We started our morning with Brunch at Balthazar. I wasn’t really sure what to expect and just hoped the food lives up to the price and the reviews. When we got there, we were lucky and barely had to wait for a table. The service was friendly and speedy. Linda ordered the French toast with bacon and I got the scrambled eggs with mushroom and asparagus on a pastry puff. The egg dishes were recommended by Bobby Flay!

Linda’s French toast was warm and fluffy with a nice kick of cinnamon. The best I’ve had… But then again I rarely have French toast. The bacon was too crispy for my taste though.

My scrambled eggs dish was amazingly delicious! The eggs were light and fluffy with great flavours from the mushroom and asparagus. It was paired perfectly with a pastry puff which had a flakey texture like those Chinese baked puffs. This became the best dish I had during the trip.

Next we went shopping in soho where Linda bought a bracelet she won’t stop raving about and I bought hiking boots.

Shortly after, we left soho to get to Chelsea piers and go kayaking on the Hudson river. I was nervous because the water looked so wavey and rough compared to the last time I went. But the style of this kayak was so stable. I felt completely comfortable once in the water.

It was nice view of the east side and we had beautiful weather with the sunset as a backdrop.

We went to Buddakan after for a fancy dinner with Jenny. The decor of this place was very chic and modern. Apparently sex and the city was filmed here once. Notice the awkward smile because so stranger offered to take a photo for us… and we were scared he was going to run away with it.

The food was very good, presented well and fresh but it wasn’t mind blowing… It was pricy too about $60 per person. Next time, I’d try Spice Market.

We were so full, we walked the highline for a little bit and it is such a nice place at night. What a great idea to reuse the old railway line for a public park space.

We ended the night at Times Square and shopping at Forever21. Linda was amazed at all the lights.

Day 3
I was interested in trying the New York bagels this time around and compare it to Montreal. So, we went to Murray’s Bagel and it was delicious! I loved the bagels… Maybe more than Montreal since it was less dense. I had it fresh with salmon and cream cheese, while Linda had the egg and cheese. Both of them were outstanding, very filling and affordable.

We took the free Staten Island Ferry to see the statue of Liberty and it was a good ride. Nice view of the city and statue. It was a little small compared to the paid ferries but in my opinion good enough.

We skipped lunch because the bagel was so filling. We went to Brooklyn after and made a quick stop at the Brooklyn Superhero Store which I heard about at a design talk. It was neat but way smaller than I thought. I didn’t buy anything but on the way I found a old school cassette Walkman for the office!

We ended up at Prospect Park and wanted walk through it to get to the Brooklyn botanical garden. Bad idea, since we got lost, it took forever and it exhausted us! But when we got to the garden, it was worth the trek. The garden was huge but very nice. I’m sure it would have been nicer in during spring when everything is in bloom.

Starving at this point, we made way to Grimaldi’s Pizza under the Brooklyn bridge. I heard it was one of the best in the city. And although, it was good but I feel like I enjoyed Lombadi pizza better.

We walk back to Manhattan on the Brooklyn bridge after. I’ve been before but it’s a lovely walk to burn off the pizza calories.

With an hour before closing, we rushed to Century 21 for shopping. Linda fell in love with the store since it was such great brands at discounted prices. We had to go back for more!

We had dessert at Chikalicous after and I had the melon soup that I had the first time I was there. Still amazing but not a new experience anymore.

Since it was still early, we headed to Times Square for a bit of shopping. Some angry store owner sold Linda a souvenir. He was so mad at his employee because he brought the wrong box. He was going crazy and throwing the box… We called it a night shortly after.

Day 4
Our last day in city and we were going to start the morning at Magnolia Bakery, I thought there would be croissants but I was wrong. So, cupcakes for breakfast! Mine was a carrot cake one and although it was good I thought Crumbs, Sprinkles and Two Litte Red Hens were the better option in NYC.

We rented bikes and went around Central park. Such a nice ride. I’ve done it each time I’ve been in NYC.

We went to Momofuku’s Milk Bar after for a quick lunch and cereal milk soft served ice cream. We had their pork bun which was pretty good but what was more unique was the cereal milk ice cream with salted corn flakes. Salty crunchy soft served ice cream taste good surprisingly!

We went shopping at another nearby Century 21 for the next few hours and finally satisfied our shopping craving.

I decided to have a quick dinner before we head to the airport and I wanted to try Shake Shack since I’ve heard it’s really good. I wasn’t expecting much since I was disappointed by Five Guys, In and Out and White Castle burgers and those are highly raved. But WOW! What a surprise it was really good! Tasted like Burger Priest in Toronto but felt a little lighter. It was a small but good portion. The fries were just ok but the peanut butter shake was pretty good.

We grabbed our luggage and took the subway and bus to LGA airport to fly home. Easy ride and way more affordable than taxi or shuttle. It was part of our unlimited 7 day transit pass.

That was it. Although, I’ve been to NYC once a year in the last three years, I haven’t gotten bored yet! There is so much to do, see and eat. New company, electric zoo, BsB, Kayaking and new foods made this trip awesome. I’ll probably consider going back next year too.