izzi blog

The official izzibag blog

Well here we are in Manhattan and still enjoying the city, it has been an odd few days, izzi got sick with the Man Flu and so apart from going to the store to get water and stuff we have really hung around the hotel. The weekend was not great weather and so it was probably for the best. We ventured out on Bank Holiday Monday and went to the Brooklyn Diner for a bite to eat, I say this with tongue in cheek, check out the size of this dog!

Biggest Dog Ever Seen

I tell you not even our izzi could eat it all! not that anyone was suprised. Of course avoiding the carbs, I stuck to the chicken wings which were lovely and spicey, but I did have a tiny bite of the dog. I have officially discovered Manhattan’s deary me someone should issue a health warning on everyone of them, phew weee they are so strong they knock your sox off. Just to make you jealous I even took a picture of one and I swear to god people gave me such looks in the restaurant for taking snaps of a drink, obviously thought I was a wino or whackey, they were right on both counts.

Manhattan too good

Well the good news is I found a short term apartment, which is better than staying in a hotel for lots of reasons, mainly because I can do my own washing and cooking. I know, I know you are thinking I am mad but to be honest I get fed up of eating out and it really isn’t great on  the waist line. So Friday will see us moving again, but at least we can settle there for a short while and hope that the plans will all go well with our visa’s. Going back to the drinking which let’s face it is a great passtime where ever you live in the world izzi could not decide which drink to have a Midnight Manhattan or a Crazy Mojitos so he had both.

Ok well the days have moved on and I realised yesterday I was not feeling too good. I went to meet with a lovely lady called Lisa and had a nice chat and a drink in the Trump Tower Bar, then went on to a party at the W Hotel with Yuliz, but unfortunately the cold was setting in quick and I had to make my excuses and leave for my bed. Today is passing quite quickly and unfortunately I had to cancel lunch with Sue as I have full blown Miserable Girl Flu that is the same as normal flu just makes me more miserable. Am hoping tomorrow will see me back up and running on full steam. I am so looking forward to Friday and the Rising Stars Luncheon when I hope to be looking my best. Keep your fingers crossed for me please….do not want to be letting the side down.

So here we are the first day in New York, Hubby is feeling poorly with man flu and we are staying in the Hudson Hotel, which is lovely a bit freaky, if I am allowed to say so. I mean in the breakfast room they have a tree trunk and wooden chair backs imbedded into the trunk! So after a scrummy no carb breakfast we are off out to look at some apartments for rent. We walked 35 blocks and 6 avenues and could not find where we should be. Now I turn to the OH and ask what was the exact address again and get the reply I really did not want ‘I can’t remember’ Nooooo I am not best pleased but I look at him and know that he is 1) not feeling great and 2) a man. I know you are thinking I should have written it down myself but I didn’t. So I just walk into the dentist on 33rd Street, random I know but hey I am British and ask them to look up the apartment building. If I was in London and did that what do you think they would have done? Yeah right look at me as though I am mad and ignore me, but not in New York the girl found the address for me, pointed me in the direction and wished me well. God Bless America.

So we plod over to the apartment block and take a look around, ummm well I have to say I am not going to be renting in this block and let’s leave it at that. Back to the drawing board batman. I then took hubby for a bowl of warming soup; I asked the concierge of the said rental apartment to recommend a good soup kitchen and his jaw hit the floor. Hubby tried to explain that soup kitchen’s in the US do not have the same purpose as a soup kitchen in London, oh dear faux paux. Well we found the salad and soup cafe! But I was amazed that New Yorkers will spend $8 on a salad, why do they not make them at home? Hubby tried to tell me this is New York Anne, everyone eats out. I have to say the salad was great and I had the most amazing dressing of Thai Peanut. I made a mental note to myself to find a cook book with great salad dressing in. Hubby had the thickest soup I have ever seen; in fact I would say it was more Mud than Vegetable soup, but he enjoyed it. On our way back to the hotel, we  again walked 35 blocks and too many Avenues than I care to remember, when someone shouted out of their car window and asked me for directions! I shouted back sorry I am from London sorry I have no idea, but what a feeling, people think I am a local already. Anne is officially a New Yorker!

Back to the hotel, hubby took a nap, whilst I took four hours to twitter and then have a bath, wash hair and get glammed up ready for the birthday party we were invited to. We firstly went off to Hillstones, which was called Houston’s last time I was here for the best Ribs ever, they just fell off the bones. I had my first Manhattan drink, big mistake, on the first sip I knew it was the kind of drink that was going to be one, two, hit the floor and guess what? Yep you got it one, two and slid down to the floor, I think the two glasses of red wine did not help though, ouch! Hubby had Jack Daniels and Coke followed by the wine on top of Night Nurse! I am not sure if he hit the floor before or after me. Obviously I did not actually hit the floor but the head was going to feel like it in th emorning this I know. Izzi had the thickest Fillet ever, in fact I am questioning where Hillstones found this cow, cos it sure was a large one. The steak melted, really melted like butter in your mouth and was cooked to perfection.

Hubby’s friend, whose birthday it was brought some really cool friends and they made me laugh from the moment I sat down at the table until the moment I slide to the floor, only joking but I sure do not remember getting into bed, so I guess a great night was had by all and I know that I am feeling at home already. Welcome to New York Anne !