The Cat Dish

Tag Archives: CatTravels

#CatTravels: Top 10 #NYC moments

by Catherine Toth on April 22, 2013 in Adventures, Food

I only had five days in New York City.

So fitting in everything I had wanted to do — and everything everyone told me I should do — was nearly impossible.

I didn’t get to the Top of the Rock or eat at Momofuku Milk Bar (Sorry, Christina!). I skipped Zabars, Yankee Stadium, and any water taxi tour of the city. I didn’t even make it to Brooklyn.

But I did do a lot of incredibly fun things — like getting around the city in a taxi (above) — even in the very short time I was there.

And it was just enough to make me want to come back.

So here are my Top 10 #NYC moments:

1. New York Public Library

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 14

OK, this was the only place I went to three times in four days. I love this public library, the second largest in the country and one of my favorite places to spend the morning reading and writing. (Plus, Bryant Park is adjacent to it and it's equally awesome.)

Thanks to everyone who followed my adventures in #NYC on Twitter and Instagram — and here! Hmm, I wonder what’s coming up next!

Comments { 7 }

#CatTravels: From Central Park to Farmingville

by Catherine Toth on April 21, 2013 in Adventures, Food

It was going to be a long day.

We had planned to make the trek from Murray Hill to Central Park, clear across Manhattan, looking for bakeries and restaurants and street vendors along the way.

Then I was hopping on the Long Island Rail Road to Farmingville, a little suburb about 90 minutes east of lower Manhanttan to stay with my cousins.

And we had a lot to do.

I still wanted to see Eataly, an Italian food court in the Flatiron District; the Union Square Greenmarket, a vibrant farmer’s market; and any bakery that sold black-and-white cookies.

And there was still Central Park.

So we started early.

Here’s what Saturday — and my last day in the city — looked like:

Cupcakes for breakfast

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 71

It was a long night, and I had lugged around this box of mini cupcakes from popular bakery Baked by Melissa. (This was a gift from Sara and Ryan the night before.) These mini bites made the perfect breakfast the next morning!

Follow my adventures in New York City on Twitter @thedailydish and on Instagram @catherinetoth.

Comments { 5 }

#CatTravels: Hanging with friends in NYC

by Catherine Toth on April 20, 2013 in Adventures, Food

I don’t mind traveling alone — especially when I’m meeting up with friends.

And that’s what Friday was all about.

I was hanging out with Susan, the friend I’m saying with, and meeting two Twitter pals who had recently moved to the city and my former Advertiser colleague, Loren, who’s been here for the past three years.

And along the way, I met a few more people — and now we’re friends. At least in the Facebook sense.

That’s the thing about New York City, you can’t possibly meet all 19 million people packed into the metro area. So there’s always someone to meet — and an infinite number of places to meet them. I think that’s one of the reasons people love the city. You can’t run out of things to do. You just can’t.

But no matter what you wind up doing here — running around the Museum of Modern Art to find “The Scream” to eating the best soft serve at the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop — it’s always better with friends.

Here’s what Friday looked like:

Flowers in the city

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 52

Susan and I left the apartment in the morning and headed to the Museum of Modern Art, about 1.5 miles north of Murray Hill. Along the way there were these planters of flowers — usually tulips, my favorite — lined the sidewalks. So gorgeous.

Follow my adventures in New York City on Twitter @thedailydish and on Instagram @catherinetoth.

Comments { 6 }

#CatTravels: Eating my way through NYC

by Catherine Toth on April 19, 2013 in Adventures, Food

Ever since I told people I was heading to New York City, I got inundated with restaurant, bakery and deli suggestions.

And while it was a bit overwhelming — I can’t possibly eat at 59 different eateries in five days! — I was stoked to have a list of places (and things) to eat.

So I decided, on my second day in the city and one that I’d be spending mostly alone, that I would try to get a few of them checked off my list.

But first things first, I needed to get an overview of the city — and that meant heading to the top of the Empire State Building.

Here’s what I did — and ate — on Thursday:

Good morning, NYC

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 71

I left my friend's apartment a little late and headed straight up 34th street to the Empire State Building. It's located just half a mile from where I'm staying in Murray Hill.

Follow Cat’s adventures in New York City on Twitter @thedailydish and on Instagram @catherinetoth.

Comments { 7 }

#CatTravels to NYC

by Catherine Toth on April 10, 2013 in Adventures

I’ve been totally overwhelmed.

Lots of freelance work (no complaints), a few catering gigs, a couple of mini-crises in my life, and my car broke down.

And now I’m in a quandary: I desperately need a vacation, but I don’t have the time.

Isn’t that typical, you’re the busiest the week before you start your vacation? That could be truer for me as I scramble to finish three freelance stories, update a website I’ve been working on, edit a couple of videos and get in as much surf time as possible by Monday.

Because on Tuesday I’m jumping on a Hawaiian Airlines flight — direct! — to New York City!

Here’s the backstory: I have a habit of plugging in random cities in sites like Orbitz or Travelocity, just to see if I can score super cheap flights to places like Paris or Seoul or Reykjavík. It just so happened I found a ridiculously cheap fare to NYC. It was $376. Round-trip. Direct flight. No exaggeration. That’s cheaper than going to Maui for the weekend.

So I booked it. And now I’m struggling to get everything done before I get on that plane.

One of the things I haven’t been able to do is research where to go, what to see and, especially, where to eat.

So I’m throwing it out there for everyone who’s been to New York City, who lives in New York City, or who dreams about it: tell me what I should do or see. I haven’t been back in 12 years. I need advice STAT.

Comments { 19 }