New York City

 Went to New York for a work conference. Snagged a flight on United Airlines into Newark Liberty International Airport. I haven't stayed at the New York Hilton Midtown in probably over a decade at this point and re-familiarized myself on this trip. Even though it is post-Covid, I found the city quiet. Busier than during the height of the pandemic but the impact of remote work is definitely felt in the city. Except for my lyft ride. I had decided that I was better off trying to get driven into the city versus taking the subway/train. Unfortunately, my driver got dinged by a construction vehicle and had to take a hit on the vehicle. It was not a good morning for him.

The Hilton allowed me to check-in early. It was nice since I had taken a redeye and was in the city fairly early in the morning. As many Hiltons have been moving away from executive lounges, I was pleasantly surprised that this Hilton retained it. Likely due to the international clientele.

Hilton Midtown King Room

Given my work commitments, I only ventured into the city for meals.

Dominique Ansel - I had preordered cronuts and picked up a few pastries as well. Overall, I'm beginning to lose interest in the cronut but I do still enjoy his other pastries.

Ubani - I decided to try some Georgian (russian) food and ordered the Imeruli.

Ubani Restaurant

DD Soup Dumpling - located at 321 W 42nd St., #1A. Wandering around the area and I was looking at Google Maps and saw the restaurant was open and reviewed fairly positively. After finishing my meal, the waitress informed me if I gave them a review they would give me $10 off my meal. I promptly did a Google review so it does explain why there is so many reviews on Yelp etc.

DD Soup Dumpling

DD Soup Dumpling

Swingers Crazy Golf - A local friend joined me in going to this venue. My conference opted to have an evening reception and I found myself enjoying indoor miniature golf. The food was also good considering it was for over 300 people.

Absolute Bagels - located at 2788 Broadway, I wanted to see if my go-to NYC bagel shop could be ousted from being my go-to. I ordered the garlic with lox spread and it was good but I still liked David's Bagels. It also isn't the easiest to get to from Midtown and so I would rather go to David's than Absolute. There was a line and I think it is because of the college students that seem to favor this neighborhood bagel shop.

Ten Thousand Coffee - the Einspanner is delicious and drew me back for seconds the following day. It is a little pricey but better than the other coffee shops at the same price point.

10000 Coffee Einspanner

Paris Baguette - On my way out of the city, I grabbed some light pastries and sandwich for the plane. Given my food options on plane, it was better if I could get something before arriving to the airport. Since it was down the street from 10000 coffee, it was an easy stop.