Our NYC weekend was winding down by the time we got up Monday morning. By quarter to 9 we were already out the door ready to grab breakfast down the street. I think all of us were hungry by the time we arrived at Timmy’s/Soupman. Even though we had looked up the opening times online, we realized soon after that Soupman only starts serving soup at 9:30 am. Hence the three of us ended up sitting with our cups of Timmy’s waiting patiently for the time to pass.

Since we were having soup for breakfast, I decided to forgo the heavy lobster bisque and ordered a corn chowder (which was actually equally heavy, lol). I was kind of disappointed that this store didn’t give out fruit or chocolates, since the store on 55th Street did. But I was still happy with the chowder and it definitely filled me up for the morning.

After we finished, we backtracked one block and made our way to Kino. Similar to Uniqlo, it was a little dangerous for my wallet shopping inside. I debated buying too many items, since my little carry-on was almost full to the brim. I couldn’t resist buying a Gunshi Kanbee photobook for my sis, as there was an entire shrine inside dedicated to Okada. Heehee. I also bought a new novel for myself and a few stationery items. I didn’t go overboard this time. =P

Since we still had some time before we had to check out of the hotel, we ended up grabbing a drink upstairs in their little cafe. It was actually the first time I’ve been inside, as I used to always bypass it. The layout is small, but it’s really cute inside. After we were done at Kino, we headed back to the hotel to finish packing our bags. We still had some time before Tammy needed to head to the bus terminal, so we leisurely strolled around until it was time for her to go. Soon after we walked with her inside the terminal and saw her off in the waiting area. Then it was time for me and Krista to grab lunch.

I had wanted to try Shake Shack ever since I passed by one a few years ago. We ended up going to the restaurant on 8th Avenue and it was already packed from the moment we got in line. I left Krista to purchase our food while I went on a hunt for a table. The seating inside is super tight, so I don’t know if it was lucky or not that I found a table right by the window. I had to squeeze by two other tables in order to get seated.

The one miss I made was forgetting to ask Krista to grab a knife for me to cut up my burger. I had a flossing accident the night before and broke the glue holding one end of my permanent retainer in place, hence I couldn’t bite with my front teeth. By the time Krista finished struggling to get seated, I knew it would be next to impossible to go back out to grab a knife. Hence I ended up ripping the burger into pieces with my hands like a barbarian, much to the horror of the French couple sitting beside us. LOL.

Anyway, the important point was – the food at Shake Shack was really good. I was happy with their burger and their fries. Krista says their shakes are good too. =D

Later on we had about an hour before we needed to head back to the hotel to pick up our bags. Krista and I decided to venture to Central Park on foot. It was a good 15 blocks away and we pretty much only had 15 minutes inside the park before we had to turn back. The park itself is very different in the winter, with all the snow covering the grounds. I think it must be pretty all year around.

After returning to the hotel and grabbing our bags, we took a cab to LGA. Since there was hardly any line ups, we finished the security check really quickly. I dreaded having to wait another two hours inside the airport. Krista made an inquiry at the service desk asking to see if she could bump her flight up earlier. Surprisingly, she got bumped up to the flight before mine. And it was free of charge. Hence I decided to try my luck and ended up on the same flight as her on the way home.

Overall this trip to NYC was a lot of fun and I’m glad I could spend time in the city with friends I don’t get to meet very often. I’m sorry it didn’t work out with Tomomi and Hiro, but I’m sure we’ll get to see each other another time. Thanks to those who spent the weekend with me. =)