Hot Lap to NYC
Last week I had a last minute trip to New York for a show. It was about the quickest trip I’ve had in a while. The show was a morning TV show, so I got to Manhattan around 7p Thursday and was in a car back to the airport Friday at noon.
Dinner
By the time I got to the hotel I was starving. In my head I was going to order room service and take a shower while I waited, unfortunately no room service. :( I was starting to get hangry, so in a panic I searched for a couple of options nearby. In the end I decided to go to Kin Ramen.
The restaurant was conveniently located a two blocks from my hotel and there was no wait for me to get seated. The space was small but had a fun decor. The menu was very fun looking, although maybe a little too fun as it was slightly confusing at times.
I ordered the Kanpai to drink which was similar to a Negroni but with their spin on it. I hadn’t tasted anything like it before and it was very delicious. As a ‘get me food ASAP’ order I got the cucumber salad which was delicious.
For my main dish I ordered their classic spicy ramen. It was also very good. I was disappointed that at that price there was no included, but it was available as an add on. The spoon provided was very cool looking but a bit awkward to use.
Overall the meal was fun and delicious. I would definitely eat there again.
Food 9/10
Service 9/10
Ambiance 9/10
Overall 9/10
Hotel
We stayed at The Quin. It is a hip Hilton property.
As I mentioned before I was bummed when I realized there was no room service. I don’t often order room service but it sucks when you want it and don’t have it.
However this room was fantastic. It was easily one of the biggest rooms I’ve stayed in in NYC in a long time. Not only was there a coffee maker (which has been absent in many of my hotels this summer) but it was a Nespresso machine with lots of pods. I had to get up for work at 2:15 AM so this was a big deal since no coffee shops would be open.
Lastly there was a robe. This is my guilty pleasure. When I want to chill out, I like to be able to take a shower and put on a nice cozy robe (and not have to request one).
Location 10/10
Room 9/10
Amenities 7/10
Staff 9/10
Overall 8.75/10
Zabar’s
I don’t often have the time, or I’m not close enough, to go to the places I want. For me Zabar’s is something I associate with my childhood since my dad always talked about their Lox. I knew that if I laid down after work I would fall asleep and miss my ride to the airport. So with my hour to kill I went up to Zabar’s. Four stops on the metro and boom I was there.
First I popped into the cafe and got a sesame bagel with the works. SO GOOD.
Then I went into the grocery store to get some Nova Lox to take home. Watching them slice the lox is something special. It is not cheap at $50/lbs. Worth every penny though. Travel Hack Alert I got a half pound, a box of ziplock and an insulated lunch bag. I filled up the ziplock with ice at the hotel. At the airport I dumped the ice before TSA. Once through I filled it up inside the terminal. I checked periodically on the ice. No problem! After eight hours of travel I made it home with some awesome lox for my partner for breakfast. Its the little things. #travelhack
It was a very quick trip but it felt very productive for such a short one.