Lake Tahoe: South Shore

July 5 - 7, 2013

As mentioned in my previous Tahoe blog about North Shore - Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite road trips to go on.  It is about 4 hours north of San Jose and such a wonderful place to relax.  This trip served a special purpose as one of my great friends from high school was getting married on Saturday.

Fourth of July is amazing in Tahoe - the fireworks over the lake are like nothing else.  But so are the crowds and since I had plans with some ex-coworkers I decided to spend the fourth on the San Francisco bay and then to head up to Tahoe on Friday morning.  This worked out wonderfully traffic wise.  We left San Jose around 845 with the dog in tow and made it up to In and Out in Placerville around 1130.  We ate lunch here then went across the street near the Burger King to the grassy area to let Ryu out to run around.  After about an hour stop we got back in the car and continued our way up.  There was zero traffic until we got into town on Stateline Blvd.  Then there were so many people and cars going to and from the beach back to the hotels.  After we checked into our pet friendly hotel, Harveys we walked over to Lakeside beach.  This is a really nice beach - however - it was not pet friendly and it had a fee of 5 dollars per person.  So we continued our walk back towards Heavenly Village to the shops and restaurants.  There I got some ice tea and cookies from the Nestle Toll House bakery.  After running around Ryu was worn out so we took him back to the hotel and went to dinner.  Ryu's favorite patch of grass was around the Embassy Suites area (across the street from Harveys).  He loved people watching and running up and down the hills collecting pine needles.

Ryu on the grass.

While Ryu was sleeping we headed over to Base Camp Pizza -- one of my favorite locations in Tahoe.  This restaurant has a great atmosphere and has awesome food.  I am obsessed with their spinach artichoke dip!  It is prob the best I have ever had so that is on my must order list and then normally who ever I am with we share different types of pizzas.  Base Camp Pizza does get pretty busy - but they are good with giving you accurate wait times and you can call ahead and get your name on the wait list (which is very convenient in the winter!).

Best dip you will ever have from Base Camp Pizza.

The next day we headed over to Kiva Beach which is the only dog friendly beach in South Lake Tahoe.  This was Ryu's first time at the beach.  He was pretty much the smallest dog on the beach and I am not sure what he thought about the water.  I think after seeing all the other dogs running around and fetching in the water he warmed up to it and started running too.  He loved the sticks from Tahoe - in fact I even brought some home for him and it is one of his favorite toys.  The beach was really clean and everyone there took good care of their dogs.  The beach got really busy around 1130 -- when we were heading out -- so my recommendation would be to get there early to get a good seat and avoid traffic!

Kiva Beach.

Life jacket + sand.

Beach dog.

Hangin' with Ryu the Pup!

Checking out the water from a log.

On the way back from the beach - a tired pup. 

At 2pm was the ceremony for Kristina and Demey's wedding at St Theresa's Catholic Church.  It was beautiful.  The church had stain glass windows and had an intimate feel.  After the ceremony we headed back to the hotel to check on Ryu and passed him over to my parents and headed over to Edgewood Golf Course for the reception.  The cocktail hour was at 4pm and the reception started at 5pm.  The location was amazing with spectacular views of the lake and was perfect for wedding pictures.  The food was delish including a salad, main meal and delish cake!  The mingling and dancing went on till 10pm.  It was such a beautiful wedding!

Edgewood view. 

View from Edgewood.

First dance. <3

Love her. 

Lovebirds. 

Sadly Sunday it was time to head home and as I learned the last time I spent Fourth of July in Tahoe - you want to leave early otherwise you will be stuck in traffic for a while.  So we packed up and headed out by 8:30 and on the way out got bagels at Rude Brothers.  It is a tastey bagel shop on the way out to highway 50.  I think I will be adding this to my routine on the way out of Tahoe.

Dreaming on the way back to San Jose. 

I cant wait to go back to Tahoe -- hopefully I'll make it up there 1 more time before the winter season.

Highlights of my Trip:
- Kiva Beach 
- Edgewood Golf Course (wedding)
- Base Camp Pizza

On my To-Do list next time:
- Kayak on the lake
- Spend more time at Kiva beach

Austin, Texas

June 28 - 30, 2013

Howdy Ya'll!

Okay so maybe I just don't have it yet.  While I was in Austin I tried to pick it up but it wasn't happening - I'll just stick to my California one.

For a long weekend vacation I caught a flight from San Jose to Austin direct on Southwest.  My flight departed San Jose at 6:30AM and I arrived there at noon with the time change.  The flight was 3 hours and pretty seamless.  Southwest and other airlines offer other flight times but some include layovers.  So I braved the early morning flight time and made it to Texas just in time for lunch.

My first stop was Rudy's for some good ole fashion Texas BBQ.  When walking into the restaurant you wait in line to place your order - picking up any sides or bottled drinks along the way.  When you get to the counter they will ask you if you have been there before - if not they will let you try a sample of each of the meats on the menu.  Although I have never been there - some of you who know me know I am not good with alot of meat - so I opted out that and asked to try the turkey.  It was really moist and had great flavor so I decided to go with that.  The workers are hand slicing right behind the cashier and slice to the weight you want.  A quarter pound is about the size for a sandwich and half a pound is the recommended size for a full meal.  Once you pay you are served a couple of slices of bread, your meat and drinks on a plastic crate. You then take that to a spot of your choice and use the condiments on the table to make your own sandwich.  It was extremely delish. 

Rudy's.

The menu and the meat station. 

Food!

Delish Turkey!

From there I went to the Hyatt Downtown Austin to drop my bags off.  The hotel is located on the river - pretty close to where the bats fly out each night.  It has a nice outdoor pool - somewhat small when it is busy.  But perfect size for 10+ people.  The lounge chairs out by the pool were very nicely taken care of and it was 50/50 sun and shaded spots.  Indoors the lobby looks to be recently renovated and very modern.  There is a nice bar location with access to a patio looking out to the river.  The rooms were very clean and the bed was extremely comfortable.  Each room had a coffee maker and a humidifier.  The location of the hotel was very convenient and easily walk-able to multiple places for food and drinks.

Downtown Austin. 

Swimming pool at the Hyatt. 

Since it was 110+ degrees and the pool was pretty busy we decided to head over to the Domain.  It is a shopping center similar to Santana Row in the bay area.  It is outdoors with higher end stores, restaurants and tea shops.  There are some hotels near this area but not much else.  It is nice to go and see what is around and do some people watching.  But I would not say this is a MUST do.  Some of my favorite stores here are Lululemon, J Crew and Madewell.  I stopped at a cake ball shop in the Domain -- Coppers (formally known as Austin's Cake Balls).  It is a dessert bar and restaurant that sells cake balls - similar to cake pops but without the stick.  My favorite was the birthday cake flavor.

After killing a few hours at the mall we went back to the hotel for some pool time.  By 5pm the pool had cleared out and it was still extremely hot - so the dip into the water was well deserved.  Once it was cool enough we hopped into a cab for a 4 minute drive to eat dinner at Hopdoddy Burger Bar.  The line was out the door and around the corner so we walked up and down South Congress Street.  It is a cute street with some stores and restaurants spread out.  I ended up at a mixed candy store called Big Top Candy Shop.  They have a wide range of candy options and I had the best italian soda of my life from here.  The only problem was the service was so slow!  It took at least 20 minutes to pay for my candy!  By this time it was about 830 and we got in line at Hopdoddy's.  The line took about 45minutes to get through.  You order at the front of the restaurant and then they assign you a seat.  If there are no seats -- there is no service.  They want you receive your burger fresh and for you to eat it fresh.  It sounds weird - but let me tell you once you eat the burger you will get it.  It is probably the best burger I have ever had.  I had 'The Goodnight' burger - which is all natural grass fed beef with cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, jalapenos, BBQ sauce and Sassy Sauce.  It was beyond amazing.  Add a side of thin cut fries with the Green chili Queso.  It is a MUST have - dont worry about the lines, and dont doubt your decision to try Hopdoddy's ... JUST DO IT!  However - after a meal like that you will want to walk it off.  So we walked from South Congress back to the hotel.  It was about a 10 min walk and very refreshing (if it was mid day prob not so much).

Hopdoddy's.

Queso and Fries.

Burger!

The next day we headed out to the river in New Braunfels.  It is about 45mins out of the city and offers recreational tubing down the Comal River.  We rented tubes from Texas Tubes and they provided us a pick up for about 25 dollars today.  After reading reviews about the river tubing I was nervous because alot of people made it sound dangerous.  It was not at all - there are a few parts where you go through a mini water slide but I didn't see anyone lose their tubes.  Just be safe if you dont know how to swim wear a life vest.  The tubing adventure was bout 2.5 hours long and kept you cool in the Texas heat.  There was alot of drinking going on in the river, however, it is monitored by the police - so dont do anything stupid.  We did see people getting tickets.

Tubing!

On the way back to town we stopped by the San Marcos Outlets -- and wow.  I dont know if we just picked a great weekend to pop on by or if the sales are always that good but all the stores had great sales and we walked away with so many clothes we weren't sure how to get them all home.

The next stop was Chuy's.  This was hands down...the best Tex Mex food I have EVER had.  I am telling you right now...I would go back to Austin just to eat here for breakfast lunch and dinner.  It was that good.  Based on the ever so popular yelp reviews I had the Chicka chicka boom boom enchiladas.  WOW.  Just wow.  First of all the service was outstanding.  Although there was about a 30 minute wait for the table - once we were seated the waitress came over right away for our drink order.  That is when I asked her what the 'boom boom' sauce was she said it was a spicy chili cheese based sauce and that she would bring me over a sample.  Back with our drinks and the sauce I tasted some amazing boom boom sauce.  I ordered that along with the creamy jalapenos sauce for the chips and to go on my meal.  The enchiladas were pretty spicy - but in a good way.  I couldn't stop eating them.  I wish I had some in front of me now!  This tops all of the amazing food I had in Austin.  And Chuy's need to be on you list of things to do in Texas!

Best EVER!!!

Wrapping up on Sunday we headed out to Hula Hut on the water for lunch.  It was an okay meal.  Personally looking back I would have skipped it and gone back to Chuy's.  But it was nice to look over the lake and watch the boats and feed the fish and turtles.

At the airport - the last meal in Austin - we had Salt Lick's BBQ.  I had the turkey sandwich with BBQ sauce and I ate the whole thing...this is pretty shocking.  The potato salad was nothing special -- I actually preferred Rudy's.  But the sandwich was amazing for airport food.

I think I left Austin 10lbs heavier and with alot less $$ due to the shopping but it was a great mini trip.

Highlight of my Trip:
-  Eating
-  Shopping
-  Floating down the river

On my To-Do list next time:
-  Check out the bats at sunset
-  Maybe do a tour around the area - Segway or Duck tour
-  Check out Rainey Street in Austin
-  Eat at Chuy's!!!

Portland, Oregon

May 6-10,2013

Oh Portland.  I have been going to Portland 2 - 3 times a year for work.  It is a short flight away from San Jose - about an hour.  Flights to and from are about 2 - 3 hours apart so you can arrange your travel any time of the day.

Prior to going to Portland for work - I really did not know anything about the city nor did I have much interest in it.  After being there multiple times - I have found it to be really interesting and fun and that they actually have great weather...sometimes!

All of the times I have been in Portland I have stayed at the Embassy Suites.  This is where my conference stays and it is in a great location downtown.  I would highly recommend it for business and pleasure.  The hotel is located near the river which offers a great running path along the river at different length paths from 2.5 - 10+ miles.  It is also just blocks away from multiple food cart locations (more about the Portland food carts later) and walking distance to the Pioneer Square and the Pearl district.  The hotel room sizes vary alot from room to room but all offer a living area separate from the bedroom.  The beds are very comfortable - I want one - with multiple pillows!!!  The hotel offers a free breakfast and managers happy hour - which means free drinks and snacks.  It also has an indoor pool and gym.  Other than staying at The Nines (I want to stay there some day) I would not stay at any other location in Portland.

I have 3 favorite things about Portland - highlighted below:
1.  No sales tax - Yup you heard that right.  When you go to buy something and it says it is $19.99 - it is actually that price!  You dont have to add 10%+ to your purchase!  AMAZING!  But all joking aside - Portland has great shopping in the Pearl district, NW 23rd street and outside of the city limits.

2.  The food - I love the food in Portland.  There is something for everyone and in many price ranges.  It is a great place to try something new or to try your favorite dish with a twist.  You can accompany your main meal with a pint of beer from a local brewery (and there are alot of them!) or can grab multiple dishes from different food carts located all over the city.  You can find food carts everywhere - some are open just for lunch and some open for lunch and dinner.  Some range from being cash only to some being chains.  There carts are monitored just like restaurants - so they go through the health inspection and everything else - but they have to be on wheels (even through some of them haven't moved in years they have to be portable).  For a map of food carts check out this website here:  http://www.foodcartsportland.com/maps/

Food carts.  

3.  Hiking/Outdoors Adventures -  Although I have not been able to explore as much of the Oregon outdoors, the parts I have seen are amazing!  There is everything from the waterfalls in the forest to the ocean cliffs/beaches to a wine country. 

Similar to alot of my other stays - I arrive Monday evening and went out to dinner with my coworkers.  Evening thought it was HOT weather - we decided to go to a Vietnamese pho restaurant called Luc Lac.  It sounds crazy to go to Vietnamese food in Portland - esp when we have so many spots here in the bay area but this one was amazing!  You order when you walk in and then find a spot to sit and they bring the food to you.  There is a full bar and ALL of the food is amazing.  I think our group ordered 1 of every appetizer and there was no complaints.  I had the tofu and veggie pho - and would highly recommend this restaurant...but maybe not on a hot day cause you will be leaving that place dripping from sweat.  ;)  Additionally they have a bar and make Vietnamese specialty drinks with a twist.  I had Thai Tea Cermosa - which is a blend of home made thai tea syrup, soda water and house whipped cream.  It sounds odd - but all the flavors just work!

My Thai Iced tea with a twist.  

Tuesday was a full day of work - and one of the busiest workshops I have been to.  Tuesday night a group of us went to sushi.  Portland has some of the best sushi I have ever had.  Every time I go I make a stop at Masu Sushi which is walking distance from the hotel and is in the Pearl district.  The atmosphere here is everything you look for in a restaurant, it is located in a loft like building and has a sushi bar, drink bar and seating.  The food is very fresh and all of the rolls have an amazing blend of flavors and textures.  My favorites are - Japanista (spicy crab, spicy tuna and kawaire with seared hamachi, cilantro and red jalapenos) and homemade gyoza.  I also recommend Bamboo Sushi - it is much further from the hotel but SOOO worth it.  Although I didnt go here this trip - this sushi restaurant is sustainable and always leaves me carving more.  

Another day lead to another full day of work.  So Wednesday night when some coworker said lets try a new brewery -- I was all in.  We hopped in a cab and went to Burnside Brewing Co.  Well it turns out we didnt need to take a cab there cause it was walking distance but it was full.  We got a table inside - which was a shame cause it was such nice weather outside - and we ordered some appetizers and beer.  I was not too impressed with their appetizers.  They were on the smaller size and didn't taste as amazing as they sounded on the menu.  For my meal I got a traditional kids meals - tomato soup and a grilled cheese.  It was wonderful!  I really liked the sweetness of the soup with the layers of cheese in the sandwich.  After alot of laughs and few beers we walked back to our hotel and enjoyed the late sunset.  Since Portland is alot further north the sun sets alot later than it does in the bay area.  It was a beautiful sight to see.  

Yum!  My grilled cheese and tomato soup!

Walk back to the hotel.  Amazing!

Thursday for lunch a couple of my coworkers and I decided to head out to the food carts for lunch.  We wanted to grab something different than hotel food.  I went to Built to Grill and WOW - it was amazing!  I had the penne all vodka and the taste was amazing and portion size is huge!  It could def feed 2 people.  The prices were reasonable and the food was out of this world.  Everyone should add this to their must try - it is shocking it came from a food cart...but then again this is Portland.  For dinner a smaller group wanted seafood so we walked around and check out a few restaurants and ended up at McCormick and Schmick's.  It was okay.  It was standard food from a chain restaurant - I would avoid it if possible.  

Walk to McCormick along the river.  So pretty.

My wrap up day consisted of a few tests and then boxing up equipment then food and shopping time!  :)  I think I spend more money when I am on business trips because when I have nothing to do I just shop!  EEK.  In my walks through the Pearl district I came across a Yoga studio + restaurant.  I was really intrigued so I yelped it and talked to a coworker who lived in the area about it.  It is called Prasad.  So for lunch on Friday a group of health nuts + some international visitors + me went over to try it.  WOW was it amazing.  Words cannot even explain how in love with this restaurant I am.  I had the Chili Bowl which was quinoa, roasted garlic chili, steamed greens, scallions, cilantro, green chili and garlic tahini sauces.   If you take anything away from this post it should be that this is a must TRY!  I wish one of these was near my workplace or home cause I would eat there every day.  They make fresh juices and smoothies there as well and the place is packed from 1130 - 130.  I loved it so much I started searching Google for recipes similar to this so I can try to make it at home.  After having one of the best healthy meals of my life - I went shopping.  Shocking I know.  Although I bought stuff from the chain stores in the Pearl like Lululemon and Anthropologie.  I stumbled across House of Lolo on my walk back to the hotel.  It is a cute upper end boutique with unique dresses and clothing.  I bought a couple items here - including a perfect summer wedding outfit!  They do free shipping and since they are located in Oregon...No sales tax!  Woo Hoo. 

My meal at Prasad. 

I bought dress number 3.  :)

That was the end of my trip this time - and I am not sure when I will be back to Portland specifically since I have changed jobs.  But I would highly recommend the location for a long week vacation.  Between May - September the weather is amazing and there are so many great activities to do and foods to try.  Highlighted below are some activities and restaurants I had been to previously that I would recommend to visitors but are not highlighted in this blog post.  

Highlight of my Trip:
- Sushi (Masu and Bamboo)
- Prasad 
- Food Carts
- Luc Lac
- House of Lolo

On my To-Do list next time:
- Eat 
- Shop
- Hike
- Go to the coast

Must Try:
- Multnomah Falls
- Wine country in Oregon (about 30-45mins outside the city)
- Oregon Coast line

San Luis Obispo, California

April 26 - 28, 2013

Reunited and it feels so good!  It was Alana's last weekend in California before heading back home (Boston) - so since she was in LA and I was in the bay area we decided to meet at the half way point of San Luis Obispo (aka SLO).

SLO is a college town (home of Cal Poly) and has a relaxed beachy feel to it (probably since Pismo and Avila are only 10-15 minutes away).  It has amazing food and is the perfect getaway for nor cal and so cal people.

I left work about 3:30pm on Friday and expected to hit traffic until at least Gilroy.  Luckly traffic on the 101 wasn't too bad and I was able to make it to SLO around 6:45pm.  We stayed at the Quality Suites Inn on Monterey Road which was about a 3minute drive from downtown.  The hotel rooms are a dated - however - the services and location of the hotel make it an exceptional place to stay.  The hotel offers a free shuttle service to multiple places throughout SLO - between the hours of 9am - 10pm.  There is also a manager's reception host every night between 5:30 - 7:30 - offering free snacks, beer and wine.

The first night in SLO we had the hotel drive us downtown and ate at Ciopinot.  It is an upscale seafood restaurant.  We got their about 8:15 and did not have to wait for a table -- however it was 90% packed so if you are looking to eat here it would be a smart move to make a reservation.  For an appetizer Alana and I split an order of the crab cakes.  They were good - mostly crab not breading which is always good.  For our main meal we both wanted cioppino but we did not think we could eat a full order - so what the waitress suggested was we order the bowl of the soup base and do an add in of crab.  She was so nice to offer this suggestion as the meal we ended up having was $19.00 dollars instead of $35.00+ dollars.  The cioppino had good flavor and was delish to eat with the bread given to the table.  I would go back here - we left full and happy.

Cioppino @ Ciopinot.

Saturday morning we woke up and missed the hotel breakfast - but we didn't sweat it.  We got ready for the day and headed over to Splash.  If you have never been to Splash you really dont know what you are missing.  For $8.00 the must have is the chowder (chowdah -- for all you Boston folks) in a bread bowl.  It might be the best chowder we have on the west coast -- which is kind of sad cause it isn't as good as Boston or New York chowder.  When you order the chowder it comes in a wonderfully large sourdough bread bowl with a grilled cut out of the bread for dipping.  The crunch of the bread with the warm creamy chowder makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  They have breakfast food and sandwiches as well.  Again this is a must do!  They also have a location in Pismo on the Pier.

Chowder @ Splash. 

After eating at Splash we went back to the hotel and got ready to go to Taste of Pismo which was held at Dinosaur Caves Park.  The event focuses on local foods and wines of the area and views of the ocean cliffs. Samples are handed out from different stations and you can make your rounds as frequent as you would like.  A wine glass is given out for the tastings and that is your souvenir from the event.  I would highly recommend this event for a girls weekend or an event with friends to do something new and fun.  The food and atmosphere was great.  The event is located in a tent in the middle of the park - so my recommendation is to wear flat shoes.  From the event we went out to the walk out points and took some pictures and enjoyed the warm weather.

Alana in Pimso. 

Taste of Pismo. 

Taste of Pismo wine glasses. 

Outside the Taste of Pismo. 

Amazing cliff view. 

Alana and Shannon.

Shannon and Alana. 

Next on our list was to head back to SLO and walk around downtown.  We did some shopping - including a hour long stop at Sephora to pick out lipstick and then met up with my cousin Kacy for dinner.  We went to Nova which is a newer restaurant recommended by Yelp and the hotel.  The wait was about 30 - 45 mins but well worth it.  Since at evening time it was getting a little cold we opted for inside seating - but if the weather is nice I would recommend waiting for something on the patio because the view and atmosphere is great.  To eat I had spinach and ricotta ravs in a white wine sauce - YUM!  Alana and Kacy opted for the chow novo which also looked delish!  The restaurant offers alot of veterinarian and gluten free options which is really nice.  We basically shut this place down and headed home a little after 10pm.

The next morning around 9:30am we met Kacy at the front of our hotel and went to breakfast at Apple Farm Restaurant.  There was a little bit of a wait - even at 9:30am.  The service was a little slow but the food was really good.  I had the french toast. :)  Delish!  If you plan on going here for breakfast - which you should - make reservations!

Apple Farm. 

Breakfast time. 

French Toast from Apple Farm. 

After breakfast we packed up and headed our separate ways - Alana back to the east coast and myself back to San Jose.  The trip was a great getaway from home and perfect girls weekend location.  I just wish we had longer!

I cant wait to plan our next trip!

Highlight of my Trip:
- Taste of Pismo
- Hanging out with Alana and Kacy
- Relaxing!

On my To-Do list next time:
- Hiking
- Pismo Beach
- Firestone Restaurant

New York, New York

April 5 - 7, 2013

Now for the exciting part of NYC.  Since I was in Long Island for work - I decided to make my way to New York City Friday morning and spend the weekend exploring.  I have been to NYC multiple times before since I went to college in Boston but this time I wanted to explore new areas and go places I hadn't been before.

Deciding where to stay was a huge decision - I wasn't sure what the weather would be like in April so I wanted to stay around where my main focus of the trip would be.  All the previous times I have been I either stayed in Times Square (the Sheraton Times Square, Marriott Marquis, W Times Square etc) or in Brooklyn at a friend's house.  Rooms in Times Square for the first weekend in April were going for about 450+ dollars a night - which wasn't something I was looking to pay given that I didn't want to be in the room...I wanted to be out exploring.  The other areas I decided to look into were SoHo and Greenwich Village.  I knew there was amazing food and shopping that way and the previous times I had been there I loved patrolling that area.  The only problem is there are not too many hotels there- and the ones that are in the are...well those are where the famous people stay and are out of my price range.  After spending hours on Google Maps and TripAdvisor - I settled on the Sheraton Tribeca.  When looking for the best price on this hotel - I was about to book on the Sheraton website but decided to give Kayak a try for the first time.  Kayak provided me with 6+ hotel sites with their pricing and surprisingly there was one cheaper than the official website.  I was able to book through the 3rd party website without leaving the Kayak website and didn't feel like I might get ripped off.  It was a seamless process, I saved money doing it and I will use this again in the future.

I arrived to the hotel about 1:30pm and was pleasantly surprised with the location.  I was a little nervous being located on Canal Street but it actually was great.  It was just on the boarderline of Soho so a walk to the main shopping drag of SoHo took less than 5minutes to get to.  There were multiple subway stations near by and the hotel staff was extremely helpful.  The reviews of the Sheraton Tribeca on TripAdvisor are pretty accurate:
1.  The rooms are extremely small - I didn't really believe it till I arrived.  In the room is a bed, desk, and dresser + TV so you can barely move around.  But in the hotels defense - it is New York (what did you expect) and if you are in the room more than just for a quick rest or sleeping then somethings wrong with you (Its New York City - activities are limitless)!
2.  Don't look out your room to see an amazing view - instead go over to the Brooklyn Bridge or a skyscraper.
3.  The outside noise can be heard inside.  It's New York - expect traffic 24/7, there will be very few places where you can't hear any outside noise.
  

Me in the hotel room. 

After dropping my stuff off at the hotel and meeting my friend David - we went to meet my friend Greg at his New York office in the Meatpacking District.  We took a cab over there and walked though his office and then walked a few blocks down to the Chelsea Market. This was my first time here and I am not going to lie...I'm obsessed!  I love everything about it.  The dessert stores, the food options, the people watching etc. For food we went to Lobster Market Seafood Place and got a cup of the most amazing chowder!  It was super busy in the self serve soup station area but well worth the wait and the fight.  We also grabbed a sandwich from Browery Kitchen.  It was a so - so sandwich - I wasn't too impressed like I was with the soup.  We walked around some more and grabbed a brownie from Fat Witch and headed out to the High Line.

Chelsea Market + Greg's head.  

Chelsea Market. 

Direction inside the Chelsea Market. 

Lobster Place.

Fish market inside the Lobster Place. 

Chowder!

Sandwich @ Browery Sandwich.

The High Line is a park created from the old freight rail line elevated in the Meatpacking/West Side District.  It offers a wonderful getaway from the craziness of the city below with the trees, lawn and sitting areas included in the public park.  It is great to walk around on a nice day, to bring your lunch or to take some photos of the city from a different street level perspective.  It is free of cost and online you can find a map of locations of stair entrances to the park.

Map of High Line Park. 

High Line Park. 

High Line Park. 

After some quality time at the park we cabbed it back to the hotel to drop off brownies and headed over to the SoHo shopping area.  Most of the stores in this area are 2x-3x larger than what you see in your hometown - esp San Jose.  After walking around we decided to go to a happy hour located in the Little Italy area.  ORO is where we settled on based on Yelp reviews and boy was it a great selection.  The happy hour went until about 7pm - so we got an amazing cheese plate and some sangria at half price.  The place was small - quiet and had dark lighting.  We sat in the back along the wall on bar stools.  Since we got there later in the afternoon - most of the bakery goodies were gone but from what we saw on yelp they are delish.

Wine rack at Oro.

Sangria @ Oro. 

Cheese platter @ Oro.

Me in line to pay @ Oro.

We then made our way up to Times Square.  We planned on eating around there so it was the perfect time for a photo op of city highlight.  We didn't stay too long as it was extremely busy and is so touristy so we made our way down a few blocks and over to La Masseria.  I had been here once before with my mom and brother and loved the fresh made pasta and the lively atmosphere.  Since it was later in the evening - about 8:30pm - there was no wait for a table.  I ordered the homemade ravs - delish!!!  By the time we left there - we were stuffed.  But David found room for a quick stop at the Ice Cream Truck.

Times Square, New York, New York. 

La Masseria, New York.

Bread and dip @ La Masseria.

Homemade ravs @ La Masseria.

Steak @ La Masseria.

The next day we had scheduled a food tour at 12:30pm.  Food tours are something I look for in each city I go to and so far have done one in Seattle and Portland.  Based on my cousins recommendation we decided to do the Foods of NY - Greenwich Village Food and Culture Walking Tour.  It was a great decision to go with this company.  And I love the Greenwich Village/West Village area so it was fun to learn more about the area.  It was a 3 hour tour with about 14 people in the group.  We meet outside of Murray's Cheese shop on Bleeker Street and headed down to Joe's Pizza to get some New York style pizza.  By far the best NY pizza I have ever had.

We met at Murray's Cheese.

First stop - Yummy Joe's Pizza!

Me and the pizza!

Joe's Pizza.

From there we moved down to O&CO.  It is an olive oil store and spread store.  There we tried an olive oil and an olive spread on bread from Amy's across the street.  It is great to stop in an get a gift for someone -- I got one for my dad.  And because we were on the tour we got 10% off that day. 

O&CO.

Amy's Bread - yum!

Next on the tour was Faicco's - it is an Italian specialty store included meats and Italian finger foods that go great with cheese (Muarry's Cheese) and bread (Amy's Bread) next door.  Here we tried some thinly sliced meat and a fried ball of cheese and rice.  It was extremely good but extremely rice.  

Facicco's on Bleeker.

Fried ball of goodness.

After walking around the Bleeker street area and gaining some knowledge about the culture of the area, local rent and purchase prices and much more we made our way to Ristorante Rafele.  This is new to the area about 9 months old and it was the sit down portion of our tour.  Here we tasted food and we able to get to know the others on the tour and use the restroom if needed.  Here we had bread and an Melanzana.  It is layers of eggplant with cheese, basil, and a tomato puree.  Now I am not one for eggplant - but WOW - this is a must try when in NYC!!!  It was amazing - and this is on my to do list to eat dinner here sometime when I go back and visit since the food on the tour was great. 

Ristorante Rafele.

Melanzana @ Rafele.

After a break at the restaurant - it was time for dessert at Milk and Cookies.  Yes I said Milk and Cookies.  What a genius idea for a store.  This store offers fresh giant cookies served warm and fresh out of oven!  You can even design your own cookie and wait 10mins for it to bake.  YUM.  Again - one of my fav stops on the tour.  :)  So amazing!

Milk and Cookies.

Milk and Cookies.

It looks like an average cookie - but it really is an AMAZING cookie!

From here we took another walk around the area - stopping at courtyards of apartment buildings, learning what life in NYC is like and visiting the Friends building!  Yup thats right the outside of the building used in Friends is in Greenwich Village.  About 25 mins later our next food stop was Muarry's Cheese.  We tried 3 different cheese and a cheese puff.  YUM!  Does it get any better than cheese?  I dont think so. 

Tour guide telling us about the cheeses.  

Muarry's Cheeses.

Last but not least was Pasticceria Rocco - an Italian dessert shop.  Super busy and very authentic.  It reminds me alot of Mike's Pastries in Boston.  Locals and tourist gather here fulfill their sweet tooth or to eat lunch.  

Italian Pastry shop.

Cannoli. 

Me with the Cannoli.

The food tour is worth the cost and I would do it again.  The area is so amazing - def my favorite of New York.  Please please do this on your trip!  You wont regret it!

After the food tour we stopped by Pop Bar on our way back to the hotel.  Pop Bar is kitty corner to Bleeker Street and is a bar full of Popsicle!  What a genius idea!  :)  Once back at the hotel we dropped off the stuff we accumulated throughout the day and headed over to the Brooklyn Bridge.  We took the subway from our hotel and walked over the bridge - had a photo opt even though part of the bridge was under construction and you couldn't get the amazing views like before - and then we walked about 15 minutes back to the hotel.

Pop bar - Genius!

Me with my Pop. 

Brooklyn Bridge.

Status of Liberty.

NYC.

Manhattan Bridge and the New York skyline.

Walk back.

Although we weren't hungry - we decided to head back to Greenwich Village and get some drinks.  We ended up at Murray's Cheese Bar.  It is a branch of Murray's cheese (where we went on our food tour earlier) and boy was it AMAZING!  It is less than an year old, however, it is packed most nights and has a great atmosphere.  They def hit a winner with this one.  We sat at the bar since all the seats were taken and had beer and wine.  (The wine was some of the best I have had - not that I am a wino or anything).  Since I like to eat while I am drinking we got an order of the Fondue.  It was 3 cheeses melted together and came with bread, pickles and veggies for dipping.  It was SOOOOOO good.  This restaurant is a must visit and the fondue is a must order!

Muarry's Cheese Bar.

Best Fondue ever @ Murray's Cheese. 

Wine @ Murray's Cheese.

On our way back to the hotel - we stopped off at Joe's Pizza to get a slice.  I mean hey we are in New York we might as well right?

Sadly the next day was the round up of our trip.  Every time I have to leave NYC I get so sad - and become determined to move there for a year or two...esp now that all the tech companies are starting offices there.  After packing up and leaving our stuff with the bellman - we headed out for some New York bagels.  We ended up back in Greenwich Village (shocking I know) to eat at Bagels on the Square and Amy's Bread.  We couldnt decide which to get so we got both.  Bagels on the Square won. :)

Bagels on the Square

Bagel on the Square Breakfast Sandwich.

Amy's Bread Breakfast Sandwich.

After eating, we made our way to Grand Central Station and Central Park to walk around.  Central Park is a great place to people watch and hang out - however - since it was early spring there was not much in bloom.  It was great that the weather worked out in the low 70's.  We stopped by Laduree - the french macarroon shop. It was wonderful and classy.  It makes me want to visit Paris so bad!  We also did the complete opposite and stopped by the food carts and got a pretzel.

Grand Central Station.

Central Park!

Laduree Maccaroons.

Laduree.

Food carts by the Central Park entrance. 

Food cart Pretzel.

We then headed back to Chelsea Market to walk around and get some more food from the Lobster Market Seafood Place.  At 3pm we went to the hotel to grab our belongings and catch a car we reserved from the hotel.  A taxi from the city (SoHo area) to JFK would be about $50 dollars not including tip - the Sheraton offered a car service for $55 dollars (tip + tax included) so we opted for this route.

Goodbye NYC.  It was fun and I am leaving 10lbs heavier - but it's worth it. 

Highlight of my Trip:
- Chelsea Market
- High Line Park
- Food tour
- Greenwich/West Village

On my To-Do list next time:
- Bike around Central Park