The Bar Has Been Set – the high one, and the low one

For those of you who woke up yesterday morning and immediately logged in to check out my latest blog I’m sorry there wasn’t one for you to read, but alas, I came down with a fantastic poochuck virus.  So I spent yesterday in bed (or in the bathroom) feeling extremely nauseous and sorry for myself.  Just after lunch Himself had to track down a medical centre and half carry me to it.  So at least we got to experience the American Health System at its finest.  Expensive.  One hundred dollars to see an intern who then consulted with a doctor and then gave me some drugs…  The drugs by the way were very cheap.

But the day before all of this drama was a shopping day, so the plan was to go to Macy’s and check it out.  We had a non-descript breakfast at a café down the road (where Himself was given a cup of coffee the size of… well, I dunno, but it was ridiculously huge…) once we finished up we walked up to Macy’s.  It was freezing and of course I’d forgotten my hat and gloves…

I get the coffee doesn't look huge due to big hands there, but it was...

We stopped at the Empire State Building on the way because the line was non-existent.  Fantastic! We went up to the observation deck on the 80th floor and stepped outside… where I immediately snap froze. The view is amazing though, but so cold!! So after a few mandatory photos (and a few more by Himself just to prove how manly and tough he was out there in the cold) we shot back down to earth via the gift shop.  I may have bought the Wee Girl something but I can’t say what as she’s reading this too…

We then went onward to Macy’s, which was packed!  But unlike Myer where you have to go hunter gathering for an attendant there were more than you could poke a stick at, and all bar one incredibly helpful*.  Himself spent some money on shoes then we found a docking station for him while I did some serious clothes shopping (I shop alone).  Two hundred dollars later I went and collected him and we headed out to lunch.   We stopped at the Shake Shack which Himself wanted to try.  Apparently they’re quite famous, the burgers were yum but their slogan should be “A Heart Attack in Every Bun”.  The buns had this weird squidgy texture; I suspect containing 70% lard would do that to bread.  The chips were yum too.  But as it was an outdoor eating area by the time we were finished I looked like I was suffering from some kind of palsy and my legs were sticking to my jeans (ouch! An all new cold experience for me) so we figured it was time to go.

Just time for an afternoon nap before dinner.  The rain was teaming down when we left and the *&^%$$!@!! Taxi driver took us to the wrong restaurant (huzzah!) which would have been okay, as the correct place was only a five minute walk away, except that as it was pissing it down it was not.  So we arrived at the Grammercy Tavern looking like a couple of wet, angry rats.

They more than made up for it.  The food was divine as was the service.  To start I had a cauliflower custard and Himself had a beetroot and radicchio salad (he said it was a bit too bitter – wrong radicchio to beetroot ratio), then I had fish for main – he had lamb and we finished with cheese.  ALL DELICIOUS and including tip $170 less than the night before…  there were also gorgeous looking and tasting petit fours plus a couple of amuse bouche slipped in there.  And the place was also beautiful.  It got better; they gave us a complementary umbrella on the way out, and not just a cheap one, a really lovely big one.  I suspect Himself will call dibs on it when we get home.  We also grabbed some matches which came in really handy the next day in the loo, what with my stomach…

Oh, and a breakfast muffin for the next day.  Love the food here on the whole, although all a tiny bit salty for my taste…

*Maybe she didn't like having a stick poked at her, I get that...