Molly in Maine Visits New York City!

My visit last weekend to the Big Apple! Where we stayed. Restaurants. Visits to the Peloton Studio. And the Broadway musical Six.

A Visit to the Big City

I am not a city gal.

Not surprising, considering I live in a tiny fishing village on the coast of Maine.

So I wasn’t expecting my daughters to plan a trip with them to New York, the biggest of all cities, as a Mother’s Day gift.

To be honest, though, I would travel pretty much anywhere to spend time with them.

And NYC is certainly not alien to me. I actually grew up just outside the city, in Westchester County. I didn’t spend a lot of time there as a child, but we did go in to the theater, museums, and sometimes on a shopping trip.

My kids also have fond memories of “Nana and Gran” taking them in for dinner and a show when we came up from Maryland for a visit.

So last Friday, I packed my bags and jetted off for a mother-daughter weekend in NYC!

Join us for all the fun!

Getting There

Leah lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Zoë is in Washington, D.C. And I, of course, was coming from Maine.

Leah and I both flew into LaGuardia Airport at about the same time and then took a taxi into the city together.

After living in Maine for 6 years, I have become spoiled by the small size of the Portland “Jetport”. With just 11 gates, there is rarely a wait to get through security.

One time I didn’t realize that I had left my phone in the car until I got to my gate shortly before boarding was due to begin. One of the airline personnel actually offered to go to my car to get my phone for me. She arrived back with my phone just as boarding started. That is the kind of airport it is.

And, well, LaGuardia is definitely NOT that kind of airport.

I know I sound like a country bumpkin, but it took me about 30 minutes to take the shuttle from Terminal B to Terminal C. And I had to change buses once!

Zoë took the train up from D.C. and met us at the hotel.

Phew! We all made it!

Where We Stayed

Leah took care of the hotel reservation. Her husband travels frequently for work, so she has membership benefits with some hotel chains.

Once we set the final dates, the rates had changed for the place Leah had wanted to stay, so instead we were at the Intercontinental New York Times Square.

If rather generic, our room, with two full-size beds, was stylish, comfortable, and clean.

What set it apart, though, were a central location and wall-to-wall views of the city skyline and Hudson River.

You know I love my water view here in Maine, but I have to admit this urban view was quite spectacular too!

Where We Ate

Zoë, the foodie, was mostly responsible for where we ate.

Friday

PRE-DINNER DRINKS

Friday evening we kicked our weekend off with a rosé toast at Vin Sur Vingt, a classic French wine bar with several locations in NYC, the Hamptons, and Washington D.C.. We went to the Upper West Side location, and it definitely had the feel of a small neighborhood gathering place.

Cheers to time with my girls!

DINNER

We went from there to dinner at Leyla, a “new Mediterranean brasserie”, which ‘combines key elements of Turkish rustic-haute cuisine with a worldly take of the finest Mediterranean recipes.”

The decor here was clean but cozy. I particularly loved the row of basket lights hanging above the bar!

Zoë and I both eat vegetarian and Leah is always happy to join us when we gather together. So we shared a number of small plates — a cheesy flat bread, zucchini fritters with a minty yogurt sauce, Turkish Saksuka, and fava bean bruschetta — as well as a pasta main dish.

The food was very good, but Leah and Zoë felt the service was a bit, um, “relaxed”.

Afterwards we went back to the hotel and indulged in some nostalgic Friends bingeing.

Saturday

We were up and out early Saturday morning to head over to the Peloton Studio for classes. (More on that later!)

BREAKFAST

On our walk over, we stopped at Finn’s Bagels to pick up breakfast sandwiches, a Saturday morning family tradition.

LUNCH

After our Peloton classes, we took the Subway down to Soho for lunch at La Mercerie.

Yes, another French restaurant!

Located inside the Roman and Williams Guild home goods store, this is truly one of the most beautiful restaurants I have ever eaten in.

Dark moody colors, luxurious finishes, floor-to-ceiling windows, and simple but dramatic floral arrangements created a space that was at once warm and airy.

There was also dining on an outdoor street patio set amongst lush greenery. You could almost forget you are in the city!

With a menu of fun beverages, decadent pastries, and classic French lunch and brunch fare, the whole meal was a treat. We started with an almond croissant and lemon crepes to share. Then Zoë and I both had the vegetarian quiche, and Leah had a Croque Madam sandwich.

It was by far my favorite meal of the weekend!

Bonus: The Roman and Williams Guild store located in the space behind the restaurant is chock full of beautiful home accessories and furniture. Definitely beyond my price point, but free to admire!

DINNER

We had an early dinner before going to the theater at Chez Josephine, just blocks from the hotel and the theater.

Jewel-tone walls, a blue tin ceiling, gilt chandeliers, and red velvet drapery harken back to 1930’s Paris. In fact, the restaurant is named for French dancer and singer Josephine Baker. Live piano music adds to the ambiance.

This is an old-school French restaurant (oui oui, we unwittingly had a theme for the weekend), heavy on the meats and very light on veggie fare. And for some reason, their one vegetarian option, a pasta dish, was gluten free as well. Fortunately Zoë and I were able to substitute the gf fusilli for regular spaghetti. Leah had Pasta Bolognese.

There was a prix fixe menu deal available. (But no veggie option on it.)

The overall experience and food were no match for La Mercerie, but if you are going for a classic French meal close to the theater, this could be your place!

Sunday

Sadly, our time together was already coming to an end.

We had a $100 credit with the hotel, so we decided to have a leisurely breakfast in bed with room service. A particular treat for my two daughters who have toddlers at home!

We checked out of the hotel at 10:30.

And said our goodbye to Zoë, as she was off to the Peloton Studio for another cycling class.

Leah and I headed uptown to visit with her oldest friend. They met when Leah was just 6 weeks old! She, her two sisters, and mom have been dear family friends ever since.

We enjoyed a second breakfast — New York bagels and cream cheese from the store downstairs (with a line down the block) and fruit salad. Can you ever have too many bagels when in NYC?!

After another Peloton class, it was time for Leah and I to get to the airport. She was able to get me into the Delta Sky Lounge, so we enjoyed the free buffet dinner there!

Peloton Studio Classes

You might know that I am a bit of a Peloton junkie.

I did spin classes religiously at a local gym when we lived in Maryland. But there is no gym nearby here in Maine.

So I bought a Peloton bike shortly after I moved into the house in 2018. And, since then, I have worked out with Peloton generally 6-7 days a week.

But all this time, and all those workouts, I have been cycling to nowhere by myself in the waterside guest room, with the bike positioned to look out the window.

So naturally when I learned we would be visiting NYC, one of the first things I asked was if we could go to a live Peloton class!

Without getting into the details (and difficulties) of signing up for studio classes, these are the classes we got into:

Leah: Power Flow with Aditi on Saturday

Zoë: HIIT and Hills Ride with Cody Rigsby on Saturday, Sundays With Love Ride with Ally Love on Sunday

MIM: HIIT and Hills Ride with Cody Rigsby on Saturday, Power Zone Endurance Ride with Christine D’Ercole on Sunday

The Peloton Studio in NY is gorgeous, with luxurious locker rooms, a snack and juice bar, Peloton swag shop, and lounge areas.

And they have gone out of their way to make your experience there special. First-time visitors are given priority access to the classroom for a better choice of bikes.

After class there is a meet and greet photo session with the instructor.

I have spent hours and hours riding remotely, so it was a thrill for me to ride in person and to meet the instructors. The class with Christine was a particular fan-girl moment for me.

If there is interest, I can share more about my Peloton experience in general and my workout routine. Let me know in comments if you would like this.

A Broadway Show

The real reason the girls chose New York was not Peloton, but to go to a Broadway show.

I mentioned that when my kids were growing up, we used to go the theater in NY with my mom and dad.

This was always a special treat, and they all still love to take in a show.

Zoë in particular wanted to see the musical Six. So that is what we did on Saturday night!

Have you heard of Six?

The Six on Broadway website describes the show in this way: “From Tudor queens to pop icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to reclaim their identities out of the shadow of their infamous spouse – remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st century girl power!”

Part Broadway musical and part concert, Six is a flashy, at times comical and at times heartfelt, tribute to the enduring inner strength of women. The costumes, staging, and of course the music, were all fabulous.

We had so much fun!

Getting to experience it with my girls, while also remembering my mom, left me with such a full heart.

In 2022 Six received Tony awards for Best Original Score and Best Costume Design.

Can’t make it to the show? You can listen to Six: Live on Opening Night (Original Broadway Cast Recording) on Spotify.

And if you want to combine two of my New York experiences, there are several Peloton classes that feature music from Six!

This Week

While I am always happy to come home to my cottage by the sea, it can also be a bit of a let down after such an exciting time away.

And of course I am missing my girls extra hard right now.

So I have been laying a bit low this week.

Thank you for indulging me as I relived our time together in this blog post.

For Saturday’s post, I am keeping the NYC fun going. (I plan on milking all the enjoyment I possibly can out of the weekend!)

You might not know that my love of clothes runs almost as deep as my love for home decor.

Given the casual lifestyle here in Maine, though, I don’t have as much opportunity to play dress-up. So, before my trip I treated myself to a little clothes shopping. We’re not talking haute couture, but just a few fun pieces.

So, Saturday I am sharing content totally different from my usual: what I wore on my weekend in New York!

Leah acted as creative director and photographer.

I hope you will join me for this different take on my trip to NY!

See you soon!