Jesse’s Birthday | Manhattan in November
I headed toward the freezing cold chill of New York to celebrate Jesse’s birthday back in November. During the week, I made small excursions around his ‘new’ neighborhood in Midtown (my last visit, Jesse was still living downtown). And of course at night and on the weekends, we had plenty of foodie adventures all around Manhattan and Brooklyn. So I’ve split the trip into two blog posts. This, part 1, is all around Manhattan; and part 2 will be Brooklyn/LIC.
Inside the Plaza Hotel; outside the Russian Tea Room.
My brief visit to the Modern Museum of Art on a free day… sooooo crowded! I think I prefer paying. Or getting someone else’s free passes on a regular day.
On the morning of Jesse’s birthday, we took a tour of the historic Woolworth Building, which is otherwise closed to the public.
They just don’t make them like this any more.
At night, it was time for Jesse’s supperclub birthday party! He held it at Suite ThreeOhSix, which is a beautiful space and vegan supperclub run by his friend Daphne. She provided all of these flower arrangements too.
Such pretty presentations! Jesse is not vegan (obviously), nor are any of his friends, but he thought this would be a great excuse to get everyone to try something different. It’s not hard to love vegan food when it’s done so well and also not attempting to masquerade as meat.
On the left, some special sake that Jason brought straight from Japan.
Happy Birthday, Jesse!
On to the next day, brunch with Jesse’s cousins.
Then we checked out Bobby Flay’s restaurant, Gato.
A lunchtime visit to Arcade Bakery, tucked away in the lobby of an office building and making brilliant use of their wall panels as seating and tables.
Dinner at the Bao, Jesse’s new favorite xiao long bao (soup dumpling) spot.
Lunch with my friend Michelle at Kura, a sushi bar in St. Marks.
Chirashi bowl from Kura / ramen from Totto
Overpriced foie gras from Eleven Madison Park (didn’t dine there; just went for drinks) / dessert from Coppelia with Julia & Davis.
And finally, afternoon tea with Julia & Cheryl!
So many fun new mini-adventures!
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco but often jetsetting to New York City and around the world. Follow her on facebook for more photography and travel adventures.
