New York City Susan Having just returned from a long weekend in New York City, I want to say the city is still vibrant, beautiful and full of great adventures for all its visitors. This trip, with our Magnolia group, was as special as the two years preceding, and some impressions to share include great entertainment, food and especially, nice friends and travel companions to enjoy our special moments. Our hotel, The Gorham, was superb! Everything we asked for received the same answer, "Yes!", and it couldn't have pleased us more. A small, European style boutique hotel, located between 6th and 7th on West 55th, it is a great location for accessing all that Manhattan has to offer. All rooms have kitchenettes, with microwave, refrigerator, coffeemaker, and the bathrooms are exquisite (marble, jacuzzi tubs and mounted makeup mirrors). We couldn't imagine a better place to stay! Memories of this trip are especially related to great food, in a variety of places, and I would like to share mine, and those of some of our companions, on this trip. I hope you have an opportunity to try them sometime soon! Au Bon Pain.....franchise French bakery....wonderful pastries and more! Red Eye Grill.....great Pan-Asian menu.....on 7th Ave & 56th St Brooklyn Diner....hearty and delicious.....on 57th, just off 7th Ave Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal......wonderful food in a historic venue Provence....French restaurant in Soho......beautiful decor and food! Au Bonne Soup.....on 55th, between 6th & 7th Ave, great prices & authentic! Casa Bella Restaurant....on Mulberry in Little Italy.....superb Italian food, and great service for our group of 12! Stage Deli....always a favorite......awesome sandwiches & soups...pickles are a delight! Martini's on 7th Ave, just north of the theater district....another great Italian choice Dean & Deluca's, at Rockefeller Plaza.....great coffee, sandwiches, pastries...they also do mail order for kitchen and gourmet food items. Lindys.....a tradition on 7th Ave, and the most amazing breakfasts ever! Revolution....located on 9th Ave, in Hell's Kitchen, great NYC atmosphere Empire Hotel.....just across the way from Lincoln Center....beautiful dining area & superb food Castellano....northern Italian restaurant....next to the Gorham...good food!! Our group also enjoyed great performances...Broadway, ballet & off-Broadway shows and the Rockettes Christmas show. Aida was well received by the group, as was Cabaret, an old favorite, and, of course, The Lion King. One of our group saw a former student perform in Fosse! The American Ballet Company was showcased at City Center Theater on 7th Ave, and performed beautifully, in a gorgeous setting. Off Broadway favorites for this group were "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" and "Strictly Personal", both plays having themes of personal relationships, with much humor sprinkled into the plots. Recommended tours by our group: the city night tour....several of our group did this tour, and made mention of how good it was. Also, some people in our group did a tour to the United Nations building, and learned much more about how that organization is involved in the peacekeeping efforts around the world, as well as working towards social and economic reforms in its member nations. Of course, the museums are awesome....MOMA, the Guggenheim (a show of 25 years of Armani fashion was fantastic), and the amazing Metropolitan Museum of Art. Some of us also had a special Sunday morning at the Unity church service at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. Shoppers in our group were all over Manhattan.....from Sak's Fifth Avenue to Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Century 21, Bergdorf Goodman, and the street stalls on Canal Street. One of our group left the Manhattan area and took the train to New Cannon, Ct to visit a very special antique shop for the day. Wow, merchandise for sale in every direction you gaze....a shopper's paradise, for sure! The NYC Marathon was run on the Sunday of our visit, and made the city very festive. Some of us were able to catch parts of the race as the runners came through Central Park to the finish line at Tavern on the Green. What a tremendous event, and can't tell you how many finishers we saw walking, very gingerly, on the streets, following the race....ouch!! New York City offers its visitors so many options for fabulous entertainment, food and culture.....it should be on anyone's list for a first time trip, or an annual venue. If you are interested in spending a long weekend next fall to this great city, let me know. We would welcome you in our group! (206) 283-1565 / (800) 294-8747 FAX (206) 282-6180 Hours: 9:30 am - 5:30 pm, Monday - Friday | Saturdays 11:00 am - 2:30 pm E-mail: susan@magnoliatravel.com