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NYC/NEW JERSEY Christmas 2016
I have spent the past couple of Christmases in NYC with my sister, and this Christmas was no different. I love New York at Christmas....truly one of the best times of year to travel to the city. I did several of the same things I always do when in NYC, but added some new things to my list of must do's, as well. I am going to split my time NYC/Jersey into three different categories: food, shopping, and entertainment.
Food
I don't have too much to write about for food, because we actually cooked on Christmas day for ourselves or we ordered through grub hub on other days. But, there are a few food recommendations that I will make. On Christmas Eve we went to a restaurant call BEA. The atmosphere was great, the waitstaff very pleasant, and the food was delicious. As a starter we had the Tuna Tar Guac, and for my meal I had Uncle Tommy's Pie (BEA's version of a shepherd's pie).
On Monday the 26th we went to The Meatball Shop where the entire menu contains...you guessed it...different versions of meatballs. You can literally have any form of meatball you could want. It's the ultimate comfort food. There are 6 different locations in NYC, and they are pretty easy to locate. :)
Tuesday night saw us at the restaurant Tao. The atmosphere is electric here, and we sat next to a giant statue of Buddha.....how often do you get to say that? The food was delicious. I had the Hong Kong XO Shrimp with Long Beans and Jasmine Rice. Yummy! My sister and I also shared the giant fortune cookie filled with white chocolate and chocolate mousse, for dessert. Word of caution: this place is a bit on the pricey side....but so worth it.
Shopping
This is obviously my favorite topic. On Christmas Eve my sister and I did some shopping at Kiehl's and MAC on the Upper West Side. If there is one thing that I LOVE shopping for it's skincare/makeup. Surprisingly, I have never actually owned anything from Kiehl's (I know, this is a shock to your system). So, being a Kiehl's newbie...I naturally signed up for their rewards club (I got $25 off of my purchase that day, if I did so). I ended up purchasing the Tumeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque (love this formula....makes me look and feel younger) and the Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 in mint (very moisturizing). I think I may be a new Kiehl's addict.
At MAC I bought a few things....I love their range of colors in eye shadows and lipsticks. Their eye shadows are so highly pigmented.......I want to collect them all. I purchased the extra dimension eyeshadow in Grand Galaxy (a deep purple/blue color) and lipstick in the color Model Behavior (I secretly...and not so secretly purchased this because it has the same name as Justin Timberlake's first Disney Channel Movie Model Behavior...it's still at my parent's house on VHS...somewhere---also the color is amazing it's a purple/blue color). I also got a travel size of their strobe cream.
No trip to NYC is ever complete with out a visit to Birchbox's Soho store. I always feel so at home there, and they always compliment me on my hair color (I love my hair color too). I always do the BYOB (build your own box), where I can pick out samples from different categories. I also wanted to try out Milk Cosmetics......so I got their lipstick in Gnarly...a matte pink with blue undertones...I think. I have also been looking for a new mascara, so I got a box of several sample sizes of Smashbox mascaras. Finally, I also got one of my favorite hydrating sheet/face-masques from Dr. Jart. When I went to purchase my items, I found out I also got a free surprise Birchbox and a free full-size lipgloss (both of which went to my sister). I LOVE FREEBIES. Seriously, you all need to visit this place on your vista to NYC......and it's in SoHo, which is a lovely place to shop and eat.
Whist in SoHo, I also made a trip to J.Crew....they had a sale going (what's a ginger to do??). I didn't need much (who ever NEEDS something from J.Crew), but I did purchase a 2017 planner for my sister, and a cute t-shirt for myself.
Lastly, I went to Kate Spade (in the NYC Oculus...next to One World Trade Center)....and splurged. I couldn't help it....the purse spoke to me....and it was pink/purple sparkles (I really couldn't help myself, I have no will-power). Here is the bag I purchased---it was also 30% off of the already lowered price...good deal right??? That's what I keep telling myself. It's so beautiful. *sigh...fancy ginger heaven*
Entertainment
When you travel to NYC, there are endless amounts of opportunities to be entertained. For many, the subway platforms are entertainment enough. I managed to go further that the subway platform for some good old fashioned NYC entertainment.
On Christmas Eve my sister surprised me with tickets to the Broadway Musical Holiday Inn. It was wonderful. The cast was brilliant, the singing superb, and the choreography is out of this world. Bonus...Corbin Bleu was in it (High School Musical anyone??).
I also hit up One World Trade Center for the first time, and traveled to the top of the tower. If you are into photography, this is the place for you. You are guaranteed spectacular views of the city, even on a rainy day.
My sister and I also kept a Christmas tradition by going to the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. If you have little kids, or are a kid at heart, this is the perfect show to go to.
Finally, I decided to culture myself by going to a museum that I had never been to before....the American Folk Art Museum. One of the best things about this museum (and many in NYC) is that it is free...only requesting a free-will donation. The exhibit was very interesting, and morbid.....all about paintings depicting deceased children (no, I did not realize this until half-way through the exhibit). It was an interesting experience.
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Overall, the best part about NYC is always spending time with my sister. We had many laughs and many lazy days. Just the way these gingers like to spend the holidays. But, now I am home and relaxing during my last couple of days of vacation. :)
I hope your holidays were magical and your 2017 is off to a brilliant start.
As always-- be kind and stay fancy!
