Last week my husband and I popped in to NYC for a 24 hour stay.  Because we had so little time, we had to maximize our fun.  I drove in midday on Wednesday, thankfully encountering almost no traffic.  This was surely a good omen!

I pulled right up to our absolute favorite NY hotel, The Mark .

The doorman outside let me know that he would park my car on the street and keep an eye on it rather than having to deal with the nearby garage.  His suggested fee for that was $40 cash rather than the $75 garage fee.  I’m not certain this was on the up & up- but I went along with his plan.

I’m also not certain whether if its because we have stayed so frequently over the years,  or because we book through my Virtuoso agent, but we are always the recipients of a terrific upgrade.  With a Virtuoso booking you are eligible for a one class room upgrade based on availability, a credit for drinks at their fabulous bar, and a yummy breakfast in the hotel’s very  chic restaurant.  We booked the lowest priced King accommodation and were lucky enough to receive this lovely suite.

 

 

 

 

I quickly dropped my bags and headed for a quick walk up Madison Avenue.  It was very cold, so I stopped for coffee and a quick Sandwich at E.A.T  and a cookie at William Greenberg Desserts .

This is where I grew up, so a walk up and down Madison Avenue is really a nostalgic trip down Memory Lane foe me.  The Upper East Side may not be the hippest place in NYC (by far), but it is my Happy Place!

After a bit of retail therapy, I headed back to the Bar at the Mark to use my complimentary drinks certificate, and catch up with an old friend.

The bar at the Mark is tiny, but always packed with a great crowd.  Aside from the normal scene, the hotel was hosting a huge percentage of the people in for the Chanel Show at the Temple of Dendur at the Met on Tuesday, so the people watching was fab.

My husband returned from his day of meetings and we walked up Fifth Avenue to a cocktail reception just across from the Met.  Pure NY!

Following cocktails I set off to meet another close friend for dinner at a very UES hot spot, Antonucci Café .  Short on space, but long on authentic Italian charm, this restaurant is like a private club for residents of the UES.  The food was delicious- especially a very authentic cacio e pepe!!

 

After dinner I headed back towards the Hotel, down a deserted, but still gorgeous Madison Avenue.

The bed was super comfy, so waking up early for our meeting wasn’t easy- but the lure of a tasty breakfast eased the pain.

Aside from the good food, there is definitely a NY power breakfast scene at the hotel; always fun to watch, as well as all the papers, including the NY Post.

We packed up after breakfast, checked out (stored my bags for the day) and headed down Fifth Avenue to my morning meeting, stopping to admire the Christmas Windows along the way.  Bergdorf Goodman’s  were the most fun for sure.

Last stop was the 21 Club  for a holiday lunch celebration.  The 21 Club is really old school- and never fails to disappoint.  The Jockeys are all decked out in  Christmas finery- its pure fun.

Well, that wrapped up my 24 hours in NY. We headed back up to the Mark to pick up our bag and the car (which thankfully was right where the doorman promised it would be), and hit the road for home.  I hit a lot of my favorite spots, and it left me wanting to head back in sooner rather than later.