I had such a great time in New York over the weekend. It was a treat being able to set my own agenda and walk around without the constrictions of toddler time, naps and snacks. I quite literally walked everywhere and I did not even take a subway train or cab, just me and my feet galavanting all over the city.
Keep reading for plenty of pictures of my solo adventure!
I stayed in Midtown but it was really just a jumping off point for me and a place to return to at the days end. Last time we were in NYC we went to the Highline, Children's Museum, and primarily stayed on the West side. So this trip I decided to stick more to the East side of town. Basically on my list of to-do's was museums, coffee and my friend's surprise birthday on Saturday. Not a rough agenda.
First I headed down to a favourite spot, Strand Book Store. I pretty much have a favourite bookstore in every city and in NYC this is the one for me. Walls of books and a really amazing rare book collection, pretty much I have to set a time limit for myself or I may never leave.
love the color coded books behind the registers.
books, books, books. 
So Stand was a success. I got Oliver a fun new book and one for myself and I just could not help grabbing a canvas bag as well (my husband may kill me for that one).
As I meandered my way back up through the Flatiron, I stopped into a few favourite shops. First up, Fish Eddy. This place is a haven for all kinds of amazing home goods. They have new and vintage and the displays are whimsical and pretty much it makes me want to buy all kinds of canisters and and ceramics to use in my kitchen. 
Cheer Up! cookie jar.
As you walked in the front door, there was a crazy display of all of the hands. Kind of creepy but it was funny too because it felt like they were high fiving you for coming in!
Next I stopped into a store that I have not been into since living in London; Muji. This store is amazing and so clean and crisp. It is a Japanese company that prides itself on simple, clean products for the home, to wear and to organize. I love their collection of pens and small notebooks. It is a wonderful company and I would not be sad if one popped up in Boston!
Of course when you are in the Flatiron you must take a picture of the Flatiron building. It really is one of my favourite buildings in the city and I would love to see an apartment inside to see how the architecture feels. 
My next stop after a bit of walking was make my way to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) for their free Friday night sponsored by Uniqlo. I adore this museum and it was amazing to see how many people were taking advantage of the free admission. I love people watching so it was fun to not only peruse some of may favourite artists but also try to piece together people's stories, who was there on a date, with kids, who was bored out of their minds and who was completely enthralled. 
Gerhard Richter
Gerhard Richter
Pino Pascali
Pino Pascali
Lynda Benglis 
Bruce Nauman
Sol LeWitt 
Dan Flavin 
Andy Warhol 
Mark Rothko
Edward Ruscha
The courtyard. After the museum I grabbed a bite to eat and made my way back to Midtown.
The next day, thanks to 
After fueling up on a strong cappuccino with a crisp, buttery croissant I headed all the way up to Central Park to hit up another delightful museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 
city streets. 
I have not been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a while and wow, I forgot the size and breadth of the collection. I decided to simply hit up some of my favourite rooms, including the Impressionist and Post Impressionist wing to see Van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne, and Degas among others.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a gorgeous, all encompassing building and I suggest that you use your time and the map wisely or else you will need a solid week to explore the vastness. 
After seeing some beautiful, classic art I made my way to their Contemporary collection. (above, Ellsworth Kelly)
And then I wandered aimlessly until I found my way to the front exit. If you enjoy museums then this is a must do when in NYC and for me it was a treat to just walk at my own pace and explore what I was interested in. 
Blue Bottle Coffee, a throw back to San Francisco. The cappuccino was just as good and strong as in SF.
I spent the rest of my Saturday popping in and out of shops and enjoying the sunshine. Then that evening it was off to surprise my friend Renee for her 30th! 
Sunday morning before hitting the road I walked back to the Madison Square Park to check out Eataly. Eataly was just ok. Some lovely products and I got a beautiful loaf of bread to bring home but the atmosphere felt a bit forced.
But I did get find an amazing art installation. The three site-specific water towers are by Brooklyn based Chilean artist, Ivan Navvaro.
From the outside they look like simple reproductions of the water towers that you see perched on top of many NYC buildings but then you duck underneath and they each have neon reflections inside that repeat infinitely. 
One last stroll through the city streets and then it was time to hit the road back home. This was a wonderful, recharging trip for me and I really do feel that it is important as a parent and as a spouse it is a necessary treat to spend some time alone, doing something you truly enjoy and taking time for yourself. So thank you NYC (and Renee!) for letting me get away for the weekend and walk for miles and drink coffee and look at art; a true respite for me!
