuminated by the giant tree.
As if we hadn't had enough trees or brisk fresh air {is there a such thing in NYC?}, we decided to make our way to Central Park -- one of the top places on my list of must-see city sites. After a quick stop at a tiny corner store to grab a hot cup of coffee, we started our stroll.
Central Park is one of my absolute favorite places I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. It is such a paradox... a welcome inconsistency in the busy, bustling city. Sure, there's movement and activity in the park itself, but there's something pleasantly eerie about the sense of calm that Central Park elicits in the middle of a place known for moving at warp speed.
There are so many little nuances to the park -- hidden nooks and crannies that are waiting to be discovered, statues and exhibits to stumble upon unexpectedly, gorgeous vistas to happen upon that seem to be affixed onto a metropolitan backdrop of skyscrapers in the distance. Central Park is a little oasis smack dab in the middle of the city.
If my waxing poetic hasn't already tipped you off, I was charmed to pieces. Given the opportunity to have an extended stay in the city, I could probably spend an entire day meandering around Central Park.
Oh, hi. I love it here. |
With a wholesome nature walk in the park checked off our list, we moved on to browse a beauty of a less organic nature: The Plaza Hotel.
What do you think of when you hear "The Plaza"? Home Alone 2: Lost in New York? Opulent celebrity weddings? Bride Wars? The Eloise books? Yeah, me too. Since I figured I'd never be back here for an extended period of time {Hint/Foreshadowing: I was wrong.}, I wanted to get lost in The Plaza's fanciness, whether or not I had to literally drag Steve along its shiny marble hallways or not.
Since it was around Christmastime, The Plaza was decorated even more beautifully than normal with wreaths, and trees, and festive floral pomanders. It was dreamy. {And so worth having a pouty husband who couldn't care less about crystal chandeliers in tow.}
We hit the pavement once again and, while I already had Steve in a fancy frame of mind, I thought I'd take a quick look at the elaborately decorated store windows on 5th Avenue... something I had always wanted to do.
I didn't want to torture the hubs with girlie site seeing any longer, so I suggested we take a little break to rest our tootsies at a place I had read about in my trip research a few weeks before: The Knave Care & Bar at Le Parker Meridian. {I didn't say I was done being fancy. At least there was food involved here.}
So, this place... such an unexpected spot and exactly what I needed to relax from the break-neck pace we had been keeping. The Knave is literally a nave which I thought was super geeky play-on-words-cool. You walk in from an unassuming street entrance and find yourself standing in the middle of what looks like part of a cathedral; swathed in rich velvet curtains, low lit with medieval-looking chandeliers, and filled with cozy tufted booths.
My coffee arrived -- complete with foam art & a delicious little shortbread cookie -- and while I can't say it was the best coffee drink I've ever had, I enjoyed sipping away while Steve and I planned out the rest of the day as the sound of Bach's Cello Suite No. 1- Prelude {my favorite, surely they knew I'd be there} floated through the room.
I sort of didn't want to leave...which seems to be my personal theme when it comes to NYC.
In Part 5 {yes, there's still more!}, I'll be telling you all about my second favorite spot in the city and take you along on a little food tour that was put together by one of my very good friends.
It's easy to get caught up in all the frills of the finer places in the city. While it's true that I enjoy luxuriating in the lavish from time to time, some things can be just as elegant and special without all the fuss. Take these shortbread cookies, for example.
Inspired by the little cookie that was served with my Mocha, these little melt-in-your-mouth bites are a reminder that sometimes simple really is best. Buttery, and just sweet enough with a delicate orange scent, these Citrus Shortbread Cookies are pure perfection with just a handful of every day ingredients.
Citrus Shortbread Cookies
Adapted from Joy of Baking
1 cup butter {2 sticks}, softened
½ cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer {or with your hand mixer}, cream together softened butter and confectioners' sugar. Add the vanilla extract and orange zest, and mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, and salt.
3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until it's fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl every once in a while.
4. Scoop the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a disk. {I like to fold the plastic wrap over onto the dough and lightly roll the dough out to the thickness I want the cookies to be to save myself some time later when I'm ready to cut out the cookies.}
5. Refrigerate the dough for about an hour, or until firm.
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before you are going to use it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
7. Using a cookie cutter of your choice {I actually use an inverted champagne flute because it's the perfect round size... I should probably invest in a cookie cutter of that size.}, cut out desired shapes and place onto the lined cookie sheet.
8. Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes or until the cookies look "set" and the edges are slightly golden. {Don't let them get too brown.}
9. These are crumbly little bites, so let them cool down before removing them from the cookie sheet and cooling them completely on a rack.
Chineka @ Savor The Baking says
I would love to sit on a bench in Central Park and read a good book.
🙂 I too relate the The Plaza Hotel to Home Alone 2. Great Post and thanks for taking us all along with you to New York. I loved the series and how it related to food. Us foodies really appreciate it.
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says
Love these pictures AND These cookies! I keep trying to pretend it's spring here in nj so these citrusy cookies will go perfectly with my little daydreams of sunshine 😀