Last month, my husband and I planned a trip to New York to check out some of the hotels for the concierge side of my business.  Our best friends were also planning a trip to New York but, due to my husband’s work schedule, we could not be there at the same time.  Then, suddenly, we realized that we would have one overlapping day.  Twenty-four hours in my favorite city with some of my favorite people!  It was at that point that I decided to plan the entire day and night and post all the goodness for you!  

When I lived there, I only had a few friends from home that were also living in the city.  Because I loved New York so much, I always wished all of my closest friends lived there with me and we could experience everything together like brunch on Sunday mornings and cocktails after work.  In this case, we would only have a Monday, which, I quickly learned, is not the best day to plan our ONLY day in NYC.  I had to discard majority of my fun brunch options because finding a spot for brunch on a Monday is virtually impossible.  There are actually way more places closed on a Monday than I ever thought possible, so I had to also eliminate some of the speakeasy bars that I like. We are all Bravo fans, so we wanted to have drinks at the St. Regis but they are closed for renovations.  This was going to be more challenging than I thought.  If you know me, you know that I would ordinarily take everyone to Brother Jimmy’s and spend the day playing games and doing pickle back shots, but they are closed now so…thanks a lot Covid!

I wanted to combine places that I have heard about but had never been to with some of my favorite local hang outs and some staples of the city that my friends had not yet experienced.  We were also staying near Central Park so, in an effort to maximize our time together by not having to travel far, I wanted to keep things close, for the most part!  Here is where we landed:

First, let me say that we stayed at the Conrad Hotel.  This will be my new “go to” from here on out.  The location is perfect, the staff is super friendly and helpful, they have a bar and restaurant on site and the rooms are spacious.  That is that.  No further information needed.

CONRAD HOTEL MIDTOWN

Our first stop was Mom’s Kitchen and Bar on 9^th.  They have a location in Astoria but we were at the midtown location.  The restaurant gives diner vibes and they do serve brunch all day!  The 80’s themed décor is on point and Mom’s signature cocktails are amazing.  Even the bloody Mary was good and I think finding a good Bloody Mary in New York is like finding good crawfish in Mississippi (no offense).  The menu is extensive so, no matter how big your group is, you can find something that suits everyone.  They also have Mom’s bigmouth shakes and they are HUGE!  I had an amazing breakfast sandwich to start the day and my husband’s fried chicken was top notch!

MOM'S KITCHEN AND BAR

Next, we had some plans that fell through so we walked to Bryant Park for some boozie hot chocolate.  The set up of the "WINTER PARK" is super cute.  They have ice skating, of course, and bumper cars on the ice, but we were there for the cocktails at the Lodge Bar (which ended up on my lap while trying to take a selfie, but I digress).  We stopped for a quick photo shoot after our drink and continued to the next stop.  It is worth noting that they have a pretty significant variety of food options and booths for shopping but also a ton of great snacks as well!

WINTER VILLAGE AT BRYANT PARK

We walked back to the hotel and took a detour through Rockefeller Center to see the new concourse down below.  It is a nice renovation filled with shops and restaurants, but we were just passing through.  If you haven’t been there, check it out!

 ROCKEFELLER CENTER

Just before we went to the hotel to change, we stopped at Faces and Names, a bar that I had heard about from a friend of mine (Thanks Valerie Landry) that ended up being right next door to our hotel.  After two glasses of wine and chatting about evening outfits, we separated to freshen up and change.

 FACES AND NAMES MIDTOWN

We met up in the lobby bar of the hotel, Dabble, which is absolutely lovely; great cocktails, great service and great atmosphere.  After a quick espresso martini, we were on our way.

 DABBLE at CONRAD HOTEL MIDTOWN 

Just a short walk away from the hotel on 50^th and Broadway, there is a subway station with an entrance next to a Duane Read.  Our next stop is in that subway station - NOTHING REALLY MATTERS. This speak easy was first discovered when I was exiting the subway while in New York for bridal fashion week.  I was running to a runway show so I could not stop to check it out, but I am glad it made enough of an impression for me to further investigate.  This was, by far, one of my favorite spots of the night. 

 NOTHING REALLY MATTERS

The focal point of the space is the bar itself, which is just plain sexy and covered with more brands of alcohol to choose from than most liquor stores.  The vibe is not at all what you would expect when walking down a flight of stairs into the tunnels of New York.  The dark and moody feel is what adds to the charm of the space.  And locals definitely know about this place as we scooped up one of the last three tables available.  In my mind, this is the exactly what I would expect from a speak easy in Manhattan; a bit dark filled with people winding down after work at the tables closest to the entrance and people secretly meeting up in the shadows of the back corner all enjoying a play list that puts some of my wedding DJs to shame. 

Put this on your MUST DO list and, if you live in New York, welcome to your after-work spot!

 SO GOOD, WE ARE GIVING YOU THEIR INFORMATION TWICE

We had to literally pull ourselves away from this place, especially since the bartender (who just added to the enjoyment of the evening) was reminiscing about her trips to New Orleans, but it was time to move on.  We ended up grabbing an uber and heading downtown for dinner at Buddakhan!  This is one of those places that you have have to see.

Walking into Buddakan, you immediately get all the Sex and the city feels - as a matter of fact, this is where the rehearsal dinner scene was filmed in the first movie. But… anyway.

There is not a bad section in this restaurant. We have been seated upstairs overlooking the main dining room and it was intimate and a bit more romantic.  I have also dined in the main dining room, as was the case this night, and the energy is a bit higher and it is a bit louder but not in an intrusive/ annoying way.  Perhaps I feel like that because we are the loudest people wherever we go, but the volume seemed fine to us! At any rate, the split staircase and the chandeliers create yet another very sexy vibe.

The service is on point and each time I am there, the recommendations are flawless!  Just for reference, the four of us split the lobster rolls, general tso's dumplings and the tuna tar tar spring rolls (which, if you order nothing else to eat for the rest of your life, the tuna tar tar is it).  We had lobster fried rice, generals chicken and the sizzling short ribs.  It was the perfect amount of food!  Of course we had cocktails and a full on photo shoot but it was a waist of time because the lighting is so dark so just forget it!

BUDDAKAN

After dinner, we ventured across the street to a Tao, a place that you have to visit at least once in New York and Vegas specifically.
Side note, when planning an event of any kind for other people whether it is a wedding, a party or an evening out, you have to consider your audience. My audience happened to be two guys who love a sexy outfit, bar, restaurant, hat… anything sexy. So, Tao was the perfect spot for a sexy post dinner cocktail! Is it overrated? I don’t think so, but some may say it is all just a gimmick. Either way, I’m here for it! 

Tao has two location, uptown and downtown.  The uptown location is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but the downtown location has a labyrinth walk through the entrance that brings you to a swanky and spacious lounge area  with several vignettes throughout the space. The wide staircase leads you down to the dining room with tables on each of the steps!  There’s a large bar with cozy lounge seating with seating available at the bar as well. I will not lie, the service in the bar is not the best. The superiority complex is a real thing but, when in the dining room, I have had much better experiences with the servers. Espresso martinis and we were out the door.

TAO RESTAURANT DOWNTOWN NYC

Time to head back to our home base area and that brought us to RPM, an underground karaoke spot with a few different rooms for private karaoke as well as a main room where anyone can join in the singing shananigans. We did not stay long at this space because the neon lighting and 80’s decor was a bit overwhelming for some of us due to the cocktails and various sundries consumed.

RPM UNDERGROUND

We headed back to Faces and Names, next to the hotel, where we sat for the rest of the night enjoying several more cocktails and some small snacks. This bar is seriously bustling!  Another “go to” spot for sure, if I lived in the city. Great service and the food is actually incredible. The chicken tacos that are out of this world!

JUST TO BE SURE YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND THIS AMAZING PLACE, CLICK HERE

A little after 1am, we were done. We walked around the corner to Ray’s Pizza (on 7th Avenue at 54th Street) where we grabbed pizza and dessert with the friendly staff who enjoyed the condition we were in, although many may not have felt the same. Good times at Ray’s pizza and a life-saving decision at the end of a very long day of drinking!

RAY'S PIZZA MIDTOWN WEST

All in all, we hit some great new spots (new to us) and some New York hotspots that you just have to experience to say you did it, if nothing else!  For me, it was one of my favorite New York days exploring and experiencing the things that I thought my friends would enjoy and feeling like, for even a day, I was able to join my two worlds and it was perfect!