NOLA Road Trip Day 6: Game Day

Tuesday was the day that we had been waiting for and the purpose of the whole trip to New Orleans; at last it was finally Sugar Bowl game day!

We got a late start on the day and decided to go for an early lunch at Johnny's Po' Boys, where I had a half of a shrimp po' boy and a cup of gumbo and Frank had a shrimp and oyster po' boy. The po' boys were absolutely fantastic and during a trip full of good food they were one of the best things we ate in New Orleans. Luckily there wasn't any wait when we went since we had seen lines going down the street the day before when it was closer to lunch time.

After lunch we headed to the Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo which we had tried the visit the previous day but had been closed for the holidays. The Cabildo was the seat of colonial Louisiana government and is famous as being the site where the Louisiana Purchase was signed. We saw a lot of great exhibits about the life before and after the Louisiana Purchase, the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The coolest thing I learned was that Napoleon had strong armed Spain into returning Louisiana to France in 1800 with the Treaty of San Ildefonso but kept it secret until it was quickly transferred in 1803 so Napolean could sell it to the US to raise funds for his war with Great Britain.

We then went next door to the Presbytere to see the Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond exhibit. The exhibit was well done showing what led up to the hurricane and the damage it inflicted on New Orleans. In the front hall they had on display Fats Domino's piano which had been damaged in the storm. The best part for me was a video installation set in old windows where residents talked about how Katrina affected them and what makes New Orleans so special that they felt compelled to stay and rebuild. It was a nice, hopeful message after seeing all of the destruction.

We then headed upstairs to see the Mardi Gras: It's Carnival Time in Louisiana exhibit which showcased the tradition of Carnival and Mardi Gras in Louisiana. They had a lot of wonderful costumes on display and I liked that they showed how things were celebrated in areas beyond New Orleans as well.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Bourbon Street which was packed with fans in town for the Sugar Bowl. It was fun to see everyone dressed up in their Michigan and Virginia Tech gear and I was happy to see that the Michigan fans out numbered the Tech fans. There was tons of spirit in the air and I can't even count how many times I yelled 'Go Blue!' or sang The Victors that day. 

About an hour and a half before game time we headed over to the Superdome. There was a huge party in Champions Square with a band performing so we hung out there until it was time to go into the stadium.

For the game we had awesome seats, but it was a not a great game to watch. Michigan looked rusty from being off since the end of November, but Virginia Tech kept making mistakes which kept us in the game. At the end of four quarters the score was tied at 20 so we headed into overtime and we ended up winning 23-20 with a field goal by Brendan Gibbons. Even though it wasn't the best game it was a great result and a wonderful way for Team 132 of the Michigan Wolverines to end a very successful season.

If you are interested, check out the rest of our road trip to New Orleans here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 7

Picture of the Day: Pier at Vizcaya

Vizcaya
Miami, Florida
United Sates
01.2011 

NOLA Road Trip Day 5: Historic Cemetery Tour & Good Eats

On Monday morning we began our day by quickly grabbing some beignets for breakfast and then meeting up for a cemetery tour. Our guide, Gwen, was wonderful and we were lucky to have a small group. 

We headed to Saint Louis Cemetery #1 which was built outside of the city boundaries at the time. Because of New Orleans' location built on a swamp it was necessary to built burial vaults above ground. We learned so many fascinating things, like how there was a law that a vault could not be opened for a year and a day after the last deceased person was interred there for fear of spreading disease, like yellow fever. Most of the tombs are currently painted white, but that was due to the Americans and the originally the tombs were brightly painted by the Creoles. A project is underway to remove the white paint and return the tombs to their original colors.

The cemetery has tombs for a wide variety of people from voodoo queen Marie Laveau to a future resting place for Nicholas Cage, but the most interesting tomb for me was that of Homer Plessy, famous as the plaintiff in Plessy v. Ferguson. I knew the basics about the case and its being overturned by Brown v. Board of Education, but I learned some new details. I had no idea how carefully orchestrated everything was and that Homer Plessy was chosen to by the Citizens' Committee of New Orleans to ride in the whites-only railcar to specifically challenge Louisiana's laws of segregation. The train company was even involved in the setup, unfortunately not for altruistic reasons but because they didn't want to pay for separate facilities. I couldn't help but wonder how different the course of history in the U.S. would have been if the Supreme Court had decided the case differently and struck down segregation in 1894 instead of sadly upholding it for the next sixty years.

After our tour we walked back through the French Quarter enjoying the gorgeous, sunny day.

For lunch we decided to head to Napoleon House for a delicious muffulleta sandwich of ham, Genoa salami, pastrami, Swiss cheese, provolone cheese and homemade Italian olive salad on Italian bread. We also got sides of some other tasty New Orleans favorites, jambalaya and boudin sausage. In addition to having delicious food, Napoleon House has a storied history deriving its name from a plot to house Napoleon there after his exile.

After lunch we headed over to Jackson Square to check out the museums in the Cabildo and Presbytere, but they were closed until January 3 for the holiday.

After spending the rest of the afternoon hanging out with other Michigan fans in town for the Sugar Bowl, Frank and I headed out to dinner at Jacques-Imo's Cafe. We had an hour wait, but it was definitely worth it and we were able to hang out next door at the Maple Leaf Bar. We started with an appetizer of shrimp and alligator sausage cheesecake which was incredible. Our salads had a great dressing and were served with a fried oyster on the side. For dinner I had crawfish etoufee and Frank had the carpet-bagger steak with bleu cheese, onion, oysters, and hollandaise. Both meals were incredible and our sides, especially the mashed sweet potatoes were delicious.

Between our New Year's New Orleans trip and our pre-Christmas New York trip I have been eating ridiculously well and have been feeling quite spoiled. What better way to end one year and begin another than with good food?

If you are interested, check out the rest of our road trip to New Orleans here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 6, Day 7

NOLA Road Trip Day 4: Exploring Museums & the French Quarter

New Year's Day was our first full day in New Orleans and we definitely made the very most of it with a day packed with visiting museums, exploring the French Quarter and of course eating good food.

Being in New Orleans we had to start off our day by getting beignets at Cafe Beignet in the French Quarter for breakfast. The beignets were perfect light, puffy squares of fried dough covered in powdered sugar and were an absolute mess to eat. Frank also got the Creole hash, but while the sausage in it was delicious the potatoes weren't the best. Overall the cafe had a great cozy feel and even had a cat in residence sleeping the morning away tucked under one of the tables.

After leaving Cafe Beignet covered in powdered sugar we headed to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. The museum was full of exhibits about ingredients that are essential in Southern cooking as well as the history behind some classic Southern dishes. It definitely had a Louisiana slant to it, but it was really informative (Did you know that by the mid-1800s Louisiana produced a quarter of the world's sugar supply?) and as a person who loves food I really enjoyed it. 

Next we headed to the National World War II Museum. I didn't understand the connection of having the museum in New Orleans until I learned that the "Higgins Boats" which were vital to D-Day operations were manufactured here. The museum was really interesting and I especially enjoyed learning about the elaborate methods the Allies used to try to convince the Germans that the invasion would take place at Calais instead of Normandy, such as deploying inflatable tanks and dropping paratroopers that were actually dummies. There were so many stories of hardship, sacrifice and valour and I can't imagine what it would have been like to be one of those troops. Seeing the exhibits and reflecting on all the death and destruction took an emotional toll on me. I have conflicted feelings, believing that you cannot stand by as atrocities occur but at the same time lamenting that war ever exists. I strongly believe it is important to know history and learn from it. As I've traveled over the years I've been to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to see the museums about the atomic bombings, visited the memorial at Pearl Harbor commemorating the attack, saw the concentration camp at Dachau and stopped at the Japanese internment camp at Manzanar all the while fighting back tears at each place. I wish that we lived in a world where that was no war and I hope we never see a conflict that engulfs the whole world like WWII ever again. 

After leaving the museum we somberly walked over to Mother's Restaurant for a late lunch. There was a substantial line extending out of the restaurant but it moved fast and I was surprised how quickly our food came up after we ordered. I had an absolutely delicious famous Ferdi po' boy with ham, roast beef, debris, and gravy. Frank had a seafood platter with fried catfish, shrimp, oysters and soft-shell crabs. He loved it all but the fried oysters were particularly fabulous.

At five o'clock we went on a twilight walking tour of the French Quarter. I am generally wary of tours but if they are done well they be really interesting and fun and this definitely fell into that category. With only six people on our tour and an excellent guide I would highly recommend it. As an avid reader I was excited that we stopped by buildings where Tennessee Williams (now a boutique) and William Faulkner (now a bookshop) previously lived. I learned so many interesting things on our tour. The half circle windows were actually once used for ventilating a hidden storage floor of the buildings between the ground floor and the floors above. The Pontalba buildings on Jackson Square popularized the use of cast iron in place of wrought iron in New Orleans since it allowed for more intricate designs. The posts sticking out from the sides of the hanging lanterns were used as ladder rests back when the lamps were gas and needed to be lit by hand each night. Pretty neat tidbits, aren't they?

The most fascinating thing that I learned was that the architectural style that is predominant in the French Quarter actually has its roots from the time that the Spanish ruled New Orleans. The bricks made from local clay are very soft so the buildings need to be covered with something to protect them from the elements. During the period of French rule the buildings were clad with cypress from the nearby swamps but this left the French Quarter susceptible the being wiped out by fire since the wooden buildings were so close to each other. Two great fires ravaged the area in 1788 and 1794 and the Spanish rebuilt using stucco to cover the brick and iron for railings and posts instead of wood to reduce damage that could be caused by fire in the future. 

After our tour we had a late reservation at Emeril's NOLA Restaurant. We started with an appetizer of crispy duck livers with slow cooked Southern greens, caramelized onions and Creole mustard aioli which was wonderful. For our salad course Frank had the fried green tomatoes with citrus poached shrimp, baby arugula and white remoulade sauce while I tried the Maine lobster and celery root tossed in a green onion-buttermilk dressing with roasted beets, spiced walnuts and arugula. I loved how crisp the celery root was and I think I need to develop a slaw recipe with it. For our main course Frank had the buttermilk fried breast of chicken with bourbon mashed sweet potatoes, country ham cream gravy and sautéed sugar snap peas while I had the hickory-roasted duck with whiskey-caramel glaze, buttermilk cornbread pudding, haricot verts-fire roasted corn salad, natural jus and candied pecans. Frank's chicken was tender and delicious and the sweet potatoes were nothing short of amazing. My duck was incredible and Frank could even smell the smokiness of it from across the table. We also couldn't resist getting a bowl of smoked cheddar grits to accompany our dinner. They were so good that if that was all that I had eaten that night I would have gone home happy. It was an incredible dinner and a great way for us to end a wonderful day.

If you are interested, check out the rest of our road trip to New Orleans here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7

NOLA Road Trip Day 3: New Year's Eve in New Orleans

With a long drive ahead and an early dinner reservation in New Orleans we grabbed a quick Chick-fil-A breakfast (Two days in a row! Yeah!) in Memphis and hit the road. We made good time through Mississippi, crossed Lake Pontchartrain and arrived in New Orleans by late afternoon.

After checking into our hotel and getting changed we headed to Cochon for dinner. They had a four course set menu for New Year's Eve with four options for each course. To start we were served a small bite with chicken liver pate, which we both love. I got the boudin stuffed quail with pickled greens and mustard seeds, the roasted marrow bones with beet, farro and pickled onion salad and rye toast and the roasted skin on pork loin with egg noodles, mustard greens and satsuma glazed carrots for my three dinner courses. Frank started with the jalapeno sausage and oyster casserole with cornbread and kale and then had the pork, black eyed pea and cabbage gumbo and the shrimp and grits with tasso and chicory for his dinner courses. Everything was delicious but my favorite was the marrow bones while Frank particularly loved the shrimp and grits. The surprise of the evening, however, was how amazing our dessert course was. I had sweet potato and pumpkin pie with cinnamon marshmallow and candied pumpkin seeds while Frank had the turtle cheesecake with sweet and salty pecans. I don't think either of us had ever eaten such a light and fluffy cheesecake before. We had a great time, but would you expect anything less from a restaurant whose name means pig in French?

After dinner we met up with some other Wolverine fans that were in town for the game and headed to Bourbon Street to check out the New Year’s Eve scene. I had thought Beale Street in Memphis the night before was raucous but that was nothing compared to Bourbon Street. It was teeming with people celebrating and the balconies overlooking the street were packed as well. As we were wandering up and down Bourbon Street people watching we saw some members of the Michigan football team including Denard Robinson, Kevin Koger and Fitzgerald Toussaint. Toussaint is my favorite player on the team and I luckily got a picture with him.

At eleven thirty we decided to head to the Mississippi River to see the fireworks. Jackson Square was completely packed with people but we waded through the crowd and found a nice spot to see the display. At midnight the fireworks show began and was a spectacular way to ring in 2012. Happy New Year!

If you are interested, check out the rest of our road trip to New Orleans here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7

NOLA Road Trip Day 2: Memphis

We started off Friday with a quick breakfast at Chick-fil-A. I absolutely love Chick-fil-A (it reminds me of my undergrad years when we had one on campus) and there are none in my area back home so I was a very happy camper.

From Nashville we set off to Memphis arriving at Graceland around lunchtime. The American "Colonial" style mansion was built in 1939 and purchased by Elvis Presley for $100,000 in 1957. The Graceland mansion was a little smaller than I expected but the decorating lived up to all of my crazy kitschy expectations. Green shag carpet on the ceiling? Check. Peacock stained glass? Check. Indoor waterfall? Check. Stairway with walls and ceiling covered in mirrors? Check. It was also really fun to be there at the holidays because everything was decorated for Christmas.

In addition to touring the mansion we also got to see two of Elvis's planes, the Jet Star and the Lisa Marie (Elvis's daughter's name and my name, too!). I loved how Elvis had the plane seatbelt buckles plated in gold. We also saw several of the automobiles from Elvis's collection including his famous 1955 Pink Cadillac. Additionally there were a lot of exhibits about Elvis's career in music and the movies. Since we were there for lunch we had to try Elvis's favorite at the cafe, a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich. It was delicious, but required drinking a lot of soda with all that peanut butter. 

I would have loved to check out some of the other sights in Memphis but by the time we finished at Graceland it was five o'clock and they were closed. We arrived at our hotel in time to see a beautiful sunset over the Mississipi River and the Hernando de Soto Bridge.

Since we were in Memphis eating barbecue was a must so we headed over to Central BBQ for dinner. I had a pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw on top and a sweet tea to drink. They had four sauces (mild, hot, mustard, vinegar) but I had to have vinegar since I spent four years living in North Carolina during undergrad. Frank got the rib plate (half wet, half dry) and we shared the amazing homemade potato chips with blue cheese. The meat was fabulous and we left quite stuffed.

After dinner we took the Main Street Trolley to check out Beale Street. Lined with restaurants and bars, the street was closed to traffic and filled with throngs of people. With the Liberty Bowl happening in Memphis the next day, Cincinnati Bearcat fans were out in full force and having lots of fun. After wandering up and down the street for awhile enjoying the atmoshpere we stopped in a bar for a beer before catching the trolley back to the hotel for the evening.

If you are interested, check out the rest of our road trip to New Orleans here: Day 1, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7

NOLA Road Trip Day 1: On the Road Again

Frank and I hit the open road yesterday for our trip to New Orleans. It seems like we were just on a road trip (because actually, we in fact were) but we are off again. We had planned our pre-Christmas New York trip before we knew that Michigan would be playing in the Sugar Bowl and going to the Sugar Bowl is a must. Frank has not missed a Michigan football game (home, away or bowl) since he went to the Illinois game in 1999. So far he's been to 155 straight games and counting.

After setting off from Ann Arbor in the the morning we hit Cincinnati midday so of course we had to stop at Skyline Chili for lunch. Founded in 1949 in Cincinnati, Skyline Chili is a restaurant chain that has branched out in the surrounding areas. Their chili is known as "Cincinnati-style Chili" and is famous for being served over spaghetti or hot dogs. I got a 3-way chili (spaghetti covered with chili and topped with a huge mound of cheddar cheese) while Frank got two cheese coneys (hot dogs topped with mustard, chili, diced onions and cheddar cheese). We sat at the counter and had fun watching the staff prepare food while we enjoyed our meal. Their meal prep area consisted of a long galley of vats filled with ingredients (hot dogs, chili, spaghetti, cheese) and the staff very efficiently walked up and down along it prepping ways and coneys.

While driving through Kentucky we saw a sign for the Jim Beam distillery so we decided to check it out. It wasn't part of our plan but it was an interesting stop. The last tour of the day had already started but we joined the crowd and were in time to see their stillhouse exhibit, featuring an authentic 1800's copper still, and Warehouse D. Built in the late nineteen thirties after the end of Prohibition, Warehouse D is Jim Beam's oldest rackhouse and ages 20,000 barrels of bourbon at a time.  It was interesting to learn how they store different types of bourbon in different locations in the warehouse and how the American oak barrels are made and then charred on the inside to give flavor to the bourbon. The most fascinating thing that I learned about was that the trees surrounding the distillery are all a deep black color, almost like they were caught in a wildfire, due to a black fungus. The fungus is found in areas where fermentation product is aged in oak barrels (some of the bourbon is lost through evaporation and the airborne ethanol stimulates fungal germination) and is happily harmless to the trees. You learn new things every day! 

As we crossed into Tennessee we were greeted with a beautiful sunset. The sky was an absolutely gorgeous shade of brilliant red fading into deep purple.

After checking into our Nashville hotel (packed with Mississippi State fans for their bowl game) we headed out to ChaChah for dinner. We started with a cheese and charcuterie plate which was delicious and had a different accompanyment for each meat and cheese. I particularly liked the onion jam and mustard with the serrano ham and the spicy cranberry chutney that was served with one of the cheeses. For dinner we ordered a selection of small plates: warm brussel sprouts, roasted beet salad, ginger crab cakes and lamb meatballs. Everything was delicious but I especially loved the spiciness of the brussel sprouts with the thai chili.

Our first day on the road was on the long side (eight and a half hours of driving) but we had a fun day and luckily tomorrow's drive should be much shorter. Happy travels!

If you are interested, check out the rest of our road trip to New Orleans here: Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7

Stopover in Pittsburgh

To break up our drive home from New York, Frank and I stayed in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. Neither of us had been there before and we thought it was a great city and wished we had some time to wander around and discover the city more.

After checking into our hotel we headed out to dinner at Primanti Brothers. Opened in 1933 to sell sandwiches to truckers and dock workers in the Strip District, Primanti's is famous for serving fries and coleslaw on their sandwiches instead of on the side so that workers could eat with one hand and keep working.

Although Primanti's has several location around the city we went to the original restaurant which had cool old signage and a neat mural of Pittsburgh luminaries. Frank had a cheese steak sandwich, I had the kolbassi and cheese sandwich and we split an order of Smallman Street fries topped with chili, cheese, bacon and sour cream. I loved my sandwich and thought the combination of kolbassi, melted cheese, fries and cole slaw on soft, thick slabs of Italian bread was amazing.

In the morning we headed to Shadyside to try breakfast at Pamela's Diner. My corned beef hash was one of the best I've ever had with amazing amounts of corned beef and large chucks of perfect potatoes. Frank tried Pamela's famous crepe style pancakes which were light and fluffy and had wonderful, crispy edges.

On our way out of town we stopped at the West End Overlook which provided a great panorama of downtown and the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers. It was quite overcast but the view was still lovely and I can only imagine what it would look like on a sunny day.

If we had more time I would have loved to explore the city more and in particular visit some of the museums like the Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Museums of Art & Natural History. Hopefully I'll have a chance to go back someday... 

Last Day in New York

Thursday, sadly, was our last day in New York. It was absolutely gorgeous weather. Who would have thought we would have a sunny day in the high fifties in December in New York?

After getting packed up at the hotel we headed to Katz's Delicatessen for an early lunch. Opened in 1888, Katz's is a New York City landmark and has great deli food. Katz's has also been used as a location in several movies, most famously in When Harry Met Sally for the "I'll have what she's having" scene.

There are too many amazing things too chose from at Katz's but Frank got his favorite pastrami and chopped liver sandwich and I decided on a bowl of matzo ball soup and half of a reuben sandwich. For drinks we had Dr. Brown's Cel-rey soda, a deli classic. The sandwiches were amazing with the meat practically falling apart and I've never had a matzo ball that was that light and perfect. I also loved the old signage and pictures around the deli and the ticket system for adding up your order.

After Katz's we popped into Russ & Daughters for a minute to ogle the amazing foodstuffs there. It was packed so we didn't buy anything, but the pickles looked very tempting...

We then walked down 2nd Avenue to Momofuku Milk Bar to grab dessert and a copy of the latest issue of Lucky Peach. We were still stuffed from Katz's but couldn't resist getting a red velvet cake shake (it truly tasted like drinking red velvet cake batter) and a cereal milk shake (imagine the tasty goodness of the milk left over after you finish a bowl of sweet cereal in milkshake form). We also got a slice of crack pie, which is as addictive as its name implies, and a few cookies for the ride home. After our stop there I am seriously considering getting the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook.

After dessert it was time for us to hit the road and head back towards Ann Arbor. We had a fabulous time in New York and hopefully we will be back again soon.

If you are interested, check out the rest of our New York trip here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.

New York Day 3: Museums & Eataly

If Tuesday was all about holiday markets, then Wednesday was all about museums. We started off our morning by heading to the Whitney Museum of American Art where we ate breakfast at the museum's cafe, Untitled. Frank had an omelette and I had lox and egg salad on an everything bagel. Everything was delicious and with our appetites sated we headed upstairs to see the Whitney's exhibits.

As a big fan of Edward Hopper (I have a print of New York Movie in my house) I was excited to see two of his works, Early Sunday Morning and Seven A.M., as part of the Real/Surreal exhibit. His paintings have such a lonely, haunting quality that always moves me. One of the most interesting things about our visit was the connection of seeing Man Ray's La Fortune as part of the Real/Surreal exhibit and then seeing Sherrie Levine's derivative work, "La Fortune" (After Man Ray:1-4), as part of the exhibit on her work on the floor above. Unfortunately, pictures aren't allowed at the Whitney, but I linked photos of the works from the Whitney website for anyone who is curious about them.

After leaving the Whitney, Frank and I walked through Central Park, stopping at Belvedere Castle. Built on Vista Rock in 1869, the National Weather Service has used measurements from atop the tower to report the weather in Central Park. Belvedere Castle has an interesting history but my favorite tidbit is that it has been used on Sesame Street for exterior shots of Count von Count's castle. 

After leaving Central Park we headed to the American Museum of Natural History for the rest of the afternoon. Neither Frank nor I had ever been there before and we were really impressed with the extensive collections in the museum. A person could spend a week or two if they went through and looked at and read everything the museum has on display. Among the many interesting things I learned was that the Native Americans in the plains area developped a system of sign language to communicate between tribes which spoke different languages. My favorite exhibit (being the engineering nerd that I am) was The Scales of the Universe which illustrates the relative scale of everything from sub-atomic particles to galaxies. A close second was Picturing Science: Museum Scientists and Imaging Technologies which showcased the ways that different optical techniques are used by scientists in their research. Very cool! 

By the time we left the American Museum of Natural History, Frank and I were starving and headed to Birreria, Eataly's rooftop beer garden. Being a beer garden they were brewing cask ales on the rooftop and so I tried the Ruby which I really enjoyed. We started with a cheese plate (asiago fresco, robiola bosini, provolone madrone, taleggio, gorgonzola dolce) and meat plate (speck, sopressata, mortadella, cacciatorini, coppa) which was delicious. For dinner I had a chopped mixed kale salad topped with grapefruit, poppy seed frico and anchovy vinaigrette while Frank ate the beer braised pork shoulder with apricot. The food was great and the atmosphere on top of the roof was really laid back and cool.   

After finishing dinner we headed back downstairs to the Eataly Market. The market sells everything you can imagine to make an Italian feast with amazing varieties of cheese, meats, pastas, vegetables, and more. Although we didn't buy anything it was fun to wander around and look.

After leaving Eataly we spotted the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park and even though we were still stuffed from Birreria we just had to stop for a shake. Frank's chocolate malted shake and my Arabica coffee shake were both awesome and a great cap on the night.

As we were heading to grab the subway back to our hotel we had an amazing view of the Empire State Building. It was festively lit up and the foggy evening made it seem like it was vanishing into thin air. It was a beautiful way to end an awesome day.

If you are interested, check out the rest of our New York trip here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 4.