Happy Spring

I cannot believe it has been two weeks since I wrapped up my Southern Wedding posts! My only excuse for such a dry spell is being a busy little bee. I finished up my most recent interim teaching position- those three months absolutely flew by! In these last two weeks I had some serious grading to do, an Open House and many more little tasks to keep me more than occupied.

One of the definite perks of being a teacher is Spring Break!! And ladies and gentlemen that is what I am doing right now - relaxing. This past weekend I kicked off my week of freedom by jetting up to NYC to visit my dear friend ACR and her lovely beau. Despite the psychotic nor'easter like weather, we made the best of our time together and spent Saturday hopping from one fabulous NYC location to another. I have been lucky enough to travel to NYC with family and friends enough times that there was no pressure to "see the sights" - this weekend was all about catching up with a friend I miss having in Dallas. We kicked off the day at Park Avenue Winter and enjoyed a fabulous brunch including pastries, a pear and prosciutto salad and a breakfast Risotto. I recommend this location to anyone heading up to Manhattan - it was wonderfully done.

We then headed out for a bit of shopping at the Time Warner center (William Sonoma Home - one of my all-time favorites.) I was overjoyed to find this pillow (below) which I snapped up to put on our master bed. We took a break at the Mandarin Oriental and sipped on some sparkling water, iced tea and a yummy glass of chardonnay. After soaking in these amazing views (below) we took a taxi over to SoHo to meet ACR's friends and Godparents at the ultra-chic Crosby Street Hotel.

The decor is so unique - a perfect blend of tailoring and quirkiness. This was a perfect place to sip champagne while the wind howled outside, threatening to turn our umbrellas inside out the second we stepped out the door.

While we were lounging, munching on green olive stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, ACR's Godmother said, "Look at the cute little boy in the top-hat." That statement would encourage anyone to look and so we did. This precious little boy was wearing a miniature version of a hipster hat (see below). But quickly I was distracted from the adorable mini-hipster to find that the beautiful man holding him was Matthew Mcconaughey. I have never seen him look as handsome as he did right then. The inclement weather had forced the infamous shirtless version of Matthew to put on a wonderfully cut jacket. His hair was tastefully slicked back and his skin was beautifully tanned. As we exited the bar we were within a foot of him (this bar was not packed - very intimate) - at this moment I could hear his thick, southern drawl ... oh what a delightful surprise this spotting was. I apologize for not taking a picture, just trust me when I say it would have been ridiculously awkward and I hate making celebrities like that who are just trying to relax on a Saturday afternoon with their son feel uncomfortable.

We were sad to leave but happy to get ready for our next and final stop of the day to The Modern Restaurant - A Danny Meyer creation. This delectable gem of a restaurant is at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) and looks out onto a beautiful sculpture garden. We feasted on a 7 course tasting, finished by the most amazing chocolate cart I have ever seen. The fabulous, food, atmosphere and most importantly company made this one of the most memorable meals I have ever had.

The next day, the weather began cooperating a bit more and I took a train into Princeton, NJ to meet up with darling SVB and her sweet bf.

Though I have visited her in Princeton a number of times, I had never eaten at Witherspoon Grill. From here on out when I think of the best burger of my life, I will remember this lunch. The meat was superb, they actually listened to me and cooked it medium rare. The caramelized onions and blue cheese were the finishing touches. (Can you tell by now my priority was food ...)

We then headed off to do some shopping and SVB found a top-secret-not-to-be-mentioned-something (a gift) and I found a darling rain/spring coat that I have already worn! We met up with some of their friends for dinner and then headed back to her adorable apartment for some Sunday Night TV (Desperate and Brothers & Sisters -obviously) We were both pretty zonked and poor SVB had work the next day so we headed to bed before evening finished B&Ss. The next day I interrupted her work day and met her for Indian Food (I love Masala Grill in Princeton.) After we said our goodbye's, I headed back to pack up and her sweet bf took me to the airport. And that was that! I made it back to Dallas and here I am, blogging in my PJ's ... basking in the glory of this beautiful weather and enjoying my adult Spring Break. I already miss both SVB and ACR and cannot wait to see them again!

I hope some of you found at least some good restaurant recommendations for any upcoming travels to NYC or Princeton .... and I promise to not let so much time lapse between entries that I leave you with a novel!! Happy Spring!