A Pinch of (Sleep After) the City That Never Sleeps

A fun 48 hours around NYC may have convinced me to finally see its bright spots. Admittedly, I have been a city hater. Not in a way that I compare it to Philly, but more so that I don’t know where to even start. Seems like mixing a full day in the city with some time in towns outside was the perfect convincing this weekend.

I’ll preface this all by saying that it pays to have a great friend who knows how to ease into the weekend, show you how to experience Broadway, and make bopping around the big city as easy as can be. So I owe a big shoutout to Nat for that from the start.

I follow many people, restaurants, bakeries and much more related to food in NYC. So if I really were to do the research, I’m sure I could piece together a full day from start to finish. And maybe this trip may have just inspired me to do that.

Eyes on the various places that quickly come to mind, big and small, whether that’s because I follow them or just a quick thought: The Four Horseman in Brooklyn, Welcome Home (also in Brooklyn), Lucali (this too in Brooklyn), and the Big Night shop (…okay I think I’ve realized I need to go to Brooklyn). Believe it or not, I did not do that on purpose.

But in reality, I may just get back up to Broadway after finally catching my first show! The rain was no match for the good vibes to start the day in the Big 🍎.

So let’s do a rapid fire from the weekend, because I know I barely scratched the surface.

Rutherford, NJ

Staying outside the city made it easy to drive up after the workday on Friday for a pizza night with friends. Enter: Casano’s Pizza Parlor. Slinging great pies out of a space that’s built to be a replica of the owner’s grandmother’s living room.

And then Saturday had to start with some fuel before making our way in. A stack of pancakes and some scrambled eggs from Rutherford Pancake House hit the spot before walking down to the train station.

New York, New York

Off we went. The small town blues melted away (or were washed away by the rain). From Penn Station, we headed right to the box office for the full Broadway experience. Secured tickets to &Juliet, took the obligatory picture while we waited for the doors to open, and then we sat basically on stage. What a damn show. So much fun the whole way through.

After walking over to Eataly for a stroll through and a lot of temptation, off we went for much-deserved beverages and bites at The Smith.

Next up: Barcade. Nothing particularly new here with a few Barcade’s in Philly, but a fun way to work off some time and work up an appetite before our 9:30 reservation down in Hoboken. Favorite game of the night has to go to Tapper, slinging beers and collecting tips. And Ms. Pac-man, the classic of course.

Hoboken, NJ

Back to New Jersey for dinner at Dear Maud. Little did we know that we were walking into a busy bar with a line out the door for most of the night. Maybe the first bites a few hours earlier filled us a bit more than we expected but the bites were great. Another espresso martini and a couple Guinness to ramp up the night? Sure!

Not pictured: the bars that we went to the rest of the night, that we carried around the bag of food that we couldn’t eat. And suddenly the end of the night rolled around. In the blink of an eye, for the best.

Montclair, NJ

Waking up the next day was humbling to say the least. But there was more to explore before heading out, and the sun was peeking out. Signs of life! Off we went to the close by town of Montclair for some caffeine from a coffee shop that looked like a plane, healthy-feeling food and retail therapy. Big shoutout to Acorn General Store for so many greatly-sourced products. Made it hard to limit myself with all the room and wall space in the apartment still.

This method of an NYC weekend was perfect in every way. And like I said before, I see the want to get back up for more. Who knew! And for those wondering, Lucy was doing just fine back in West Chester on her own vacation with some familiar faces.

Both Lucy and I are grateful to be back in our city, especially as the warm weather welcomed us back. We found a spot on the couch yesterday to watch the end of the thriller of The Masters, and made our way out today after work for a long, long walk for some warm activities after the long, long weekend. Happy to be back, with only plans around the area for a bit. I promise more recipes (and baking 👀) ahead.

Spring truly has sprung. Touch grass this week 🤘