Inevitably, July’s list of favorite things will center around our family’s trip to the US. While I’ve shared much of what has happened so far – where to go and what to eat in NYC, the historical spots in DC, and our family fun in Orlando – some of my favorite parts of the entire trip happened in our last leg, when we went back to NYC.
So for this month’s installment of my favorite things, let me share with you the last parts of our US holiday:
Baccarat Hotel
I was blown away by the world’s first Baccarat Hotel and its lavish interiors. It’s unapologetically luxurious and opulent. I was blinded by the bling everywhere – from the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to the vases placed on top of tables, from the high tech elevators to the luxurious restaurants and bars (which they call salons), from the fabric treatments to the mini accessories found scattered all over the hotel. This is an interior design haven.
But no one can accuse it of being tacky, either. I have to say, the Baccarat Hotel has one of the most beautiful and classiest interiors I’ve ever seen.
This is the “Grand Salon”, a seating area and restaurant. Its state of the art interactive lighting display is impressive. I had lunch here, admiring its amazing objets d’ art collection and the dazzling Baccarat pieces all around! It was hard to leave without being mesmerized!
Meanwhile, “The Bar”– another well-curated space inside Baccarat Hotel – has an eclectic art collection from the 251-year history of Baccarat. It’s a very striking place: walls are painted in red in contrast to the black and white wooden floors. Baccarat chandeliers (such as this) hang from the ceiling from end-to-end of the whole length of the room! It’s hard not to be impressed!
Levain Bakery
I know – I looked absolutely excited about this. But I was at, what is known as the best cookie place in the world : Levain Bakery.
Look how gigantic these cookies are. I got a combination of their best sellers : the Chocolate Chip Walnut and the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip. I happily braved the long lines for these! And since these are really the best cookies in the world, I make sure to take a couple of boxes home with me for pasalubong –they are always a big hit to friends and family back home! (In fact, I’ve written about this favorite cookie of mine on the blog before, in my previous trip to the Big Apple, click here.)
Peter Luger Steakhouse
This is another BIG favorite of mine (and the whole family). We can never leave New York without having this world renowned (and dare I say, much copied) steak! For our last supper in the city, we chose to drive all the way to Brooklyn for Peter Luger!
We started off with this deliciously tasty sizzling bacon (extra thick by the slice) paired with fresh giant tomatoes and sweet raw onions, with Luger’s special sauce – the best appetizer combo for sure!
And then, the real deal : Peter Luger’s USDA Prime Beef, Dry Aged, in their own aging box, which probably contains all the secret herbs and spices that make this steak so delicious!
Of course, I have to give special mention to Peter Luger’s Desserts : the Key Lime Pie with Schlag — it was sweet, sour, tart and addicting!
The Pecan Pie, also served with schlag — scrumptious and not too sweet! If you must have desserts in Peter Luger, it must be these two!
These two were the perfect ending to our big steak meal!
(I’ve written about Peter Luger too the last time I was here. To find out about my previous experience, click here.)
The Quin Hotel
We had an amazing stay at this beautiful and modern hotel, the Quin Hotel New York – the city’s newest Art Deco hotel. It boasts of modern opulence with a rich artistic heritage. All the rooms feature a beautiful art collection!
Just before leaving for the airport, the staff arranged for us to have our our last lunch right on the rooftop of the hotel!
It was a blistering hot day, but the view was more than worth it! This is the only hotel in the city with a rooftop and a view of Manhattan like this!
And this ends our 5-part travel series on our US trip. I hope you enjoyed travelling with me!
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To see the previous month’s TSM FAVORITE THINGS, click here.