Empire State of Mind

Epicenter of the arts. Dining and shopping capital. Trendsetter. New York City wears many crowns, and spreads an irresistible feast for all.

Yes, we went there for the marathon, but that's a completely different story.

A happy marathon finisher.

Here we are in a different state of mind altogether.

#political

Besides the marathon, the visit was pretty political, as we have been there just before the 2018 midterms.

NBC News Democracy Plaza in Rockefeller Center.

Everybody was getting ready for long Tuesday night - the smart ones...

NBC Election Center in Studio 1A.

the not-so-much...

News Corporation building at Fox Square.

while the total imbecilles seemed to ignore it completely.

Trump Tower...

Using the opportunity we went for a hearty laugh...

and followed it with some tears.

To soothe our nerves we visited the Saturday Night Live studios...

and the Late Show with Stephen Colbert...

and even - though completely by accident - Westway Diner, the birthplace of Seinfeld!

#touristy

On a more touristy note, obviously, Times Square...

Statue of Liberty as seen from the Staten Island ferry...

Btw, Manhattan doesn't look too shabby from the ferry either.

Empire State Building...

Grand Central Terminal...

with its Whispering Gallery (yes, it actually does work as advertised!)

St Patrick's Cathedral...

Chelsea Market still tastefully decorated for past Halloween...

Flatiron Building...

Time Warner Center with a view on the last stretch just before the marathon finish line...

and a blast from the past - Hotel Pennsylvania, where Anna stayed during her very first visit to NYC years ago.

#sporty

In the marathon spirit again, we went for a recovery photo jog in Central Park - which ended up with more pain in the knee than after the marathon - but still was totally worth it.

Couldn't resist taking some iconic shots.

Using the opportunity Anna visited both Tracy Anderson NYC studios...

59th Street for a real life class...

and Tribeca to get a few new toys.

#foody

Treehaus MiMa was our usual, über-green breakfast place round the corner from our hotel.

They specialize in offering organic, non-GMO, gluten free, vegan, or local products. Too much of a good thing?

Round another corner was the Rustic Table, another super-healthy and trop-trendy snack place.

Rustic Table, built from reclaimed wood, with farm fresh food. Just look at these beetroots!

Then there was Luke's Lobster with its traceable, sustainable, responsible seafood.

The Luke's Trio and Lobster Combo as eaten in Manhattan's City Kitchen.

But all that healthy-schmealthy greeny stuff is easily overshadowed by real American cuisine.

Supposedly one of the top 10 best burgers in America, as served by Bill's Bar & Burger.

Finally, our search for the best NYC cheesecake (which wouldn't require us to venture anywhere too far from where we were) took us to Pasticceria Rocco.

As you could guess from the name, the choice was based not only on the top contender from The best cheesecake in NYC listing.

Time to go back home!

On the subway to Jamaica Station/AirTrain to JFK.