There are few big cities in the US that do christmas as well as New York, so when Meredith needed to make a trip to the city fora shoot, we did the natural thing and made a Map & Menu weekend of it. In just over 36 hours, we covered a lot of ground, ate at some amazing restaurants, did some shopping, visited friends and family, and simply had a wonderful time.
Chambers Hotel
All 77 of the rooms at the Chambers Hotel were designed with artsists’ lofts in mind, and each room contains a few pieces of original art. In fact, there are over 500 works on display throughout the hotel! View pictures and read more about the Chambers Hotel
Buvette
When we started finalizing our plans for our trip to New York, eating a meal at Buvette – whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner – was an absolute must for us. View pictures and read more about Buvette
Freemans
Freemans has been near the top of our ‘Hopeful Reservations’ list for quite some time now, so I was absolutely delighted when our friends who live in the neighborhood suggested we meet there on Saturday morning for brunch. View pictures and read more about Freemans
McNally Jackson Books
While killing time during Meredith’s shoot, I stopped into McNally Jackson Books on Prince Street in NoLita, and quickly got lost in the fantastic rows and tables of great reading. I’m a huge fan of knowledgeable staff picks (of which they had plenty), and it seemed like just about every book on the shelves was one that I would gladly read. New York has no shortage of bookstores, but with a solid selection, and non of the stuffiness that some afford, McNally Jackson stands out as a great stop.
Haus Interior
After her shoot, Meredith seemingly wanted to just stroll around NoLita, but after she found Haus Interior on Elizabeth Street, I realized that this had been her plan the entire time. For what the New York location of this West Coast company lacks in space, it makes up for in quality of items. It seemed like we could take home just about every item in the store for a different room in our house
Má Pêche
After a busy morning in the Lower East Side and NoLita, Meredith and I were just looking to get out of the cold and off of our feet, and what better place to do that than the momofuku ‘mother peach’ restaurant in our own hotel – Ma Peche. View pictures and read more about Má Pêche
Ladurée
No need for an explanation here, if you’ve read our post about Paris, but it was pointless to try and talk Meredith out of waiting in line in the cold to visit the only US location (currently) of her favorite macaron shop on Madison Avenue in the Upper East Side. We even purchased a cooler to take a few home with us!
Co.
One of my favorite bloggers, Joanna Goddard of A Cup of Jo, has never steered us in the wrong direction when it comes to food in New York, so when she listed Co. among her 10 favorite restaurants in the city, I kept it in the back of my mind, and when Saturday night rolled around and we wanted something super low-key, I suggested grabbing some pizza at Co., and Michael was more than on board. View pictures and read more about Co.
momofuku milk bar
Birthday cake truffles, candy bar pies, compost cookies – I don’t really need to explain this one any further, but now I wish that every hotel we stay in will have a momofuku milk bar in the lobby.
Tipsy Parson
In typical Map & Menu fashion, we went all out on our Sunday brunch before our trip back to Maine. Also, in typical Map & Menu fashion, Meredith already had the perfect place in mind to do just that – Tipsy Parson in Chelsea. View pictures and read more about Tipsy Parson
Love seeing you guys in my own backyard! Also looking forward to a Christmas trip to *your* backyard.