Mermaid Oyster Bar

I love oysters and found them at Mermaid Oyster Bar.

Mermaid Oyster Bar is located at 79 MacDougal Street in Greenwich. You can make reservations, even for Happy Hour. I highly recommend making reservations. We saw many people turned away.

Oysters were $1.25 each during Happy Hour, 5-7pm daily. These were delicious, briny and cold.

We had sparkling wine with the oysters. The Happy Hour price was $8.50. 

Complimentary chocolate pudding after our oysters. It was thicker than pudding and so good.

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Christmas in New York

Visiting New York at Christmas is a special treat.

You can visit store windows, which are so beautifully decorated. Start with the Macy's on Herald Square, the world's largest store.

Their displays were very bright and colorful and this one was interactive. Stand in front of the camera and you become part of the display.

I didn't care for Bloomingdale's display. It was too modern for my taste and I didn't like the metallic outfits.

Sak's Fifth Avenue's display was a tribute to Frozen 2. The entire building was lit up and the lights were choreographed to music. It was so beautiful.

One of the window displays at Sak's.

The tree in Rockefeller Center has been a tradition for over 75 years.

Heralding Angels light the way to the tree.

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Bouley Test Kitchen

Our first lunch was at Bouley Test Kitchen. They offer a 3-course lunch for $55 and a 5-course for $75.

It's located at 31 West 21st Street.

The interior is eclectic but classy and the kitchen is visible.

Amuse bouche of Kuzu Crisp with Potato & Cheese Cream and Truffle.

Homemade bread was served after the amuse. You had a choice of garlic, lemon rye, pumpernickel, olive, country sourdough and classic baguette. I had one of each.

One of the options for the starter was Malibu Sea Urchin, Green Apple Cloud, Golden Osetra Caviar. This was delicious. The green apple cloud complemented the sea urchin so well.

Nantucket Bay Scallops, Ocean Herbal Broth. The scallops were nicely seared but I liked the other starters we chose better.

Black Truffle Dashi Flan, Alaskan Dungeness Crab. The flan was flavorful and the crab was good. This was my 2nd favorite, after the sea urchin.

The entrees included Organic Long Island Duck, Indian Reservation Wild Rice, Pruneaux d'Agen, Hudson Valley Hand Milled Polenta. This was very good. The duck was nice and pink.

Slow Braised Kobe Style Beef Cheeks, Homemade Black Kale Gnocchi. This was the best entree choice. The beef cheeks were so tender and the sauce was delicious.

Maine Lobster, Celery Root, Hearts of Palm, Fall Blood Orange. It was a small piece of lobster but it was well prepared.

After the entree, an intermezzo of Concord Grape Sorbet & Yogurt was served.

One of the options for the dessert was Valrhona Chocolate Frivolous with Coconut Sorbet. The cake was good and the sorbet was refreshing. I'm not a coconut fan but I liked this. It cut the richness of the chocolate.

Le Vacherin, Salad of Raspberries, Lychee, Sugarless Meringue, Tahitian Vanilla Creme. Good but I liked the chocolate cake better.

Walnut Dacquoise, Local Quince Puree, Poached Manderin, Orange Sorbet. Again, I liked the chocolate better.

Mignardise served after dinner.

We were sent home with a banana bread.

This was a great lunch and worth the $55. I highly recommend it.

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New York Sights

The Hilton Midtown is conveniently located.

Walking towards Times Square, we came upon the Hope Sculpture, located at 53rd & 7th.

From the Hope Sculpture, it was a 6 minute walk to Times Square and TKTS, where you can find discounted show tickets. The box office opens at 10 am for matinees and at 3 pm for evening performances.

Statue of George M Cohan's "Give My Regards to Broadway" in Times Square.

Nearby, you'll find globes highlighting current Broadway shows.

Be sure to stop by the Whitby Hotel, located at W. 56th & 6th, to check out the grandfather clock in the lobby. I won't ruin it for you.

One of my favorite sights in New York is the Washington Arch in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.

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Hilton Midtown

We stayed at the Hilton Midtown located at 1335 6th Avenue. From the 7th Avenue station, exit the NE corner and walk 2 minutes to the hotel.

It's popular with conferences so expect huge crowds.

I splurged for a corner room and chose one facing 6th & 54th with views towards Central Park. It was $30/night to upgrade. I'm not sure it's worth more than that.

The room was large and had windows on two sides. There was a safe but no coffee maker and no robes.

The bathroom was nothing special.

Our Premier Corner room got us access to the Executive Lounge where you could get a continental breakfast and snacks throughout the day. This included tea and coffee. Alcoholic beverages were available for purchase.

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JFK to Midtown

To get from JFK to Midtown, you can take the easy way and hop in a cab or Lyft/Uber. Or, you can take the subway. The subway is faster during rush hour and is much less expensive.

Taxis and Lyfts/Ubers cost on average $60-70 (including toll) and take 40-90 minutes, depending on traffic. The subway costs $10.50 and takes an hour. You will need to make at least one transfer so if you have a lot of luggage, it's not the most convenient.

From JFK, take the AirTrain to Jamaica Station. No need to get a ticket at the terminal. You'll pay once you arrive at the subway transfer station.

Purchase a MetroCard--charge $28--$1 for the card, $7.75 for the AirTrain, $2.75 for the subway ride to Manhattan and you'll have $16.50 left over for 6 additional subway rides.

Take Line E to Manhattan via Queens Blvd Express. Line E is the 8th Avenue Local via 53rd Street. Take it towards the World Trade Center.

Use https://new.mta.info to help you figure out how to get to other areas in town.

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Olive Garden

I hate to admit it but I love the breadsticks from Olive Garden.

The breadsticks are warm and the brushed garlic butter on top is so good. Plus, you can have as many as you want. Be careful though--they're 140 cal each.

The Zuppa Toscana is also very good. It's Spicy Italian Sausage, Fresh Kale and Russet Potatoes in a Cream Broth. It's 220 cal per bowl and gluten free.

House Salad with Italian Dressing--150 cal. Lettuce, Tomatoes, Pepperoncini, Black Olives, Red Onion and Croutons.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce--$7.99 at lunch. The pasta was a little overcooked but the meat sauce was quite good. 360 cal for the lunch portion.

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