(Complete!) Back in the Big Apple: NYC Feb 2022 food & trip report

[Wordsworth]

Introduction & Pre Flight Requirements

The excitement of being able to travel overseas is more tempered by the stress of meeting all of the requirements to go these days, but I finally made it out of the U.K.!

My sister (41) and I (43) travelled to NYC to belatedly celebrate her 40th birthday - I’d promised her a trip in 2021 but obviously a worldwide pandemic put paid to that. I booked a trip for this Feb in July last year and we have been watching developments ever since.

We are both fully vaccinated and boosted, and at the time of travel all NYC eateries and attractions are requiring proof of vaccination for entry. So before our trip we downloaded the NYC Covid safe app to upload photos of our ID and screenshots of vaccination history from the NHS Scotland app (it also had a section for our pre flight test results). We didn’t have any issues with our U.K. vaccination records being accepted; on some occasions I also used the NHS Scotland app direct on my phone.

As the trip approached the big question mark were the tests needed for travel. As I was WFH I could effectively self isolate for the test to ensure I passed the test to enter the US, but there was a risk of getting stuck in the US if we failed the return U.K. entry test. That wouldn’t have worked! Helpfully, though, the U.K. and Scottish governments announced they would be scrapping the requirement to test before returning, effective the day before we flew out.

That meant the preflight test was the last hurdle. I headed out to Edinburgh airport the day before our flight as required to get tested, and after a nervous wait my negative result was confirmed. My sister got the same, and we were a go!

We flew from Edinburgh to JFK through Heathrow, in Club World (booked using AVIOS and an Amex 241 voucher).

As well as having to get ESTAs and complete API, BA use the VERIFLY app to capture all the preflight COVID data. We duly completed the checklist - attestation (really only two buttons to click in app), uploaded our vaccination records, and the results of our preflight tests. Even where docs had to be manually verified we found it was generally quick - we got all green ticks and then the final step saw us being issued with our green “ready to travel” status on the app. This meant we could then complete online check in through the BA website.

We were definitely ready to travel!

All trip posts will be in this thread, the index for ease of reading is here.

[Wordsworth]

The release of stress once we were all checked in was a physical wave, although as a nervous flyer I still knew I wouldn’t totally relax until we’d arrived in New York!

For info - today is mostly food photos. Also we had to wear masks throughout the day - I bought these and found them quite comfortable; my only slight issue was the way the strap pressed my glasses into my ears, because I needed to wrap it over the leg to keep the specs on. This was a wee bit sore after hours of continuous wear but absolutely bearable.

First things first, though - we met at Edinburgh airport at 8am to get the trip underway. Although we were only away for 4 nights, we were checking in a larger case each and taking a smaller case as hand luggage on the way out - mostly because bath and body works had a three wick candle offer on and we wanted to bring back a few! There had been chat of a baggage handler strike, though, so taking a change of clothes in hand luggage seemed sensible.

Our flight wasn’t until 10.15; we had allowed extra check in time in case of issues, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Check in was easy. We handed over our passports and the agent asked if we had used VERIFLY. When we confirmed we had, she asked to see the “ready to travel” pass, and that was all that was needed. The two larger cases were then tagged (by her) and placed (by us) on the baggage belt, not to be seen again until NYC.

We had access to fast track security so that didn’t take long either, so we were soon in the BA lounge. The set up has changed slightly due to COVID; hot drinks and the bar are (back to) self service, but the food area is cordoned off and there are BA staff members to serve you whatever you ask for. In our case, this was a ham and cheese croissant each.

When the clock ticked over to 9am, we also had a G&T each - our mother would be appalled at us drinking so early in the day, but we were on a celebratory holiday!

The flight to Heathrow boarded on time. Our seats were in the sixth and final row of the Club Europe cabin.

Being in that cabin means complimentary drinks and a light food offering. We asked for champagne (again, we are celebrating) and chose the antipasti option.

We were offered a second bottle of champagne later in the flight but even I can’t drink it that quickly!

We landed on time and were quickly through flight connections (no second security check is required this way, so it’s just a boarding pass scan). We decided to head to the Galleries Club South lounge.

Here again drinks were self pour, but food was ordered by scanning the QR code on your numbered table. The BA staff would then bring it direct to you.

More champagne was needed to start, plus water for hydration of course, and some pretzels because why not:

Before we ordered some food. I went for beef stew and my sister chose the curry option.

We had longer than expected in the lounge. The app had already told me the day before that there was an expected delay on our flight. At that time it was 45 minutes but this had increased to 90 by the time we arrived in Heathrow.

This meant we had time for another drink. I’d spotted some premixed cocktails available, so I decided to try the gin based option, the Barton.

It was nice but incredibly sweet.

When we finally had our gate number, we took the little transit to the B gates and boarded in group 2. I had been slightly disappointed to learn that instead of the new club suites that are supposed to operate all JFK flights, our plane had been swapped for one with the old club seats, but let’s face it, I’m not sure that’s even a first world problem these days! The pre-flight champagne helped clear any lingering upset.

Food orders, including the first bar order, were all taken before take off - again I think in an attempt to minimise contact for COVID reasons.

We ultimately took off two hours later than scheduled, so I was glad I hadn’t planned anything for our first night. I’ve been to NYC multiple times, but this was my sister’s first visit, so I’d planned a rough but flexible itinerary to try to ensure we saw as much as possible. I’d also made a few food reservations as I knew not everywhere had fully reopened, especially Sun/Mon in the city. A cocktail bar I’d had my eye on wasn’t an option for that reason.

Back to the flight. I started with a G&T.

Another change to service due to COVID is that at the moment, there’s no choice of starter or dessert (which means you get both a sweet pud and some cheese - yum!) and everything is served on the tray at the one time.

My sister ordered the beef, which was sadly missing the Yorkshire pudding it was supposed to come with:

I went for the chicken pie, mostly because I’ve never had a pie on a plane before:

We both opted for Sauvignon blanc with the meal, but while my sister had a post-food top up, I decided to switch to a Baileys instead.

I then read a book and took a short nap; there wasn’t really anything on the inflight entertainment I fancied.

I also didn’t fancy the second meal before landing, probably because I snuck in a visit to the Club Kitchen mid flight. There was nowhere near as much as there used to be, but I found something, although I’m sad it’s not kettle chips any more.

My sister opted for the sausage roll, though, and I ended up taking the carrot cake that was also served as she didn’t want it. It was moist but the icing was on the sweet side.

Landing was smooth, then immigration took an absolute age as there were only a couple of desks and they hadn’t finished the previous flight’s queue. No problems once we finally got to a desk, though, and the queue meant our luggage was waiting, so we were at the front of the taxi queue. My husband and I usually get the air train to Penn but that’s with a lot less luggage, so we went taxi this time.

We were staying at the iroquois on West 44th between 5th and 6th Aves. While I hadn’t stayed there before, I do tend to stay around Bryant Park, so I’m quite familiar with the area.

Check in was smooth but it was about 9.30pm by the time we checked in, and with the time difference we were tired so we got ourselves sorted and headed to bed.

[Wordsworth]

As always on the first day of a US holiday, jet lag and the time difference meant we were up early; after an initial deep sleep, I dozed from about 3.30 through to 5.30, then read on my phone until my sister woke at 6.

The hotel offered a “grab and go” breakfast. You went to the lobby desk and chose between a couple of breakfast roll options, or yogurt with granola, which was then given to you in a bag with an orange and a cup of OJ. You could also ask for pastries, and there was coffee/hot water and tea bags available.

I went for the scrambled egg and cheese roll this morning, and it was delicious - there was green chilli through the egg which gave a lovely spicy kick.

While waiting for breakfast, we could see it was snowing.

The plan for the day was to do some shopping then head to Central Park, but because we were up so early, we reversed this. We were out the hotel by 8am and walked a couple of blocks downtown first to see the winter village set up at Bryant Park.

Someone had been busy overnight!

They were also busy trying to clear snow from the ice rink at the park - a scene we would see repeated at the two other ice rinks we’d pass - at Rockerfeller Centre and Central Park - that day!

We then walked across for a first look at Times Square:

Before heading back towards 5th Avenue, via the Rock:

The snow, the early hour, the fact it was Sunday, and the way NYC seemed generally quieter than my previous visits (COVID? Time of year? Both?) made it an interesting stroll.

Once we reached Central Park, we started to wander, stopping to take a lot of photographs as we did so.

It was a beautiful sight in the snow - we were happy to wander for a couple of hours, and ended up hitting over 20,000 steps just after midday!

We then walked down towards 34th street; visibility meant you couldn’t really see the ESB, but that’s ok - we were more interested in the shops. Purchases were made in Macy’s, Forever 21 and Old Navy, before we started to tire and decided to head back to the hotel for a brief rest.

We did stop off at Bryant Park (where we saw what turned out to be a NY fashion week event) to pick up a sweet treat though; I wanted to try this edible cookie dough on a last trip but never managed it, so it was clearly fate they had a pop up in the park! Classic chocolate chip was the choice.

I ate two-thirds of it as an early afternoon snack while my sister FaceTimed her kids at home before their bedtime.

[Wordsworth]

I can’t believe I forgot we also visited Target while out shopping - where I bought a lot of butterscotch chips for baking and my sister purchased goldfish crackers for the kids. 😂

After our short rest, we were back out of the hotel and heading up towards Central Park again. I had 3pm brunch booked at Sarabeth’s on Central Park South.

We had to show ID and proof of vaccine at the door as expected, and once that was done we were taken to our table.

Since we were - you guessed it - celebrating, we started with a carafe of Bellinis to share.

We both decided to go savoury with our brunch and opted for the classic eggs Benedict.

With that salad on the side you could be fooled into thinking you were being healthy, so we also ordered truffle fries to share. Not sure they needed to be served with ketchup but they were.

Dessert was offered but we were both stuffed food-wise, so settled the bill then headed outside again. The snow had stopped and the streets were busier now.

We headed back to the hotel via a few places. I bought some Josie Maran whipped argan oil body butter at Sephora - I love the sweet citrus scent - and then we both went mad buying candles, sanitiser and hand soap at Bath and Body Works (the first of three trips we’d make in total, with orders from our mum and friends to fulfil).

Despite the weight of the candles, we made a quick stop at Grand Central too, it’s such a beautiful building.

It was the quietest I’ve ever seen it.

Back at the hotel, we watched some tv and backed up the day’s photographs, then got ready to go out for some drinks.

It had been hard to find somewhere in midtown that was (1) open on a Sunday night and (2) had availability, as some places that were open were doing ticketed valentines events that I didn’t think would be for us. A week before we flew, though, I’d stumbled upon Refinery Rooftop on West 38th street, part of the Refinery hotel. I managed to book a table for 8pm.

Quick shot of the Empire State Building on the way.

The bar was buzzy but not full when we arrived. It took a few minutes for the host to approach, then after showing proof of vaccine we were seated in the covered area (I believe it would be an outdoor terrace in warmer weather!).

I had a cool view from my seat.

We happily perused the drinks menu:

And ordered our first round of cocktails. A 13th floor margarita (on the left) for me, and a Punch Drunk Love for my sister.

I love a spicy margarita and this hit the spot.

Second round - a Luster (left) for my sister and a martini thyme for me. I think the latter might be my favourite of the cocktails I had.

You might spot in that last pic that despite brunching earlier, we also ordered some food to snack on.

We shared a pepperoni flatbread - the sweet spiciness of this was so good - and some tater tots - which were nice but fell apart a bit as you tried to fork them!

The food took a while to come but the flatbread in particular was definitely worth the wait.

Despite our early start we weren’t quite flagging yet, so time for one last round.

My sister opted for the Perfect Pear (left) while I went back to a spicy tequila base with the Tequila Mockingbird.

After settling the bill, we popped out onto the exposed patch of the terrace for photos:

Then a quick 6 block walk back to the hotel, and day one was done!

[capecoralfl]

A great day! Your report is reminding me of how fab NYC is!
We stayed in the Refinery hotel back in 2019 and had snacks & cocktails up on their rooftop bar too - we loved it!
Bryant Park is also our favourite area of NYC to stay.
We are going back to NYC in a couple of weeks and trying a new area (The Bowery in Chinatown in Lower East Side) so hope it’s as good!

[Wordsworth]

Originally Posted by capecoralfl

A great day! Your report is reminding me of how fab NYC is!
We stayed in the Refinery hotel back in 2019 and had snacks & cocktails up on their rooftop bar too - we loved it!
Bryant Park is also our favourite area of NYC to stay.
We are going back to NYC in a couple of weeks and trying a new area (The Bowery in Chinatown in Lower East Side) so hope it’s as good!

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I loved being back, I love NYC! Going with my sister meant more opportunity for cocktails as well.

Chinatown felt like the busiest, so most “normal”, area of the city compared to previous trips, but I don’t think we went as far along Bowery as your hotel. I hope you have a fab trip.

[CrispyA]

Great photos - Central Park looks good in the snow

[Wordsworth]

I went for the bacon, egg and cheese option at breakfast today…and promptly dropped egg yolk on my jeans. Apart from that I enjoyed it, although overall I preferred the scrambled egg and cheese from the day before.

We were a little later this morning but heading for the subway by 9am, where we bought a $11 metro card each (4 trips at $2.75 plus $1 fee for a card). Apparently the subway accepts contactless now but my card hadn’t been accepted as contactless in a shop the previous day, and my sister’s had been weirdly declined in one shop, so I didn’t want to risk it not working for one of us and being separated.

Our first stop was Park Place, at the WTC.

The memorial itself was still roped off and a queue was building for opening of the museum, but the area was still quiet.

Although this was my 7th trip to NYC, I’ve never visited the memorial museum, it still feels too soon to me, even though it’s 20 years now. I always find myself reflecting on more personal aspects when I’m in the area. On my first trip to NYC with my now-husband, in August 1999, we visited the Twin Towers - but only for the shopping mall (I vividly remember we had a slice from Sbarro and I bought a silver US flag T-shirt from the Limited) as we couldn’t afford the observation deck at the time. It’s still hard to think that just over 2 years later, both the subway station and the mall would be destroyed in the attack.

We walked around taking pictures, reading the names, and reflecting.

It is a beautiful space now.

We then went into the Westfield centre so I could use the restroom. It’s another incredible space.

We headed to Eataly for a browse, and ended up purchasing a cake each (again proof of vaccination was required before we could be allowed to sit in). It was Valentines Day so I went full heart with my choice. It was beautiful and light - a thin layer of sponge and two kinds of mousse.

And in a bonus, my sister couldn’t eat all of hers so I got to finish it. As well as cream there was a lovely custard, and the choux was gorgeous.

With this additional sustenance we were ready to walk to the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s not far from WTC at all.

While it had been incredibly chilly around the WTC (the temperature wasn’t forecast to get above zero), the sun was out at the bridge and it didn’t actually feel too cold as we walked over it.

That said, there was still snow around!

We hadn’t originally planned to walk the whole thing, but it wasn’t busy and it was a beautiful day, so soon enough…

We walked the shoreline for pictures:

Before heading uphill through the Brooklyn streets back to the subway.

Next stop: Chinatown!

The streets were strewn with streamers, I think there had been a party of some kind, perhaps to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Then we crossed over into Little Italy.

It was about 1.30pm now and one of my sister’s friends had set her a pizza slice challenge - so we went to Manero’s pizza on Mulberry Street, which is apparently the only slice in Little Italy.

We had a slice of the classic each. They had a few covered tables outdoors where we sat to eat. I’m not sure if the chill of the day cooled the temperature too quickly, but it wasn’t the hottest (or cheesiest) pizza; that said, it was tasty.

We then made our way back to Times Square by subway, looking in a few stores (mainly Disney, Sephora and American Eagle), before stopping in at a Duane Reade to grab some water as we headed to the hotel. We had family to FaceTime and a fancy dinner to prepare for!

[Wordsworth]

Originally Posted by CrispyA

Great photos - Central Park looks good in the snow

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This was my first trip with an iPhone 13, I was v impressed with the camera compared to the 8 I had before.

I went with my husband for new year in 2008/9 and it snowed on Hogmanay, he was so jealous I got to see Central Park in the snow again this year!

[Wordsworth]

As this trip was to celebrate my sister’s 40th, I knew I wanted to treat her to a special dinner. I turned 40 in NYC back in 2018 and we celebrated with dinner at the Gramercy Tavern.

I had picked it then because it seemed a little less stuffy than many of the fine dining places in NYC with their strict dress codes - no jacket is required for men, for example. We’d loved the 2018 meal (and it set unmet expectations for the V&A at WDW later that year) so I thought it would be a good choice and worked out when reservations would open so I could book. I ideally wanted around 7pm.

Of course, I forgot we would be eating there on Valentines Day! I was finishing up a work call when the reservations opened at 5pm U.K. time a month before, which meant I missed out on tables between 6.30 and 8.30 originally - but I managed to grab a 6pm seating. Then I checked again and clearly someone had let their 7.30pm seating go, so I grabbed it!

We left the hotel at 6.45pm for the 24 block walk to the restaurant (both wearing flat shoes!). Google maps estimated it would take around 35 minutes so we gave ourselves a cushion of 10.

The walk was easy, basically a straight line down 5th Avenue until you reached the Flat Iron building, which we did at 7.15pm. We stopped here to take pics to send home, as it’s one of my husband’s favourite buildings.

The view back uptown was also a good one.

We then walked the final few blocks to the restaurant, arriving at 7.25pm.We masked up, got out our vaccination records, and headed inside to check in. The diners before us were just settling the check, so we waited a few minutes before being shown to our table.

The restaurant has two sections - there’s a (slightly more casual) a La carte menu in the front Tavern section, and a tasting menu only experience in the Dining Room at the back. I’d booked the latter.

Any fears we had of being surrounded by proposing couples were dispelled on being shown to our table (with its ironed tablecloth - we saw them ironing each freshly set table!). While it was busy it was with a real mix of people - some couples, parents with adult children, and what seemed like a table of fashion week colleagues (drinking martinis in sharp black suits and tight hair buns). Weirdly the only table left empty for the rest of the night was the one DH and I had sat at, perhaps it was in his honour.

We started with a cocktail. Both were Valentines themed but I only have a pic of mine. I can’t remember now what was in it (I forgot to photograph the cocktail menu) but it was delicious.

Reading over the menu, I noticed the quoted cost had actually gone down since our last meal, but there are two reasons for that:

(1) there seems to be one less course on the menu now, and
(2) it used to be a gratuity-inclusive restaurant but that has now changed, with prices quoted excluding tip.

We decided to add the optional pasta course (shown in the box), and there was also a lobster tart that could be added as an initial snack, which I felt we needed too. Hey, we were celebrating! (Bored of me using that as an excuse yet?)

And because we were celebrating (sorry) we also decided to plump for the wine pairings.

Onto the food pics! The bread was first up, served with salted butter and thin slices of pickled veg.

My sister declared this the best bread she’d ever eaten, and then we worried we’d eaten it too quickly when they brought us more.

Lobster tart, two exquisite bites.

Hiramasa - this was deliciously fresh and flavourful.

Smoked Arctic char. Again, so good. My sister’s delight at how delicious each course tasted reassured me I’d chosen well!

I was looking forward to the lobster pasta course as the variation I’d had of this on my first visit was the stand out course. It was the same this time - although the hiramasa ran it close! It had a lovely hit of chilli spice in the sauce.

Adding the sweet potato tortellini also proved to be a good decision. The flavour in each bite was just right.

And who doesn’t love sirloin?

I asked for a short break after this course, because I did feel the dishes were coming out faster than on my last visit (I suspect this was an impact of it being Valentine’s Day), and we needed more time to be able to do dessert justice. They were of course accommodating of the request.

I’d also told the restaurant we were celebrating a birthday in the booking notes and so when the chap refilling our water partway through the evening casually enquired about whether we were celebrating, I knew he was trying to establish who’s birthday it was, and equally casually indicated it was my sister’s in my reply!

That resulted in the arrival of a small but perfectly formed coconut cake with meringue frosting being brought to the table with dessert!

And because I’d added all of the extra courses, my sister was getting full now, so I got to eat the lion’s share of this (my plan worked!). Honestly, it was maybe the most delicious cake I’ve ever eaten. The pairing of the meringue with the moist coconut sponge was fantastic.

After that, the chocolate and hazelnut dessert had a lot to live up to, and it perhaps suffered in comparison. It was still tasty but I found all of that chocolate a little too rich for the end of the meal - however I’d been truly spoilt by the earlier courses so I think that’s really just quibbling.

Full disclosure - this was an expensive meal. Food and holidays are the two areas where I prioritise “fun” spending, but I still wouldn’t be able to justify such a splurge on every holiday. I’m happy, however, to pay this much to celebrate a special occasion when the food is as good as the food at Gramercy Tavern was. It was a genuinely gorgeous meal and a great evening.

And we were so merry after all of the matched wine that we did save money on the return trip to the hotel, eschewing a taxi in favour of walking off some of that delicious grub!

We also paused for photos on the way back.

Even so, the walk back seemed much quicker. We were back at the hotel and in bed just after 11.