Allison Abroad: A NYC Excursion, A Trip to Texas and A Stay at the Gramercy Park Hotel

I need to back up my blog all the way to two and a half weeks ago. A LOT has been happening.

First, upon my return to the Hamptons, we took Lola to the city. We went to Sarge's Deli in midtown and then took Lola to Grand Central, which is her favorite place in the "Kitty Kat, Kitty Kat, Where Have You Been?" story book. We tried to stop in at the Chrysler Building to take her on the elevators (her second favorite place in the story book) but it being a Sunday the building was closed.

The sandwiches in Sarge's were obscenely expensive. I think this was $24.95.

Food in the US is too salty for my taste. I couldn't help but chug lots and lots of water after this meal.

And I didn't find it very good? But I guess the pastrami sandwich was pretty tender.

This is NOT healthy food. This is what I call a heart attack on a plate. Salt and grease overload.

Lola loved the trains and the steps and the ceiling at Grand Central.

She kept oohing and aahing and saying, "wowwww!"

We only got a glimpse of the Chrysler Building from the outside. Then the heat got to us and we headed home.

After a busy Monday, I flew out to Dallas early (and I mean early) on Tuesday morning, catching the first flight out at 6 am. The car came to pick me up at 4:15, ugh, and I braved the circus that is the LaGuardia airport currently under construction. Landing in a very hot and sunny Dallas, I then went to my hotel and checked in before heading out for a day of meetings and work, culminating in dinner at (what else but!) a client dinner at a steakhouse. The next morning, I headed out on a flight at 9:30 am, landing in LaGuardia to yet another scene of chaos and mayhem, then headed straight into the office for more meetings and to get some work done before I wrapped up and headed, still with my suitcase in tow, to the Gramercy Park area to meet up with Michael, Lola and my parents. I also squeezed in a quick coffee date with my former officemate, in midtown. We caught up at the hip and cool Ground Central cafe in between our offices.

Texas was a good and productive trip but a LOT to fit into 24 hours and I really will try to avoid doing that again!

Lola had spent the day playing with her grandparents in the sprinklers at Bryant Park, visiting Grand Central (again) and generally having a great time. New York was having an astronomical, unrelenting heat wave as temperatures hit 98 degrees. Really, there is no other way to describe her reaction to the water fountains at Bryant Park except sheer joy.

At Grand Central she kept saying, "yi yang!" or "the same!" as she pointed to the images in her book and then at the station itself.

They also spent a little time resting and relaxing at the Gramercy Park Suite in the Gramercy Park Hotel, which we had booked for one night that night, so that Michael, Lola and I could spend a little time together in the city.

The hotel was really swanky and nice and beautiful. I really liked all the furnishings that they used in the hotel.

Lola loved the room, as it had doors galore, and closets, and a little living area that she could run around in. She loves closets for "hiding" - her version of hide and seek where she stares at you to see where you hide, hah! The view over Gramercy Park was also lovely. The service left quite a few things to be desired - including the fact that we never got access to the park itself! I was really annoyed because that was a huge draw for us to book at the hotel and the first day they used the pesticide spraying as an excuse and the second day they used rain as an excuse! Have you heard of anything more ridiculous? But I think this is par for the course for overpriced NY hotels.

We had dinner the night before with my parents at an Italian restaurant nearby, and got stuck in some crazy flash thunderstorms. This was my view returning at night. I was soaked through and had ruined my brand new leather ballet flats despite only being outside in them for a matter of seconds. Ugh, NYC, you got me for yet another pair of shoes.