A Grand Finale

If we'd had another day in Manhattan, we would have spent time exploring museums. We managed, however, to briefly visit the Guggenheim. As an avid fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, half the fun of seeing one of his buildings is to spot his red square signature. Next time we'll extend our visit beyond the museum store.

Our final New York lunch took us to the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental where we dined at Asiate (pronounced OzzieOtt). The presentation of our food was as stunning as the city views from our table.

We ate efficiently in order to make the matinee performance of the hit Broadway musical "Wicked." Finally, I know the real story of the Wicked Witch of the West! This clever show was the full-meal deal - great cast, fabulous sets and costumes, special effects, and wonderful music. The show exceeded my expectations - I can see why it's so popular.

The grand finale of our Big Apple experience was dinner at Per Se. French Laundry Chef Thomas Keller took his exquisite culinary talents to New York City in 2004 and has been dazzling diners ever since. We all chose the 9-course Chef's Tasting Menu, but I think we had more like 15 courses with all the extra "compliments of the chef" treats. Food was prepared and presented like we've never seen, and we savored every morsel. The service was impeccable - right down to the customized menus.

We love traveling to New York City! And 3 or 4 days in the Big Apple is just about enough time to soak in some of the excitement before running out of money. We were blessed to share what we love about this city with Sarah and Paul. Cin-Cin!