*which turned into 5 days – thanks to Southwest/Air Traffic Control for cancelling my flight and not being able to get me back home for an extra 2 days. Truthfully, I was not upset, I was very fortunate to be “stuck” in one of my favorite cities and luckily I had my laptop so I did not have to take any time off. HOWEVER, I am still fighting with Southwest because they refuse to refund me for the additional expenses I incurred due to the cancellation…but I digress.

One of my childhood best friends and I planned a trip to NYC to see our favorite band – Yellowcard! It was one of the best weekends I’ve ever had in NYC, here’s what we did 🙂

Friday
Checked in the Dream Midtown hotel
Had lunch at The Blue Dog – the salads were fresh and delicious!
We popped down to The Rickey located in the Dream hotel for an espresso martini that was wonderful
We chose a light lunch because dinner was at Carmine’s and it was the LARGEST portion of Rigatoni alla Vodka and Chicken Parm I had every seen. It was absolutely delicious!

We ended the night seeing Once Upon a One More Time – I cannot say enough good things about this musical. First, all of the music is Britney Spears’ top hits (need I say more?), the story line was so unexpected and incredible, and the cast is absolutely amazing (Justin Guarini is the male lead, he is killing it even 20 years later! American Idol season 1 ;))

Saturday
We started the day early at the Museum of Arts and Design to check out the Taylor Swift exhibit

Grabbed some banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery (of course!)
Walked all through Central Park before making a pit stop at Alison Lou for some shopping and we grabbed a bite to eat at Sant Ambroeus
It was finally time for the Yellowcard concert at The Rooftop at Pier 17 – what an incredible venue!
The concert was everything I’d hoped it would be and more, I had not seen them perform live in over 7 years and this was my 7th (I think) time seeing them, I am so thankful they are back 🙂

We ended the night at Joe’s Pizza for the perfect NY slice

Sunday
Started off strong with Bagels at Best Bagel – this was a first for me, my bagel was very good, but Chelsea won with her order – a bacon egg and cheese on an egg everything bagel and their iced coffee is liquid gold
We made our way over to the Hudson Yards and accidentally stumbled upon the Peloton Studios – I was fan-girling so hard! It was really cool to see the studio in person, and Ally Love was teaching a class! I of course had to buy some merchandise 🙂

We walked along the high line over to Chelsea Market – the Chelsea area is hands down my favorite area in Manhattan
This is when our trip took a turn – we checked our flights and they were delayed, then back to on time, then delayed agin, then cancelled and we were rebooked for 2 days later. After all of the stress, I met up with another one of my best friends (who just happened to be in the city this same weekend) for dinner at one of our favorite spots, Quality Italian. Their food is delicious – try the chicken parm pizza (can feed 4 people), the Cesar salad and the ferrero rocher gelato!

Monday
I decided to make the most of my extended trip and joined the waitlist for a live Peloton class. I got my butt up early AF to get over to the studios but unfortunately, I did not get into the class. Again, it was really cool to see how it all works and I even got to see some of the instructors walk into work for the day!
Lunch was at Dig, a healthy fast casual concept that was really delicious!
Once I finished up with work, Chelsea and I ventured out for happy hour/dinner at Ardesia in Hell’s Kitchen – truly the perfect way to end the day, they have a great wine selection and delicious apps!

Tuesday
I worked most of the day before we headed to get my favorite bagel – Ess a Bagel. I am never disappointed here, the bagels are fluffy and absolutely perfect. I even brought two home for Tom because he loves them just as much as I do!

All in all, the trip was a blast and the perfect girls weekend. I will always say yes to NYC, it will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Headed to NYC soon? Need any recommendations? Comment on this post or reach out to me via Instagram @travelsandrentals!