Eleven Madison Park

Later in the week, Damian and Alison surprised us with a fancy dinner out to Eleven Madison Park. It was a thank you for staying with us, and future guests take note this is the way to say thank you!














We frocked up and rocked up, and the evening did not disappoint!














Eleven Madison Park is very special not only in its location but its approach to food and dining. The menu is intended to offer an experience of a tasting small bites, inter-twinned with palate cleanses and specialty drinks, all if which feature local and seasonal produce.

Waiter making a traditional NY Egg Creme - divine!


















Dishes are listed solely by their principal ingredients, and you state your preferences, including any ingredient dislikes, and the meal is designed from there.

We decided to interject one of our 4 courses by including a "group course" that featured a whole roasted duck in Lavendar and honey. It was carved table-side and was truly amazing!














We were suitably stuffed by the end of the 3 hour extravaganza, a sign of a good night out.

The evening was surpassed only by its company, a BIG thank you to Damian and Alison for an experience to remember!

Academy of American Poets

Wednesday nigh we made our way to the Lincoln Center to enjoy the Academy of American Poets presentation of its Poetry & The Creative Mind Gala, at the Alice Tully Hall.

Some of America's leading artists, scholars, and public figures participated in this extraordinary evening celebrating the role of contemporary poetry in American culture, featuring Alec Baldwin, Adrien Brody, Jess Eisenberg, Caroline Kennedy, Patti Smith, Liev Schreiber, Patti Smith and Chandra Wilson.

It was a pleasant surprise and we had a fun evening filled with humor, laughter and diverging from the script! It was great to see the interpretation of everyone's favorite poems, poets and their place in 2011. I would thoroughly recommend this experience to everyone!

Happy Anniversary

On Tuesday we celebrated our 3rd Wedding Anniversary! I can't believe how time flies, and the joy and journey that our lives have taken us on.

To celebrate we headed to Fig&Olvie in the Meat Packing district for gourmet Italian food in remembrance of our fabulous honeymoon. Te restaurant specialized in house made olive oils and fresh products, so it was quite debacle figuring out what to eat, it all looked good!
















I'll have some wine!
















The third anniversary gift is leather, so bubbha surprised me with a new ipad case from Henri Bendal. I was quite shocked that he was so indulgent, but happy to be on the receiving end!

I was creative and got David a gift voucher to the "Leather Spa" so his shoes could be re-heeled and re-soled, along with a very nice bottle of wine from Chile.

















All in all we had a lovely evening. True to form, as per our wedding day, here was a heat wave and it was unseasonably hot.

It was great to pop into some summer gear, and luckily this time I did not break out in a heat rash!

New York Stock Exchange

As most of you know, my cousin Matthew is an Anchor for CNBC. During his recent trip to NYC we were introduced to some of his colleagues who work in the New York office who kindly offered to take us on a tour of the New York Stock Exchange.

With Damian and Alison in town, we thought it perfect timing to take them up on it! So down we went for an amazing tour, and Ruth join in on the fun as well.

the platform where the opening bell is rung.

Live from the NYSE floor!

Outside the CNBC booth, you can see them prepping for the show in the background.

group shot!

ta- dah!

Big shout out and thank you to Matthew and Mandy who made this fantastic experience possible!

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter!

After church on Sunday, we headed over to Park Slope in Brooklyn for lunch with Ana. We dined at Melt, a super cute restaurant that was a mix of creative and classic American food using local and seasonal ingredients.

We then took a wander around Park Slope and over to Prospect Park, before the heavens opened and shut down our fun!

Cuban Crisis!

After a long day and quick sojourn at home to rest and relax, we headed out to our favourite Cuban restaurant, Havana Alma de Cuba.

We had a great night complete with a live band, fruity cocktails and fantastic food ranging from everything from shredded pork empanadas, vegetarian paella, ropa vieja, churrascaria with chimichurri sauce, marinated sirloin, churros dipped in chocolate and guava turnovers.

Apparently there was a memo that went out about not looking at the camera.........

......clearly I did not get it!














By the end of the night, Damian was literally in a sweat complete with fluttering eyelids! We are not sure if it was due to the strong mojito or his marinated steak - or both!

Meat Packing

After a fun filled week we headed to Meat Packing on Saturday morning for brunch. It was well received with squeals of delight and comments such as " its just like Paris!" - a good way to start the weekend!




















We enjoyed some fabulous food as the rain poured outside before we took a stroll around the shops and Chelsea markets.

All that shopping made us a bit thirsty and tired so we popped into the Boom Boom Room at the top of the Standard Hotel for some drinks.















We had an almost 180 degree view of the Hudson River and the bar itself was a sight to be seen.




















It was decked out in plush luxurious 1970's fabulousity with a feeling of old Vegas meets opulent retro porn and elegance!



















Perhaps we were a little under-dressed.....