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Even though NYC is just an hour away from our home sometimes my husband and I like to plan a mini vacation there and immerse ourselves in culture, visit a lot of great restaurants and stay at a luxury hotel. Add in some business meetings for my husband and it was a win-win. Our stay last weekend was blessed with terrific weather and coincided with the opening of the new Michael C. Rockefeller wing of Oceanic Art at the Met as well as the recently re-opened Frick Collection so I felt as though we hit the jackpot.

Having grown up in Manhattan on the UES that is where I tend to stay as it reminds me of my childhood. While we frequently stay at The Mark my travel agent clued me in to a special promotion at The Surrey which offered a third night free, so we happily took advantage of that.

The Surrey: We opted to drive into the city and a word of warning if you plan to do the same, there is construction next door on 76th between Madison and Fifth and pulling up to the valet is quite stressful as NY drivers are not the most patient. Luckily the staff at the door were on hand to assist so ultimately it all turned out okay. Kudos in particular to the gentleman at reception, he was friendly, professional and efficient.

The lobby is sleek yet simple with the Casa Tua Lounge and Restaurant entrances flanking the front door though they are hidden behind smoky glass.

We had booked a one bedroom deluxe suite and after check-in we headed up to the 9th floor to take a quick look around. Having just reopened in October of 2024 with rooms and suites designed by Martin Brudnizki  I had high hopes regarding the decor; while the interiors are luxuriously appointed the vibe is very conservative and safe with a palette ranging from beige to gold to grays and blues, calming but not at all my vibe. The suite was roomy and well laid out with loads of closet space, a very cozy bed (great linens) as well as a powder room in the living room. The full bathroom was spacious, but very very gray.

Where we ate (and drank):

I had a short list of where I hoped to eat, as did my husband and the two were sometimes quite divergent; perhaps you will be able to tell who chose which of the following spots which are listed chronologically.

The Lounge at the Surrey is open daily from noon to 1 am and located off the lobby as I mentioned. There were plenty of intimate seating areas as well as loads of glorious peonies. We met up with family for drinks on day one, and found the service to be challenging. We waiting way too long for a server to come take our order, though when the cocktails finally came they were tasty. Finding someone to deliver the check was also very tedious, it seems the art of avoiding eye contact has been perfected.

Korean food is always on my list as well as my husbands, and Dons Bogam came highly recommended. Located at 32nd off Fifth it is not fancy, but it is authentic and was very busy on the night we dined there. We opted not to sit at a table with a grill as I didn’t want to leave with a lingering smell of grease but rather sat at one of the tables closer to the entry. We nibbled on tasty banchan (particularly the kimchi) while we enjoyed bottles of Terra (Korean beer) and decided what to order. The Japchae (rice noodles with veggies) was excellent, as were the Tteok Bboki (spicy rice cakes with seafood); though the pacing of the meal was nonexistent with the appetizers served and followed immediately (5 minutes later) by the mains. Speaking of mains, my spinach Bibimbap ( a special) was almost completely flavorless, while my husbands Kimchi Jjigae with pork was so fiery that he enjoyed it going down, but not so much later in the night.

Casa Tua (which has a very cool reputation) is the house restaurant at the Surrey, with additional locations in Miami, Aspen, and Paris. The scene at night was very active but we only chose to experience it in the morning for breakfast (included in our rate since we booked through Virtuoso). The space was welcoming and comfortable, and like the Lounge there were lots of inviting seating areas.

Similar to the Lounge was the service (or lack there of). Forgotten coffees, endless waits for food and the check (again with the cloak of invisibility when we attempted to connect with a server) was infuriating. Many people seem to use breakfast at the Surrey for business meeting (aka power breakfasts) but I think the experience at the Regency is far better. As far as the food, strangely tasteless.

Following the relative blandness at Casa Tua we enjoyed a veritable explosion of spice and flavor at La Dong, a Michelin starred Vietnamese restaurant on 17th street. We were a group of six which allowed us to sample a good portion of the menu, mostly delicious. At noon on a Sunday the restaurant was hopping, and it seemed as though all of the tables were enjoying their meals as much as we were. The portions were generous and the prices reasonable; if you like Vietnamese food I would definitely add La Dong to your list.

The best ending to a spicy meal? Ice cream! I had been meaning to try Soft Swerve for a long time and their location in Kips Bay was sort of close by to La Dong so we headed that way; and it was well worth the trip. What could be more delicious (and photogenic) than purple ice cream dusted with toasted coconut?! It tasted even better than it looked.

A trip to the city isn’t complete (at least for us) without a great Italian meal, made even better by the fact that Ci Siamo is a Danny Meyer restaurant so the service and wine list were outstanding as well. The location is a little weird, it is very close to Hudson Yards, but in all honesty it felt as though we were in another universe. We were dropped off by a taxi and had to follow the detailed instructions sent along with our restaurant confirmation in order to find where we were going. The odd location hasn’t hampered business though, the very large restaurant was packed on a Sunday night. Casa Tua may want to send some of their waitstaff over to learn how proper service is done, the servers at Ci Siamo are incredibly professional and warm (and the food was fantastic).

A choice that was 100% my husbands was Scarr’s on Orchard street which seems to have been there forever but in fact dates back only to 2016. Trusted sources report that Scarr’s is the best pizza in the city and even my husband who is a New Haven pizza snob (Sally’s) had to admit it was pretty incredible, especially the Sicilian Big Boi slice. I was happy just to be along for the ride. We arrived close to opening so avoided the line, but when we left the crowds were gathering.

“Dirty water dog” but make it elevated; the next stop for my husband following Scarr’s was The Mark Hotel Haute Dog Cart, a Jean Georges approved hot dog for just $6! There is always a line, but it moves quickly and according to my husband absolutely worth the wait.

I was saving my appetite for dinner at The Polo Bar, one of my favorite New York spots. After trying to book a table the conventional way and hitting a dead end I called in a favor from a friend who scored us a reservation. In my mind The Polo Bar is truly “old school”, the service is impeccable, everyone is stylishly dressed, and the menu consists of classic favorites. While the food is not the ultimate, the entire experience certainly is. Start with an expertly crafted drink at the bar (once you get past the IPad wielding security) and compliment it with the most addictive deep fried olives, mixed nuts and homemade potato chips.

Once we settled at our table and reviewed the menu along with the specials I opted for shrimp cocktail (massive shrimp accompanied by good horseradish-y cocktail sauce) and a chopped salad while my husband ordered a watermelon and arugula salad in addition to one of the rotating “special” burgers, the Saratoga (peppered bacon, Adair and Raclette cheese, mustard relish all topped with garlic potato chips on a brioche bun) with fries. Seated in an intimate corner banquette with a fantastic view of the comings and goings we were completely content.

I was glad I stayed somewhat virtuous with my appetizer and entrée choices as dessert was an indulgently perfect hot fudge sundae (with vanilla ice cream).

Where we went: As I mentioned our trip to New York coincided with the opening of the new Michael C. Rockefeller wing of the Met which was absolutely stunning, it was also mobbed, as was the Sargent exhibit (incredible) and Superfine, the current costume exhibit (interesting). One major word of advice, get your tickets ahead of time, you will be grateful you did!

The Sargent in Paris exhibition was magical, what an impressive collection of works all in one place! This was crowded as well, but a little less so than the African/Oceanic wing.

The Superfine costume exhibition was probably the most crowded as the space was constrained and somewhat dark. It was a little claustrophobic so I didn’t linger too long.

Of course I had to do some quick visits to some of my favorites at the Met, here is just a small sampling.

The Frick Collection reopened April 17 and the lines are still around the block. Unless you are a member of the Frick it is mandatory that you buy tickets in advance and I would strongly advise you show up at your appointed time. The museum spaces are quite intimate and the number of people given access during each entry time is very limited. There is a no photography policy within the Frick which I learned after I snapped a photo of the Renoir and impressive staircase shown below. I subsequently learned photos of the courtyard and gardens are ok. The extensive renovation as well as the collection itself and the way it is displayed is truly remarkable and absolutely worth a visit.

We also visited the Neue Gallerie which has an unbelievable collection of works by one of my favorite artists Gustav Klimt, including the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. Like the Frick they have a very strict no photography policy so alas no photos, but if you are craving a small jewel of a museum that also features an excellent café (Café Sabarsky) you should pay them a visit. We were fortunate to attend a lecture by one of the Neue Galerie’s docents which was incredibly informative and I learned even more about Klimt which made the experience that much more enjoyable.

My husband who is generally game for just about anything asked to skip a Broadway show during this trip so instead we decided to see some live jazz at Dizzy’s Club located on the 5th floor of the shops at Columbus Circle. We got to see Ted Nash and his Big Band perform which was a lot of fun. The tickets are very reasonable (there is an additional $21 food or drink minimum which is still a real bargain) and the music is great.

Additional random snapshots of the city: Of course the best part of NY is wandering around and we logged about 9 miles each day effectively burning off enough calories to justify double servings of ice cream!

Of all the things we stumbled upon during our exploration of the city this may have been my favorite, the NYPD marching band playing Frank Sinatra’s New York New York while marching in the Filipino Independence Day Parade.

We packed in a ton of fun during our four day stay in NY and I am already planning our next visit in early September, though I think we will try the Lowell next time…stay tuned!