#1 – Solo Trip (Day in NYC)
Since I am an extrovert, I realize that I never take solo trips. I prefer to plan trips for my family and friends. But I found myself with a free day in NYC in June, before my friends arrived for our girl’s weekend, and I was excited with the prospect of doing things that I wanted to do, with abandon. After dropping my luggage at the Bowery Hotel in the Meat Packing district, I was off! 8 hours to soak in the sights, sounds and smells of the city!
My first stop was Bibliotheque, a perfect trifecta of a bookstore, café and wine bar. Bibliotheque is beautifully decorated with floor to ceiling bookshelves, a gorgeous hand carved bar, and lots of comfy chairs and couches to relax. And it was blessedly cool. After browsing the books and grabbing an iced latte, before heading to the subway to go uptown.
Next stop, the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” at the Costume Institute. As usual, this exhibit was incredible. Beautiful clothing that spans from the 1500 to present, in gorgeous fabrics, colors and patterns. This exhibit, that mimics the theme of the Met Gala is always terrific, and I’m so excited to be able to get back to seeing it, after missing several years due to the Covid pandemic.
Of course, there was no easy way to get from the Met to where I wanted to go next, so it was time to walk a mile in the 90-degree heat to have tea at Alice’s Tea Cup. Along the way, I found a cute The Little Prince statue, that I have never seen before. At Alice’s Tea Cup II, the one on the east side, I had The Nibble, which is tea for one, that consists of a scone, sandwich, chocolate mousse, other sweet treats and tea. There was so much food, and I took some leftovers back to the hotel for a late-night snack! It was a whimsical tea shop where children wear fairy wings, lots of Alice in Wonderland décor and a place to escape the hot, noisy city and enjoy.
A subway ride back downtown was next, followed by a stop for a iced lavender lemonade at Harney and Sons, before waiting for my friends to arrive. What a glorious day with no restrictions; I highly recommend doing a solo (day) trip as often as you can!
