Hello, Dolls! ✨
I spent last weekend in NYC! The primary reason for going was to attend the Makeup Show. I had planned to go up on the bus and come back home that night, but my sister preferred the more relaxed option of staying over. That week leading up to the trip was so draining, so I couldn't thank her more for choosing to stay over. We stayed for a day and a half. For some reason, I feel that you need at least two to three days to feel relaxed and refreshed when getting away. This trip proved me so wrong. I felt so refreshed, it felt like we were there longer.
Accommodations
We stayed at Springhill Suites Manhattan/Times Square. I chose that option because it was a discounted rate for makeup show attendees of $169 per night, which is a great deal for a hotel in NYC. Our stay was very pleasant; the hotel was located close to everything that we needed. The staff were very courteous and accommodating. We arrived early on our arrival day. We planned to leave our bags at concierge, and come back when we could check in. To our surprise, they had a room available at noon, and they allowed us to check in, instead of waiting until 4pm. An added plus of staying there (besides their bar and free wifi) is that they have a hot breakfast, that was delicious. Overall, our stay was very nice!
Good Eats Part I
After we checked in and got situated, we went out to eat. We ate at Burgerology. They have a menu of American food, which includes burgers, fries and shakes! I wanted to get shrimp tacos, but how can I go to a burger restaurant and not get a burger? I got the Baconology burger and chipotle aioli fries. I don't crave burgers much, but when I do, I prefer for them to be juicy and well done. My burger was so delicious, it came with bacon jam (which was sweet and tasty) and garlic aioli. The fries were so amazingly good, I could go back for the fries alone! My sister chose to get dessert after her meal, she got one of their shakes topped with a glazed donut and whipped cream. She loved it!
Next, we walked around for a bit to find a spot so I could take some pictures. Yes, your girl is always getting content, even when traveling. 😉 As we were walking, I was people watching and admiring the architecture and landscape of NYC. One of the things that's most beautiful to me is a city view. One of my travel must haves is staying at a hotel that has a skyline view. After finding a subway station and waiting for people to pass by, I got some good pictures.
NYC Nights
Later that evening we headed out to try one of New York's most raved about trendy spots, TAO Downtown. The recommendation came from my good friend (who is a big sister to me), so I knew it was going to be great. It didn't disappoint. It gave everything it was supposed to give, honey! The posh decor, upbeat music, and tasty food gave it a complete grown and sassy vibe. Reservations are required, I booked ours a week before our visit. There is a $10 deposit per person that is required for the reservation. The $10 is applied to your final bill.
TAO happens to be an Asian fusion restaurant. I ordered the TAO-Tini drink, lobster and shrimp egg rolls and a shrimp tempura roll. The drink was hitting! The food was cooked well and very scrumptious; the shrimp tempura was my favorite dish. It was a sushi roll on the bottom, topped with crispy shrimp and a sweet sauce. There was a live DJ that played a great mix of music. Dinner while vibing to good music is a mood. ❤️🔥
I haven't had a night on the town in forever, TAO made it an enjoyable experience. Every now and then, you just want to get dressed up and have good conversation over a nice dinner, or either dance to great music while having dinner. Needless to say, we really enjoyed ourselves!
The Makeup Show
The next day was my anticipated event, the Makeup Show! We arrived around noon, I browsed just about all of the brands and made a mental note of what I wanted to purchase. I was able to take two seminars while we were there, and I managed to buy a few things. We also received some great freebies. To read the full Makeup show experience, click HERE.
Good Eats Part II
Once we left the show, we headed to Dallas BBQ for lunch. I had been there before, so I was familiar with their menu. Judge me all you want, but I'm not much of a rib person (I know, right). I usually order something basic at bar-b-que and rib joints. I got shrimp and fries, along with corn bread. The sangria that I wanted was not available, so I got the Bay Breeze cocktail. The food was a decent portion size and tasty.
Helpful to Know when traveling to NYC
Vaccination Status-Every restaurant we dined at, as well as the Makeup Show required proof of vaccination status. My sister and I knew this prior to traveling there, so we made sure that we kept our vaccination cards with us.
Mega Bus-We took the bus up and coming back. Mega Bus has affordable tickets, they start at $24.99 and up. We were able to get round trip tickets for less than $80. Mega Bus also has options to purchase reserved and socially distanced seats.
Ride Share-We used Ride Share services (Lyft & Uber) to get around NYC. Since our hotel was close to everything we needed, we didn't pay that much per ride. I believe our cheapest fare was $11, and our most expensive was $19.
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