Day 3 in New York City was Thursday. Katia and I once again woke up bright and early and went straight to Starbucks for some hot cocoa and pastries. After refueling we strolled around Central Park. (I would like to add that I think I could begin every day doing this, going to Starbucks and walking through Central Park) The sun was shining thankfully, the snow melted and went away, no umbrellas for us!

After a morning of walking around we met a friend of mine who works in the city for lunch at Le Pain Quotidien. It was a pretty place full of delicious pastries and food. Katia and I both had their quiche which was insanely delicious, if you go there- get the quiche. We enjoyed sitting at our table near the window watching all the people in suits walk by, I could people watch for days.

Lunch was delectable, Katia and I were again energized and ready for another afternoon of exploration and intrigue. Our next stop was Bryant Park, we’d heard so much about it we knew we had to see it for ourselves.  I was in awe of the marvelous architecture of all the buildings around us, the detail, the color and the shapes. We sat by the fountain, took a few pictures and kept moving.

After the park we walked a couple blocks over to the New York City Public Library. Words cannot describe how breathtaking the library is inside and out. Katia and I delighted in sitting on the steps taking more pictures and watching all the people pass us by. As we left the library we noticed a big store sign that read Zara to our left, we’d heard someone mention this store to us- that it was a place to visit. Zara was FANTASTIC and what I need to know is why we don’t have one in Seattle? Zara had everything, shoes, pants, dresses, shirts, so many pretty things. Let’ just say we were in there for…a while.

After our shopping fix for that day was had we hopped into a cab and headed down a few blocks for a meeting at the showroom and office of my absolute favorite designer Tory Burch. Getting to see the beautiful orange and pink covered walls and decor I couldn’t take my eyes of all the beautiful pictures and clothes that covered the floors and walls of the showroom. Katia and I had a nice time learning more about Tory’s story and inspiration for her brand, learning about her relationship with her mother, getting to preview some of her new jewelry and seeing the clothes from her F/W 2011 collection- it was fun!

Our meeting ended and at the recommendation of the lovely ladies at Tory Burch, Katia and I were told to check out the Shake Shack- so off we were. The Shake Shack is a cool spot with the best shakes we’ve ever had in our entire lives. I’m very glad we stopped by.

On the move we had to hurry back to our hotel as we had dinner plans to meet some friends for dinner at our hotel’s restaurant 154 South Gate. We were back on the subway and what seemed like a flash we were at the hotel. Before dinner I also scheduled a drink with a friend and fellow Blogger @FashionClassJet. We met at a quaint and lovely restaurant near the hotel. I was elated and so thrilled to talk fashion, travel and of course New York. Meeting Giuseppe was one of the highlights of my entire trip, he is such a gentleman and very inspiring.

It was finally dinner time! Katia and I made our way down to the hotel lobby where we met our friends for a delicious dinner. 154 South Gate was exquisite, the food and the service were top notch. One of our favorite dishes were the tuna tacos, if you eat there these are a must. We hear they are a favorite of Bon Jovi and many of the Apple executives who frequent the hotel and restaurant often.

Our day did not end with a tasty dinner, upon finishing dinner we bid farewell to our friends and made our way back to our hotel room for a quick change into clothes that were a little more comfortable (we wore dresses and heels to dinner). We were meeting two of our other friends for dessert, Alex and James. Alex and James are from England, we met them last year when they were teaching soccer in Washington and it was by shear coincidence that they too were in New York that evening. Katia and I were thrilled to be reunited with our old friends. The first stop of our evening adventure was to the Apple Store that is interestingly enough open 24 hours a day and is huge inside!

We’d had enough of the Apple Store and hopped into a cab that took us to Serendipity 3! We couldn’t visit New York and not have one of their frozen hot chocolates after all! Their dessert was everything I thought it was and more, I ordered my own. The dessert was very enjoyable but it didn’t match how much fun Katia and I had laughing and catching up with Alex and James. I mean come on, who doesn’t love listening to a couple British boys talk?

Alright so that was basically day 3, action packed, full of fun, lots of picture taking, laughter and yummy food! It was bedtime for Katia and I, time to dream about our trip so far and dream about the day that was to follow.