Patrick H. Hoy here – and for those of you who follow me on Facebook, you know that I love, love, LOVE to travel! It’s probably a good thing I love to travel – because I travel a LOT!
Because I live in London, whenever we have a special show on QVC USA such as a TSV or a Live Audience show, I get on a plane and fly across the big duck pond called the Atlantic Ocean – and meet Angel so that we can show you all of the wonderful new designs that our incredible design team has come up with. Most people get in a car for their ‘work commute’ – but I get on a plane – and I really do love that. Someone else gets to do the ‘driving’ – and I get to sit back and relax – and have a glass of bubbles!
For our last TSV – the amazing DreamJeannes Pull-On Skort with Rhinestone Detail – I was able to fly over earlier – and enjoy a long weekend in New York City before heading to Philadelphia and the QVC studios. There was an extra special reason why I went to NYC – that I’ll tell you about shortly!
As soon as I posted on Facebook that I was about to board the flight and head to the Big Apple, my phone went crazy with messages from several high school & college friends who said they were going to be in NYC at the same time – I just knew this was going to be an extra special trip!
I touched down at JFK airport and jumped into a taxi to head to my hotel. When I checked in, I couldn’t believe it – the hotel had a Hersey’s candy bar waiting for me – WITH a personalized label. Here’s a picture – how cool is that?!
After a quick freshen-up, I headed to my all-time favorite restaurant in the West Village called Pearl Oyster Bar. My parents introduced it to me when they lived in NYC – they used to go almost EVERY Friday night – that’s how good it is! I adore the owner Rebecca. I don’t know how she does it, but she makes the BEST seafood in the world, and her Lobster Roll is Quack-A-Licious! I had arranged to meet my dear high school friend Debbie there. Debbie works with the Gilda Radnor Club – the cancer support community organization. I love the work she does that helps so many people dealing with that horrible disease. I also love Pearl Oyster Bar because my great friend Maria practically runs the place – and she does so very well, I might add! Here I am with the two of them – aren’t they beautiful?!
The next day I woke up and headed uptown to meet one of my best friends from college – Meg – for lunch at Bocca di Bacco on 9th Avenue. I think they have some of the best pasta in NYC! Meg’s parents and my mother grew up in the same town in Arkansas – Camden – and Meg and I became great friends when we met in college. It was such a wonderful surprise that she was in NYC city when I was there. We laughed and gossiped throughout lunch. Isn’t that what friends are supposed to do when they haven’t seen each other in a while?! Here we are enjoying ourselves. I think the ‘WARNING’ sign over my head in the picture says it all!
The REAL reason I went to NYC before the TSV was to see a special concert that my wonderful friend Pam had organized for us. Pam & I were exchange students in London together when we were juniors in college – and we’ve kept in touch all of these years. Pam is an incredibly talented musical comedy composer, lyricist & playwright. I saw her musical ‘Urban Momfare’ in NYC a couple of years ago – and it was fantastic – and SO funny! Pam had organized for us to go see Barbara Streisand in concert in Brooklyn the weekend I was in NYC – how amazing is that?! It is a night I will never forget!!
I think I’m STILL singing songs that ‘Babs’ sang during her concert!
Sunday I woke up and enjoyed a little shopping and walking around New York City. I was staying by the new 911 World Trade Center Memorial, so I took a stroll over there. You MUST visit this site when you are in NYC – it is so moving – and I think they did a beautiful job when they planned and designed this memorial – you will have tears in your eyes.
I was really looking forward to Sunday evening – because I was meeting MORE college friends for dinner – my beautiful friends Suzette & Becky! We went to a really FUN restaurant on the Lower East Side called Beauty & Essex. When you arrive at the restaurant address, there is a pawn shop.
Just when you think that you’ve been given the wrong address, they open a door in the back wall which leads to one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve ever been to – it’s like a hidden & secret gem behind the ‘pawn shop’!! Here I am with Suzette & Becky – I think you can tell from the smiles on our faces that we were having a super time together!
Becky went down to the lady’s restroom – and when she came back up, she was carrying champagne – because believe it or not – they had a Champagne Bar in the ladies’ room – how amazing is that?! I asked if there was one in the men’s room as well – but I was told no – it seems the ladies are the only lucky ones at Beauty & Essex – kind of like how lucky you all are that we make DreamJeannes just for the gals – and not for the guys! Ha!
We had so much to catch up on – especially since Suzette & Becky had been to see Bette Midler perform in Hello Dolly that afternoon! They said the show was fantastic – and that Bette certainly stole the show. I was sooooooo green with envy that they got to see her!! It was a great evening – and I’ll definitely be going back to Beauty & Essex again – especially if they ever put a champagne bar in the men’s room!
I had one day left in NYC – and I knew exactly what I wanted to do for dinner that night! I headed to the Lower East Side again – and went to the world-renowned deli Katz’s – made famous because of a certain scene in the movie ‘When Harry Met Sally’. Katz’s is classic ‘old New York City’ – and the food is as good as everyone says it is. The sandwiches are HUGE! I opted to have the Half-Sandwich & Matzah Ball Soup special. WOW – it was YUMMY! Here’s a picture. Can you believe that is only HALF of a Rueben sandwich – I can’t imagine eating a whole one!
What an amazing long weekend in NYC! It was incredible to see so many great friends – AND to see Barbara Streisand perform live in her hometown of Brooklyn! I certainly took a BIG bite out of the Big Apple that weekend – and I can’t wait to go back for more soon!!
Quacker Hugs & Love From Across the Duck Pond!
Patrick
Xoxoxo
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