Highlights from My Girl’s Trip to NYC

I couldn’t spend 3 whole days in New York City and not share all the scoop with you! Let me preface this post by saying this is not an all inclusive travel guide of the city, but rather the snapshots or Highlights from My Girl’s Trip to NYC! We had zero intentions of being typical tourists, but chose to bop around with little to no agenda instead! We ate, we drank, we walked and we laughed. A lot. It was a short and sweet girl’s trip that ultimately came to be due to an invitation to the Better Homes & Gardens StyleMaker Event. But why stop there?!

I really enjoy sharing trip recaps with you guys and plan to do more of them! The last one I shared was our Hilton Head Vacation Recap this past Summer and plan to write about a few more upcoming trips next year.

Hopefully you enjoy hearing about some of the best moments from these trips, as I truly enjoy writing them and having this sort of digital memory book to look back on years down the road.

Ok, now on to a quick look back on my time in New York City!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM MY GIRL’S TRIP TO NYC

Once the invitation arrived, we began chatting about our time in New York City. Did we want to stay in the hotel where the event was hosted or somewhere else? Did we want to stay 2 nights or an extra one this year? 

By late Summer, we booked our room and our flight and yes, decided to stay that extra night!

We began chatting about what to pack and what we were going to do with our time. The answer was – whatever we want! No kids and no husbands in tow meant we could truly do as much or as little as we wished.

After all, time away with girlfriends is rare and precious, so we didn’t feel the need to be completely booked. We wanted to be able to stroll around and pop into here or there. And just stumble upon cute little places in the area!

TRAVEL DAY

7:30 am flight. I had to be at the airport SO early, which meant I basically wanted to wear my pajamas, but instead I opted for a cute, but comfy travel outfit just in case we wouldn’t be able to get into our room before we roamed around in the city that day.

My $20 leopard leggings were the perfect choice for stylish comfort – they are soft, stretchy and feel like butter! I wore a black cotton tank with a denim jacket layered on top and my fav white sneakers. 

Coffee was first on the agenda after I got through security and while I had every intention of pulling out my laptop and working on the plane, instead I sipped my coffee, read my book and then gave in to a few minutes of shut-eye. My 3:55 am wake-up did me in, so no work for me!

Heather @ Southern State of Mind

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS

Once we arrived we hopped in a cab and off we went! We decided to book a room at Hotel Indigo located 171 Ludlow St, New York, NY and walk a couple blocks to the Public Hotel for the Better Homes & Gardens Stylemaker Event. The price was slightly lower and the rooms were slightly bigger – both a win in our book! 

It was a cute, corner room so we had windows on 2 walls which made it feel even bigger!

The hotel was on the same block as Katz’s Deli and a Serafina – a delicious corner Italian cafe where we immediately indulged in salad, pasta and the perfect spicy margarita.

WALKING THE STREETS

After lunch, roamed around the Lower East Side with nowhere to be until meeting our friends for dinner later that night. After some shopping, a glass of Rosé and roaming around the Italian Street festival nearby, we were headed back in to get ready for the night and to meet the rest of our group.

This is actually when our Style My Closet Challenge idea came to be!

GIRLS DINNER AT FONDA

 

We met up with Charlotte of At Charlotte’s House, Chelsea of Two Twenty One and Jessica of The Organized Mama to catch up over yummy chips and guac and margaritas! The chicken enchiladas with a side of street corn were also absolutely delicious! We gabbed all through dinner and the short walk home and then decided to stay up a bit longer and head to the hotel bar to meet up with Carmel of Our Fifth House [Heather and my other roomie].

The time we get to spend together before and after the BHG event is such a treat because the actual StyleMaker day is so jam-packed it makes it hard to just leisurely sit around and chat!

LEOPARD LOVING ROOMIES

Heather gifted Carmel and me thee CUTEST leopard socks as roomie gifts since the 3 of us are all midly wildly obsessed with all things animal print. I’m certain I packed enough leopard and snake print to arm the entire guest list at the BHG event. And I did wear something animal print each day and thanks to Heather, to bed at night, too!

Well, in addition to my fav cozy leopard jammies. I love them so much I have them in two colors 😉

BHG STYLEMAKER EVENT

And this is what we all traveled here for! This was my 3rd year attending the Better Homes & Gardens StyleMaker Event and it does not disappoint. The day from start to finish, is spilling over with so much energy and inspiration. Just under 100 like-minded men and women gather to learn and share about our experiences as creatives in the field.

Home decor, lifestyle, food and gardening bloggers and enthusiasts have the opportunity to spend the day hearing from the BHG Editors who host the event, inspiring guest speakers who share their successes [and failures], fabulous sponsors who let us test and sample their latest and greatest products and so much more!

BHG COCKTAIL PARTY & A ROOFTOP NIGHTCAP

Carmel & me having our Sex in the City moment.

After a short break to change and regroup, we made our way back to the Public Hotel for a cocktail party and closing remarks. We get treated to passed Hors d’oeuvres, signature cocktails and another chance to gab with one another and watch the gorgeous sunset over the city skyline.

This view does not disappoint!

A group of girls mentioned grabbing something to eat at another nearby rooftop, so we swung by our hotel to drop off our swag bag in the room, only to find out the rooftop bar we were meeting at was at our hotel! Since we came in on a Wednesday, it wasn’t as busy, but by Thursday night it was literally the hottest spot in the area. Lines out the door and around the corner, but we had VIP status simply because we had room keys ha!

Mr. Purple with Bre @ BrePurposed | Heather @ Southern State of Mind | Dina @ Dina Holland Interiors | Carmel @ Our Fifth House

It was a gorgeous, brisk night with yet another spectacular view of the city.

AND THEN WE BRUNCH

Friday morning we slept in, had coffee and then headed out for the day. Again, zero agenda for the majority of the day.

We only had to get to Broadway by 8 pm for Mean Girls. We wandered around and popped into a cute little corner spot for brunch. Spicy bloody Mary’s and a phenomenal omelette.

Every time we sat down for a meal, we laughed because we pretty much always went for the same few items on the menu!

We could have sat in that spot for hours and people watched and chatted with the table next to us as it rotated with other diners, but we decided we should keep piddling around and see where the day took us.

We thought about visiting the 9/11 memorial, but we heard from numerous people that there was a big protest going on right in that area, so we decided to steer clear. I hope to get there on my next NYC trip. I hear it is so incredibly moving.

UNION SQUARE MARKET

We ended up walking through Union Square, where it was  buzzing with vendors and people strolling the park. We stumbled upon books, pumpkins, fresh vegetables, handmade jewelry and quite a few artists with their unique pieces on display. Heather and I both ended up with a piece of art we couldn’t resist. It was our one little NYC memento from the trip.

I got a small watercolor of the New York City skyline and still haven’t determined where it will land in my home. 

I’m sort of thinking in my office that’s currently in progress. I think it would be so cute on a gallery wall or on display on one of the shelves of my wall unit!

A little reminder of one of my favorite trips each year. So full of fun and inspiration! Even living near as big of city as Chicago, I’m always in awe of New York City. There is nothing quite like it!

EATALY

After making our way around the city that afternoon, we decided to check out Eataly since so many friends had raved about it. We went to the one located at 200 Fifth Avenue, but there is another one located downtown. If you’ve never been, its like an Italian cafe, market, gift shop, restaurant and bar all in one and spread out across multiple levels.

We have an Eataly in Chicago and my sister has been begging me to do a girl’s lunch with her there. Well, I finally got to Eataly, but in another city and without her! We wandered the main level and took note of all of the delicious cheeses, fresh baked breads, pastas and wines. They even had an entire room dedicated to chocolates and gelato.

While we debated about what looked the most appetizing and pondered how we could sneak all the chocolate and cheese in our luggage, we finally decided to take the elevator upstairs to the rooftop.

We’d certainly be able to curb our indecisiveness over a glass of Rose!

It was the most beautiful September day! They had gorgeous autumn colored leaves strung across the ceiling beams. And there was just enough of a breeze to get the glistening silver disco ball spinning! 

I mean, if I had to be parked somewhere on a Fall Friday afternoon in NYC, this absolutely would have been my ideal spot!

I highly recommend checking this place out if you have the chance!!

SUSHI DINNER

After walking back to the hotel to get ready for dinner & Broadway, we were in our room deciding what we had a taste for. We noticed some people out our window dancing on a rooftop across the street. While scanning the scene to see where they were and what they were doing, we spotted a little Sushi bar and decided to check it out for dinner.

A few delicious rolls later and we were in a cab on our way to the show!

MEAN GIRLS ON BROADWAY

This. Was. So. Much. FUN! 

We went back and forth on each and every show playing for either Wednesday or Friday that week and ultimately landed on Mean Girls. There were so many excellent choices, but based on timing and what we were in the mood for, this ended up being our winner.

I mean – Friday night…while on a girl’s trip… in NYC.  All the yes!

Pink slushie cocktails, fun music, Regina George, the Burn Book and school girl giggles. Yep, a pretty solid Friday night!! They did a really nice job of updating the original story to include modern day references and lingo. It took me right back to watching the movie when it came out 15 years ago!

Tina Fey is part of the creative team behind Mean Girls and it definitely lived up to the hype! It was light-hearted and hilarious and the perfect end to a fabulous 3 day girls trip to NYC.

HEADING BACK HOME

Saturday morning we were off for the airport a little after 7 am and I arrived back home just in time to scramble to make a soccer game! Never a dull moment!

Although the invitation from Better Homes & Gardens was what brought me to New York City to begin with, the friends I go with are what keep me coming back each year!

It’s no small task to get everything squared away at home in preparation to take a trip. Especially when it’s during the week. So I’m especially thankful for my mom who was able to come to town to help hold down the fort while I was away.

Girls trips are good for the soul and if you haven’t had a chance to take one in awhile, plan one! NYC is an excellent choice, but anywhere with girlfriends is a worthwhile getaway!

I hope to pop back in with more details from the actual BHG event as well as some of my packing tips, so be on the lookout!

Have a great day, friends!