After a fabulous weekend in the city that never sleeps, I’m experiencing a bit of withdrawal as I sit at my desk and attempt to work. Oddly enough, 48 hours in one of the most crowded cities was somehow relaxing and decompressing. I think it was the fact that we were able to roam around all day and night with no definitive destination, just the goal of taking it all in.

I tried to refrain from snapping pictures everywhere I went to save my husband some embarrassment. However, I was able to catch a few cliche shots on my phone.

I also got to peruse the Macy’s Shoe Department, which is now the largest shoe department in the world with more than 300,000 shoes on display. I was like a kid in a candy store, particularly when I hit the clearance racks. I snagged 3 pairs of shoes, each pair originally over $100 for $150. Merry Christmas to me! Unfortunately, they will be going under the tree so I won’t see them for a few weeks!

I also had what I would venture to say was one of the best meals of my life at Stanton Social. The restaurant offers a small plates sharing menu and each item wasn’t more than a bite or two. Somehow, I still managed to leave incredibly full and more than satisfied. Each dish was even better than the next. My favorites were the french onion soup dumplings, potato and goat cheese perogies, old school meatballs and the shrimp and grits. And…I’m officially hungry.

There is nothing quite like New York during the holidays. The only downside to the trip was the weather. It rained almost the entire time we were there which of course left me searching for some rain boots. I got all excited to try on some Hunter rain boots since I’ve been wanting a pair as long as I can remember, only to discover that they are too narrow for me. As you can imagine, this left me a bit disheartened and debating what kind of role marathon-running will have in my future. However, I refuse to be discouraged and am putting together a comprehensive guide to rainboots this week because I know I can’t be the only one out there with this problem! So be on the lookout if you’re in the market!

This was the first time I’d taken a trip to NYC and managed to get myself to some new, non-touristy neighborhoods. I love that one city can offer such a vast array of unique experiences. I’ll always be a DC girl at heart, but I can’t wait to get back to New York the next chance I get!