Unfortunately with work, I wasn't able to go on our usual beach trip this winter. Thankfully, my amazing family all came to me to spend the holiday season in NYC!! We had a great time. Everyone arrived on Thursday, the sibs all stayed with me while my parents were at the Waldorf uptown. When they got in, we headed straight to Toloache outside of Time Square. This restaurant was recommended by Hillya (checkout her blog here) and she definitely got it right! Everyone loved their meals and the margaritas were delicious. After a quick dinner, we headed over to Broadway to see Promises, Promises starring Sean Hayes and Kristen Chenowith. I didn't think that the musical was anything special but I loved Sean and Kristen. Sean had his "Just Jack"moments and even forgot some of his lines, but made a joke about it later which was a great. I've always loved Kristen, I think I was one of the only ones who watched Pushing Daises when it was on ABC. Day One ratings: Toloache - 3.5 stars; Promises Promises - 2 stars.
Friday morning we went to brunch at Good in the West Village. I've been wanting to go here for a while, so it was a perfect time to check it out given that it was pretty quiet in the city. Us girls got the mushroom, spinach and gruyere omelet, Bloody Mary's and were ready for the fun to begin! The ambiance was a cozy cafe type of feel which paired well with its comfort food menu. After brunch we headed up to the High Line. The High Line was originally built in the 1930s for freight trains running over Manhattan and runs from Gansevort to 34th street (though it's not completely open yet). The landscape, although not in the dead of winter, is gorgeous and provides a beautiful view of the river and West side. If you haven't been, I suggest you check it out. Our next stop was heading up to Rockefeller Center to check out the Christmas tree. I'm not a fan of the tourist traps but it's always nice to see a holiday symbol of the city. If you dare to subject yourself to it next year, I would suggest going at night to see the lights as well. 
We walked from Rockefeller down to Bryant Park to check out the holiday markets and ice skating rink. The holiday markets here paled in comparison to the vast array of options at the Union Square markets, but it was more spread out and nicer booths which was refreshing. The ice skating on the other hand was ridiculous. The rink was much bigger than the one in Rockefeller but there was a 2 hour wait and with the inflated prices, I'd much rather stick to dry land. Let's be honest, with my track record, it's safer that way anyways. After Bryant Park, we head back down to Union Square, walked around those holiday markets, stopped in at Max Brenner so Laura could get some hot chocolate, and stocked up on groceries for our Christmas feast for Saturday night. 
Friday night we went to dinner at Emilio's Ballato in SoHo. I stumbled upon this restaurant when I was reading an article from Time Out New York about the best restaurants of 2010. This place has been around a long time and was still on the list, so I thought it was worth a try and I'm glad we did. It is a classic Italian restaurant with the waiters, food and ambiance all contributing to the authentic dining experience. If you are looking for a romantic hidden gem, this is the place to go. Day two ratings: Good - 3 stars; The High Line - 2 stars, points taken away for the lack of greenery; Bryant Park skating - zero stars; Emilio Ballato - 4.5 stars.
Saturday morning we had brunch at 2nd Avenue Deli, my mom's favorite spot. It has all the typical Jewish deli trimmings, pickles and coleslaw for appetizers, matzoh brie, and chocolate soda shots to wash it all down. It was a nice way to kick off Christmas day in the city. After brunch, we headed over to look at the Macy's Christmas Window Display. I have never really taken the time to explore this area (another tourist trap I loathe) but it was neat to see and read about the history of the tradition. The company spends all year putting together the display, and given the detail and intricacy of the artwork, you can tell that it paid off. Desperate to escape the frigid cold we walked over to the Ace Hotel and got Stumptown coffee and relaxed for a bit.
After we finally thawed out, we went to Union Square to do the typical Christmas day movie viewing. Sara and Laura opted for Little Fockers while my parents, Ben and I went and saw The King's Speech. I may have missed something in the fifteen minutes where I had dozed off, but I didn't think the movie was as spectacular as the review had made it seem. Don't get me wrong, it was a great movie, but I felt that the story could have been told in an hour as opposed to two. The rest of the night was spent cooking up our feast, drinking wine, and playing some Trivial Pursuit. Day three ratings: 2nd Avenue Deli - 2 stars; a cozy hotel, coffee and photo shoot - 3 stars; The King's Speech - 3 stars; kicking the family's butt in a board game - priceless. 
We woke up Sunday in excitement at the sight of flurries greeting the city. These flurries slowly turned into many hours of snow, and BAM the 2010 NYC Blizzard had made it's home in Manhattan. Once our tour to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty was canceled, we quickly decided that bowling would be a warmer and equally enjoyable activity. We headed to Bowlmor and hid from the piercing cold. After a few rounds of bowling we walked over to Eataly in Madison Square Park, and walked around Mario Batali's extravagant Italian market. This 50,000 square foot space in the heart of Flat Iron is home to restaurants, desert stands, wine bars, produce, culinary supplies and more. Its interesting just to walk and see all it has to offer even if you aren't looking to buy anything in particular. After perusing all the fresh pasta and live octopus we could handle, we headed back to my apartment for some relaxation, board games and Inception. For dinner, I insisted that everyone try my favorite pizza place so we ordered in Posto and everyone was introduced to my love for Shroomtown, which I've mentioned in a previous post. Day three ratings: Bowlmor - 5 stars for winning the first round, 2 stars for coming in second to last in the second round; Eataly - 3.5 stars; thin crust pizza and truffle oil - 5 stars; Mom losing her camera in 3 feet of snow - zero stars. 
Overall rating of the Haynes 2010 NYC Holiday Extravaganza: 5 Stars and I'm so sad it's over :(
**Laura was interviewed by a station in Atlanta about being stuck in NYC during the blizzard, check out the interview here!
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