It has long been a dream of mine to plan weddings and events throughout the US and beyond (hello Universe, I am officially putting it out there that I am dying to plan a wedding in Florence! ♥️). The last couple of years MDE has really grown in to a company that does just that and it has been so exciting. Over the weekend, I had the immense pleasure and privilege of bringing a wedding to life for an absolutely wonderful couple. They are mega talented (she is a ballet master and he is a producer!), extremely in love, very funny and have effortless style. Working with them along with the bride’s mom for over a year has been an immense pleasure and privilege for me.
We spent a few days in NYC preparing for the wedding, and among the work we fit in a few really amazing things and restaurants that I wanted to share with you all! The thing about New York is that it is a city that you can visit 10,000 times and never really discover everything. I am lucky enough to go to New York several times a year and I always try to do a few things every time I go:
- see something on Broadway
- eat somewhere that I love
- eat somewhere I’ve never been
- go to the Met
- walk through Central Park
Of course other things pop up that I want to do or see, but these are a few of my favorite things to do when in NYC so I am sharing these five things with you from this last trip. Don’t worry, more on the beautiful wedding soon!
- See something on Broadway – I am an avid lover of the theater, musicals, the opera, you name it, I am down for it. Every since I was 3 and my parents took me to my first musical (Cats on Broadway!) I was HOOKED! From Radio City music Hall every December to West Side Story at the Lyric here in Chicago, I find the theater so inspiring and energizing. Music is something that moves me deeply, and I love to feel all the feels from it! SO, on this trip, I was surprised by my husband Collin with tickets to the Cher Show! For six straight decades, only one unstoppable force has flat-out dominated popular culture — breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries, and letting nothing and no one stand in her way. The Cher Show is the Tony Award-winning musical of her story, and it is next level amazing.
Starring Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show is 35 smash hits, six decades of stardom, two rock-star husbands, a Grammy®, an Oscar®, an Emmy®, and enough Tony Award-winning Bob Mackie gowns to cause a sequin shortage in New York City. I literally was dancing in the aisles. I cannot say enough about this one. GO SEE IT!
- Eat somewhere that I love – this is an easy one and a really difficult one because I have a few favorite places to grab a great meal when I am in the city and I can never make up my mind! But today I am going to talk about Masseria dei Vini (Masseria of Wines). Brought to you by the La Masseria team. Restaurateurs Pino Coladonato, Peppe Iuele and Enzo Ruggiero have collaborated again with interior design expert Libby Langdon to bring you a modern and updated version of a “Masseria”. In the region of Puglia, in Southern Italy, masserias are fortified farmhouses, and many of them have now been transformed into restaurants or hotels. The menu features beautiful dishes from Puglia, a lot of which incorporate fish, shellfish and a plethora of fresh homemade pastas. The menu offers gourmet pizza Neapolitan style from a Ferrara wood-burning pizza oven and also offered is an extensive wine by the glass program and a large selection of bottles, mainly from Italy, but without ignoring the rest of the world. The service is outstanding, and the Italian language is spoken as often as English which always makes my day. There is nothing better for me than a fantastic spaghetti al pomodoro and patate frite, and this restaurant brings me right back to Italy every time I order it.
- Eat somewhere I have never been. This was an easy one because I had been dying to go to Buddakan for some time. Any place that is, “exhilarating to the eyes as it tantalizes the taste buds” is a place that I would love to learn more about. When you combine the flavors of the Far East with the flamboyance of 16th century Paris” I am one happy girl…food was really good, and the service here was excellent as well. The decor is next level, and I really enjoyed the experience. I probably would not dine here frequently like I love to do with Masseria but it is worth a trip for sure!
- My trip to the Met this time did not disappoint. It has yet to do so ever, in fact. Through more than 250 objects dating from the seventeenth century to the present, The Costume Institute’s spring 2019 exhibition explores the origins of camp’s exuberant aesthetic. Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay “Notes on ‘Camp'” provides the framework for the exhibition, which examines how the elements of irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality, and exaggeration are expressed in fashion. I found the exhibit to be a totally engaging journey through history, and one that completely stuck with me after I had exited. It is entertaining and educational, and as visual as it gets. WELL DONE Costume Institute! I so loved it!
- Last, I always try to take a moment and walk through Central Park at least one morning when I am in town. I love a good sunny day, nice and early so you can feel the city really come to life. Especially when I am there for work I really appreciate the time in the beautiful green oasis that exists right in the middle of this electric city. I usually through on comfy clothes, big sunglasses and grab a good cappuccino with coconut mil to take with me. That way I can take it all in and caffeinate the bloodstream at the same time 😃
Traveling with team members who also happen to be good friends can make these trips even more fun than they usually are because we are traveling together and that always feels like the opposite of work.I have to give a major shout out to my friend and colleague Chris, and MDE team member Nicole for really bringing A game this trip. Oh, and that wedding I mentioned at the beginning of the post? It was a DREAM, and I cannot thank my clients enough for choosing MDE to bring it to life. They are the sweetest, and I will share more on them very soon, but in the meantime, read about their love story from their New York Times announcement yesterday!
