Rachel and I took a trip to New York City on February 1st to celebrate my 40th birthday. We stayed at The Times Square EDITION - right in the heart of the action.
Getting There
We took Amtrak from northern Virginia - the best way to get to NYC from our area. Comfortable seats, no traffic stress, and you arrive right at Penn Station.
Comfortable Amtrak seats on the way to NYC
Walking Around
Navigating from The Times Square EDITION to the stores and restaurants was easy - all the streets are laid out in a square grid pattern and clearly marked. No GPS needed.
We also enjoyed the halal cart street food along the way. Apart from the great taste, in the wintery weather these kebabs double as hand warmers!
NYC halal carts - great food
We spent some time walking around 5th Avenue and stopped by the Louis Vuitton flagship store - quite impressive with multiple levels, definitely a sight to see. Rachel found a bag she liked and we plan to get it for her from Paris as I happen to be there during my upcoming Kernel Recipes conference (tip: you can save a lot on taxes buying LV bags from Paris).
Louis Vuitton flagship store on 5th Avenue Right across the street stands St. Patrick’s Cathedral - hard to miss that Neo-Gothic architecture towering between the skyscrapers.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue
The Food
Rachel went through a lot of effort to get us reservations at two spots, and it totally paid off.
Lunch: Din Tai Fung
We hit up Din Tai Fung on Broadway for lunch - their famous soup dumplings did not disappoint. The place was packed (no surprise), but the food was worth the hype.
Din Tai Fung NYC - 1633 Broadway
Dinner: Musaafer
For dinner, we hopped on the subway down to southern Manhattan for Musaafer, a beautifully designed Indian restaurant. I’m not a fan of taking Uber in New York - it’s just easier to walk or take the subway, and way easier on the stomach too. The food was excellent and the interior had this stunning train-station design. Rachel really knocked it out of the park with this pick.
Musaafer - 133 Duane St, Tribeca
Dessert
We also stopped by a Middle Eastern sweets store next to The Times Square EDITION where I had the best caramel pastry I’ve ever tasted - even better than the chocolate pastry Rachel got!
The best caramel pastry I’ve ever had
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The highlight of the trip was catching Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway.
I’ll be honest - I’m not really a fantasy or magic guy. That’s more Rachel’s thing. But even for someone like me, this show was genuinely entertaining. The stage magic and practical effects were impressive - people appearing and disappearing, objects flying across the stage, just clever stagecraft that left me wondering “how did they do that?”
The stunts were great too, and the story held up well on its own1. You don’t need to be a die-hard Potter fan to follow along or enjoy it.
The cast taking their final bow - spot Tom Felton (the original Draco Malfoy from the films) near our front row seats!
If you’re in NYC and looking for a show - even if fantasy isn’t your thing - this one’s worth it.
Bundled Up for the Cold
New York in February is no joke. We were layered up with thermals, mufflers, the whole works. But honestly? We loved the wintery vibes. There’s something about a cold NYC that feels straight out of Home Alone 2. And speaking of the wildlife - the Times Square pigeons were particularly brave. We found ourselves walking around them to avoid a collision. They own that sidewalk and they know it.
Ready for the NYC winter
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Description from the web: The Cursed Child picks up 19 years after the original Harry Potter series. Harry is now a Ministry of Magic employee, and his younger son Albus is struggling with the weight of the Potter name. Albus befriends Scorpius Malfoy (Draco’s son), and together they get their hands on a Time-Turner and attempt to change the past - with consequences that ripple through alternate timelines. It’s essentially a story about fathers and sons, legacy, and the danger of trying to fix the past. ↩