New York - Day 4 and Departure

 24 April, 2026

After a restful night's sleep, thanks to not being stuffed to the gills with incredible food, we visited a café that has become a favorite of my cousin's. Maman is a stylish venue with a wide selection of coffees and an intriguing assortment of breakfast items. It was delightful to sit quietly, sip coffee, nibble a bit of breakfast, and sift through our photos of the previous few days as we discussed what we each considered to be the highlights of the trip. We also searched the area and formulated an outline of places to go and things to see. This was probably the first time all trip that we were able to sit leisurely without a deadline looming over our heads. The coffee was excellent and our breakfasts were delicious. It was easy to see why my cousin is such a fan of the establishment. It has definitely earned a spot on our list of New York go-to destinations for future visits.

St Patrick's Cathedral

As many times as I've visited New York over the years for work, trade shows, and mini-vacations, I've never spent any time around Rockefeller Center, haven't seen St. Patrick's from the front, and haven't strolled along Fifth Avenue in this area. On our way to Rockefeller Center we stumbled upon La Maison du Chocolat, which has stunning displays and  equally delicious confections. We couldn't resist buying a few tastes, even though we were still quite sated from breakfast.

We made our way to the end of the block and the Plaza, which was busy, but much less congested than I anticipated. We were able to move around without difficulty and virtually no hustling and bustling. While Lourie browsed the shops I made my way up the block to take some photos of St. Patrick's and explore the area. Eventually I found myself back in the Coach store, where Lourie was purchasing a few small gifts for the younger ladies of the family.

Rockefeller Plaza

The weather was spectacular, so after we finished in Rockefeller Plaza we continued up Fifth Avenue, dipping in and out of shops looking for nothing in particular, but steadily making our way towards a stationery shop on Park Avenue. We added a few trinkets for the little ones, and then spent an hour or so plundering through the stationery shop, picking up more ephemera while resisting several tempting books and games. 

We found another Pret nearby and ducked in to sit for a while and have a small bit of refreshment before heading back towards 7th Avenue via Uber. We visited Venchi in Rome, so we were keen to see one of their New York shops and pick up a few of our favorite chocolate bars. The ride was brief, but a much-needed respite after our long morning trek. 

Gelato

We were greeted by a cioccolatiere when we entered the shop who was pleasantly surprised that we were repeat customers. After establishing our bona-fides by describing the location near the Pantheon he enthusiastically offered us samples and suggestions based on our prior purchases. We browsed the loose candy selection in fine detail and struggled to keep our choices somewhat reasonable. After we completed our assault on the chocolates we chose our gelato flavors. We sat and savored our gelato, taking another much-needed opportunity to get off our feet. We were only a few blocks from our hotel, so after we were re-energized we strolled back through Times Square to deposit our purchases and figure out what to do for dinner. Times Square was filled with street performers as well as cartoon characters and superheroes of dubious quality. As skilled as some of the performers might be, their promoters are equally as annoying. I'm sure there is a demographic that their techniques are effective on, but I'm certainly not in that group.

Havana Restaurant

After searching maps and websites we opted to give the local Cuban restaurant a try. As you may remember from my Miami posts, Cuban food is a favorite that we don't get very often these days. When we arrived at Havana there was a live band playing, who were quite talented, but VERY LOUD. I tend to get overwhelmed by excessively loud noises, and it was a sincere struggle for me to sit in the restaurant. We ordered drinks and entrees, and, thankfully, the band took an extended break. I was thankful for the respite, based on the dishes we saw (and smelled) being delivered to nearby tables. When our dinner arrived we were rewarded for any inconvenience or discomfort we may have previously endured. While not the best Cuban food we've eaten, it was quite good and we didn't leave much on our plates. If the lack of empty seats is a metric of food quality in Manhattan, then the rest of the menu was at least equal to our meals. Another, mildly less entertaining, stroll through Times Square delivered us back to the hotel to work on packing things up for our departure the next morning.

25 April, 2026

Rain on Manhattan

An afternoon flight allowed us to enjoy one more bagel breakfast from Zucker's before being collected by New York Airport Limo. The morning was a bit rainy, the first real weather we experienced the entire trip.  We checked the bags one last time, organized our carry-on items, and made our way down to the street level to meet our driver, who was customarily punctual. Traffic was light, attributable to the day and the weather, and our only obstacles involved road closures due to construction.

Arrival and check-in at the airport was seamless, and we were quickly through security with much more time than intended before our flight boarded. We enjoyed watching the fountain and shared a slice of Junior's cheesecake. We were a bit light on carry-on items, so I also obtained a slice for a friend as a surprise when we arrived home. Boarding and departure were on-time and the flight home was thoroughly uneventful.  New York is always a good time, the only real challenge being choosing what to do from the vast array of opportunties. The only wrong choice is failure to make any choice.

LaGuardia with rain