New York State of Mind

A quick 3-day weekend in the city

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Here’s a recap of what I saw and ate in NYC last weekend. I apologize for clogging up your inbox this week. You don’t need to hear from me four times a week, but I need to send this before I forget the details!

First things first, we stayed at Kit Kemp’s newest NYC hotel, The Warren Street Hotel. It’s full of Kemp’s signature design style: Lots of color, pattern, texture, funky art and sculpture, and cool details. It makes you feel like you’re in a sophisticated townhouse. I’m a huge fan of her library rooms with an honor bar where guests can pour themselves an evening glass of champagne or make a Campari and soda. They’re dimly lit with evening candlelight and a brighter spot to rest your feet during the day.

I love how every room service tray comes with flowers

We were in the city for a quick weekend visit and work-related meetings. And unlike my usual travel style, I showed up without one restaurant reservation. We had tickets to The Outsiders on our first night, so we needed an early dinner before taking the subway uptown (it’s faster and easier to take the express than to Uber or a taxi). We walked a few blocks to Odeon, a Tribeca institution. It was ho-hum and I wouldn’t recommend it. It was fine. But when you’re in the city for three nights, you don’t want fine. Outsiders, on the other hand, was the opposite of fine. It was INCREDIBLE. The music reminded me of Tyler Childers or Zack Bryan, and the acting was spot-on and so emotional.

The next day, I had a work lunch at San Sabino. It’s a sophisticated corner spot in the West Village owned by the Don Angie and Quality Italian people. My favorite thing was a simple tri colore salad topped with nori, toasted breadcrumbs and a green garlic dressing. The meatball spiedini and tuna tartare tucked into arancini were delicious, too.

After shopping around Soho with my girls and their cousin who attends college in the city, we needed an afternoon slice (or two) from Upside on Spring Street. The draw is partly the spicy vodka sauce pizza and partly Softside, their soft serve place next door. You can get your soft serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, dunked in a chocolate shell, or plain like I like it. We always visit when we’re in town, even though there are newer soft-serve spots we should check out. They do close in winter, just to warn you. Here’s a photo of us in mourning last winter when we found out they were shuttered until warmer days. I also wanted to get to Culture, but I didn’t make it.

My youngest on a trip to NYC last winter, wondering why other people don’t want soft serve in the cold!

I didn’t do much shopping while we were there, but we visited the following:

Doen. I wanted this sweater but resisted.

Le Set. Soft pointelle shirts and lounge pants.

Guest in Residence. Cool sweaters and cashmere basics.

Lil Sweet Treat. We have been obsessed with Swedish candy since our trip to Stockholm last summer.

That night, we walked to Casa Carmen and might have passed Taylor and Kyle on the street (we didn’t, but they were spotted close to where we were). They ate at The Corner Store, for which I was on the waitlist but had no luck. But back to Casa Carmen, one of my favorite dinners of the whole trip. The photos of the restaurant make it look quiet and subdued, but it was hopping—long tables of attractive 20-somethings, music piping from the speakers, and three-deep at the bar. We had the ceviche, guacamole with fried whole small tortillas, enchiladas verde and steak tacos. The food was upscale and regional Mexican, and the cocktails were creative and seasonal. Their take on a Hugo Spritz with the addition of a bit of apple cider and olive juice was spot on and unexpected.

Casa Carmen’s seasonal spritz

The next day was busy: a morning walk through Tribeca, brunch at Frenchette, a matinee of Hell’s Kitchen, jazz at Birdland to hear Ashley Pezzoti and a late reso I snagged earlier in the day at Paros. We stumbled home after dinner and called it a night. Skip Hell's Kitchen if you don’t love the typical Broadway show (i.e., dramatic energy).

The next day, I took another long walk to check out the lines at Leon’s and Popup Bagel and returned to Tribeca for Zucker’s, a block behind the Warren Street Hotel. Their bagels were tasty, with several different types of smoked fish and spreads and their in-house everything bagel seasonings.

Also, can we pause for a moment of silence and appreciate the current state of La Guardia?! Does anyone remember pre-renovation seeing water dripping from the ceiling into buckets all over the airport?

That’s all for now, friends! Please share your favorite NYC spots in the chat!