Murray Hill

I’m not that big on birthdays. I’ve never really felt like it’s much more than just another day. I’m definitely not afraid of the number getting bigger - I’ve just never had that much appetite for celebrating the day. As a result, we’ve got a fairly low key day planned. Some mooching around 5th Avenue and the Diamond District, a walk in the park, dinner.

We kick things off with a walk down Lexington Avenue to see the Chrysler Building - that most beautiful of Art Deco skyscrapers. It’s relatively small by modern standards, and is increasingly difficult to see from other parts of town, as much larger (and uglier) buildings have sprouted around it. As we walk past it, the frosty November sun is glinting off the metallic roof. Stunning…

We wander over to 5th Avenue, and the Rockefeller Centre. The Christmas Ice Rink is up and running, but the Christmas Tree isn’t due until later this week. We head up to the Rock Observatory, and spend a while taking a fresh look from 300m of the New York skyline. The Empire State has a special place in our hearts, but I’m not sure that I don’t prefer the view from the Rockefeller. For a start, there’s an amazing view of the Empire State itself. There’s also a jaw-dropping perspective over Central Park, plush with reds and browns of Autumn. We stop in briefly at Trump Tower so that I may piss on it.

From there, it’s time for refreshment, so we rest our weary feet in the Champagne Bar at the storied Plaza Hotel. Deciding that our wallets won’t survive the battering of a second, third and fourth round, we head to the West to McGee’s Irish Pub, the inspiration for the TV show How I Met Your Mother - a favourite of both of ours. A couple of beers later, and we’re both getting peckish. Just around the corner is a speakeasy style burger joint, imaginatively called Burger Joint. Anthony Bourdain declared it his favourite burger in New York City. It’s good. It’s really, really good. Is it the best in the city? That’s gonna be down to personal preference. Whisper it, but we both think the flavour profile of the burger we had over in Brooklyn yesterday is better. Still, it’s a fun place to hang out for a while, and recharge our batteries. We head North into Central Park. It is COLD today - bright and sunny, but cold. We meander via the Carousel, walk past the Wollman’s Ice Rink, take a left over to the Tavern on the Green - which is sadly shut today. We stop in at a coffee shop in the centre of the park, and (drumroll please) each have a coffee. Disgusted with ourselves, we exit the park into the Upper West Side, passing the Dakota Building where John Lennon was so brutally murdered, and find ourselves an Irish dive bar, that’s pretty busy for 15:00 on a Wednesday afternoon.

After a couple of hours rest back at the Ace Hotel, accompanied by a bottle of Laurent Perrier Rosé for the birthday boy, we head out for dinner at one of David Burke’s restaurants. We had dinner at one of his places in 2009 to celebrate our engagement, and the style, mood and food are all reminiscent of that meal. Lobster dumplings, an incredible Burrata salad, a stunning scallop and corn dish, and a squid ink pasta for the ages - YUM. They restaurant provides us with a stuffed penguin to help celebrate my birthday - a big help.

It’s getting late - or at least, it’s after 21:00, and we’re getting tired. We head back to the hotel for a final glass of wine, and collapse into bed.Read more