The Traveling Yellow Puffer Jacket in New York City

Ladies, have you been to New York during winter and when it’s snowing? I spent 4 lovely days in New York City with my husband on business during Fashion Week ( didn’t attend) and limited my days to staying close to the JW Marriott Essex Hotel because it was snowing and extremely cold.

I had 4 days to myself during the day to explore the Central Park area and meet my husband for dinner at some of New York’s best restaurants near the Park.

JW Marriott Essex House

This has always been a bucket list destination to stay at the Essex House. An art deco style New York landmark that opened in 1931. JW Marriott Essex House New York is a member of Historic Hotels of America.

The Executive Lounge in the hotel is a perfect place to eat breakfast and dinner if you can’t make a reservation or if you are traveling alone as a woman. You can purchase access to the executive lounge or be a platinum Marriott rewards member (75+ nights a year or use the Marriott Rewards Premier credit card).

You never know who you may run into in the Executive Lounge at the JW Marriott Essex House. Tim Tebow and his lovely fiance Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters were relaxing in the lounge after a busy media blitz on television shows taped in New York to promote his movie, “Run the Race” and to talk about his non-profit charity, “Night to Shine” Night to Shine is an unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love, for people with special needs ages 14 and older which is part of the Tim Tebow Foundation.

As a mother of a daughter with Down Syndrome and a mother of a Florida Gator, I knew I had to introduce myself to Tim and Demi-Leigh. This young man is an exemplary person who pays it forward and lives in faith. It was an honor to meet him.

South Gate restaurant at the JW Marriott is where I had a lunch meeting with my executive team member, Deb Chase for the Influencers of Midlife Summit 2020. We are working very hard every month to create an unforgettable conference in 2020 and I was so happy to connect with one of the team members in New York.

Things to do near the JW Marriott Essex House Hotel

I had 4 days to wander around in the snow and cold weather and stayed very close to the Essex House.

Museum Row

5th Avenue is home to 7 museums and is also known as Museum Mile. During June New York is host to the Museum Mile Festival. For one night only, an entire section of 5th Avenue (known as Museum Mile due to the high concentration of museums lining the strip) will be closed to automobile traffic so New Yorkers from all boroughs can enjoy a beautiful summer evening on the Upper East Side. All seven museums along the route will have free entrance for the evening, making it not only the biggest NYC block party but also one of the biggest NYC cultural attractions to take place all year!

Shopping along 5th Avenue

Instead of telling you about shopping along 5th Avenue, I found this lovely video on YouTube to share with you.

Or what it looked like when I was walking along 5th Avenue.

The Plaza Hotel

I checked out the Plaza Hotel because I was tired of walking in the cold snowy New York weather. I  went underground at the Plaza’s Food Hall for lunch. So fun to explore this iconic hotel that was restored in 2008 to its original grandeur.

The Plaza Food Hall is located below the Plaza.

Enter through 58th street between 5th and 6th or through Central Park South’s Todd English at The Plaza entrance, take a quick escalator downstairs and you’ll have arrived into a Food Hall oasis, filled with fine food purveyors and counter-style dining options offering an assortment of breakfast foods, lunch, dinner, beverages, and merchandise.

I grabbed a sub from no.7sub and it was delicious! I had the no.7 sub club that actually had BBQ chips inside the sub which was totally unexpected but really good!

The Shops of Columbus Circle

When it’s snowing in New York I tend to shop inside and not along 5th Ave. The snow was falling sideways and I went straight to Columbus Circle to shop for boots at Stuart Weitzman and Eileen Fisher for spring fashion. (Which I will share later.)

Who can resist Sephora?

Dining Near the JW Marriott Essex House

We stayed close to the park and the hotel. Lots of great restaurants are located near the Essex House and we never took a cab. I did purchase boots because my casual Ecco shoes looked out of place at night yet they were perfect for the slippery sidewalks.

All the restaurants we dined at are available on Open Table. Because these restaurants are top rated I recommend getting restaurants as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the last minute. I am recommending them, therefore, you should be reserving a table! FYI- we have just come to the realization we don’t like making reservations after 8:30. When we were young we ate late in NYC and now we ate late and went straight to bed. ( Snored like a freight train!)

You will see the outfits I packed to wear each night and how I wimped out and shot everything in my hotel room. (There is a so much discomfort on my part to shoot in public and even to photograph the food we ate looks so millennial.) I left my camera in my purse and enjoyed wonderful food and conversation with my husband. I did think about having the wait staff take our pictures every night at the restaurants but never had the courage to pull the phone out of my bag. I observed so many women posting on Instagram at every restaurant that I thought to leave my phone untouched.  I still find it strange to watch this occurrence yet I do it daily.  Am I a hypocrite or a wimp?

Marea

This is my husband’s favorite restaurant near the Essex House. It’s an extremely popular restaurant and I highly recommend reservations or dine at the bar as we did.

Avra Madison Estiatorio

Avra Madison is a bi-level authentic Greek restaurant located just steps from Central Park. The food was excellent and so was the people watching! This a restaurant where people go to be seen as well as enjoy delicious Greek food.

Nougatine at Jean Georges

Nougatine is the more casual sister of Jean-Georges, with a very lively bar scene at night. The restaurant attracts a mix of celebrities, socialites, and movers and shakers in the business world. Adjacent to the formal Jean-Georges dining room, Nougatine serves the signature and seasonal dishes of Chef Jean-Georges for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 365 days a year.

Boulud Sud for Valentine’s Day

Boulud Sud is Chef Daniel Boulud’s vibrant Mediterranean-inspired restaurant featuring flavors that travel the entire coastal region from the shores of Southern France to the coast of North Africa and beyond. The Mid-Century Modern interior, including a spacious bar and lounge, is decorated in tones of sunflower yellow and slate grey.

Boulud Sud is on 64th Street between Central Park West and Broadway, close to Lincoln Center and a bit north of Columbus Circle, not far from Nougatine, another restaurant we ate at. I’m guessing Boulud Sud is the beneficiary of a great deal of pre-theater and post-theater dining.

We had a prix fixe menu for Valentine’s and it was delicious. I was hoping to try the Octopus a la Plancha but it wasn’t being offered that night.

What I packed for the Trip

I travel with one color combination when using a single carry on suitcase. This New York trip called for black and white. I wear white jeans in the dead of winter. I don’t follow the “No white rule after Labor Day and Before Memorial day rule”. Do you?

I basically wore this outfit every day and it was my airplane attire too. This yellow puffer jacket was a hit in New York because everyone basically wears black. The black top, white jeans, and my black sneakers were my daytime pieces.

In the evening I wore black leggings with different tops to the restaurants. This black tunic sweater was fine without the knitted turquoise sweater vest but I went boho chic to Avra. I had purchased the sweater vest when we were at Half Moon Bay and never wore it.

This sweater was also worn last summer at Half Moon Bay but I paired it with leggings and my new black over the knee boots I had purchased in New York. I wore this to Nougatine and Boulad Sud.

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Have you been to New York lately?

Where do you stay and what do you enjoy seeing?

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Hugs XXOOXX