Another annual girls’ trip has made it into the books! This was our 6th year getting together, and our destination was New York City! We had four days to laugh, cry, and just be our crazy selves together, and it was so much fun! Sharing what all we did each day, and of course, all the outfit details!
DAY 1
Normally, our trips are Thursday through Sunday, but this year we decided to get together a day early, and meet up at my house since I live just a couple of hours outside of the city. The girls arrived on Wednesday, and we ordered pizza, enjoyed cocktails by the pool, and Lee even lit some fireworks for us at the end of the night. You know he just can’t help himself sometimes!
DAY 2
This was a REALLY fun day! We spent most of the day swimming and just catching up on life. (These floats were perfect for sitting on while in the pool!) Lee had been working nonstop on creating a menu for the girls that would be funny and obviously taste delicious so we were fed the entire day. He would pop in with this little bamboo tray that had sandwiches or some sort of snacks on it…..we never had to worry about going hungry, that’s for sure. He also served as bartender and had a ton of drink options for us to choose from…he really was just as into it as we were!
We also booked Nicholas Rotindo who plays the steel drums, and that absolutely took the party to the next level. He is an awesome one man band (Sounds Of The Island) , and he played everything from The Little Mermaid to Margaritaville. It felt like we were somewhere in the Caribbean, and kind of made us want to skip the whole NYC part! 😂 My son, Nicholas, provided us entertainment with his break dancing too so it was just such a fun day. If you ever need a steel drum band for anything, I cannot recommend Nicholas enough! He is so talented and very professional.
We took a party bus from my house to the city Thursday afternoon, and it was a blast. We used US Bargain Limo, but unfortunately I would NOT recommend them if you’re in the tri-state area. Although the trip to the city itself was a great time, the bus showed up in poor condition, and we had several issues the following week regarding how we left the bus, and they even tried to charge us more money. We’re responsible adults, not animals, and would never treat someone else’s property the way they insinuated so that was definitely frustrating! The ride was surely fun though! 😂
We rented this Airbnb on the lower east side and our triplex apartment was so cute! It had lots of stairs so carrying luggage up and down it was entertaining, but it had two outdoor terraces so we got to spend a lot of our down time (even though there wasn’t much of it) outside overlooking the city, which was really cool. It was in a very eclectic neighborhood so there was no shortage of entertaining people to watch! Our first night there, we went to Mr. Purple rooftop bar for late night dinner and drinks. It had gorgeous views of the city, tons of outdoor space, and played great music.
I wore this dress that I am in love with. It has a lot of stretch and you can wear the sleeves on or off your shoulder. Not to mention it’s a bright and gorgeous color! I hadn’t planned on carrying this snakeskin clutch with it, but it ended up coordinating with the dress so well!
DAY 3
This was another one of my favorite days because we had the most amazing brunch at the Restoration Hardware rooftop restaurant, and it was STUNNING! The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was so elegant and exactly like what you would expected from them. If you’re ever in New York (the restaurant is located in the Meatpacking District), I highly recommend checking it out!
After brunch, we headed to the marina to hop on a sailboat for a tour of the city from the water. What a cool experience that was! It was such a neat way to see the city skyline, the Statue of Liberty up close, and just have a fun day on the water with the girls. Ventura was the company that chartered our trip, and they were amazing. They served us lunch and cocktails and the menu was delicious! I had no idea so much went into sailing, and they worked their booties off the entire time during our trip, all while filling us in on cool facts about the city and different landmarks. They were so knowledgeable and accommodating, and we had an awesome day sailing with them.
For dinner, we went to Santina, and they had a really fun atmosphere. We sat outside, and basically tried not to fall asleep in our food because it had been a loooong day. 😂 The food was pretty good. They served Italian, but it wasn’t your typical fettuccine dishes. Everything was a little more spicy, and the menu felt more like cuban cuisine rather than Italian. Either way, we enjoyed ourselves listening to the music and chatting.
I was super excited for this dress because it felt so New York. It was edgy, had hardware and zippers…..it just screamed downtown, and since that was where we spent most of our time it was perfect for the occasion.
DAY 4
For our last full day, we packed in so much! We wanted to make sure we made it uptown to see Central Park so we had brunch at The Loeb Boathouse. This is another great spot you should add to your list anytime you visit. My mom, girlfriends, and I ate there right before I found my wedding dress so this place will always be special to me. It’s in Central Park, and you can sit outside with views of the lake while having your meal. You can even rent a little boat to float around if you’d like. The food is always delicious too!
After brunch, we headed back downtown to Ground Zero to see the 9/11 Memorial. It doesn’t matter how many times you visit, it is always such a humbling experience and something everyone needs to see if they have the chance. Venus ET Fleur had invited the girls and I to stop by their storefront in The Oculus (the shopping mall in the WTC transportation hub), and pick out an arrangement to take home. They have so many different colors to choose from and arrangement sizes, and the flowers will last for an entire year! Of course, I picked out purple flowers because it’s my fave color!
To cap off our weekend, we spent our last night in the city exploring Times Square, went to a broadway show, and even decided to throw in a comedy show too. We saw Aladdin, and oh my gosh it was beyond what I imagined it would be. IT WAS SO GOOD!!! The costumes, singing, dancing (they even had a tap routine), the pyrotechnics…it was all just incredibly entertaining, and I would go back to see it in a heartbeat! After the show, we walked around Times Square, and some guy on the street talked us into going to a comedy show at LOL Times Square Comedy Club. There weren’t many people to see the show since it was pretty late so as you can imagine, the ten of us sitting front and center were the target of a lot of their jokes. Everything from “Teen Mom” crew to making fun of us individually, we were clowned on throughout the show, but it was hilarious. Our cheeks were hurting from laughing so hard! It was the perfect way to cap off a fun filled weekend!
I am so grateful for this group of women, and that we all find a way each year to get together in a different part of the country. People always ask how it’s possible for TEN of us to go on these trips together, but it’s really not hard. We get along, we’ve been friends for decades, and we always make the best memories together. I’m excited to see where we end up next year!
