A Luxurious Stay, Meant to be Remembered

I was just going through some old notebooks and I found some notes on my stay at the Michelangelo in Manhattan. Apparently, I never shared it with you, but I told you I was there when I posted about my 30th birthday. My parents bought me and TK an overnight stay at the Michelangelo, a gift certificate for Victor's Cuban Cafe and two tickets to see In the Heights on Broadway in 2010 for my 30th birthday. We were also heading out on a cruise to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary immediately after we checked out.

The Michelangelo is on West 51st Street and 7th Avenue, right down the block from Victor's and a few blocks from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. It was conveniently located for all of our plans.

Upon walking in, the lobby is very plush and everything is marble. The furniture and tapestries are all in jewel tones of deep orange and red with gold and tan. Very opulent! When we got back from the show, we had a drink in the bar area of the lobby and lounged on the fancy furniture.

In the room, the bed was very comfortable and the bathroom was lovely. There was a leather bench and a magnifying mirror at the vanity. The toiletries were made of citrus and Italian olive oil to create a bright and refreshing scent. And, there were terry cloth robes for our use, which I LOVE.

We had a very simple turn down service and the bell hop, Henry, was so nice and very accommodating. I don't know if he still works there three years later, but if he does, ask for him.

While staying at the Michelangelo, we felt very pampered and special, but I am sure that my parents paid good money for that. If I could afford it or if I found a really great deal, I would definitely stay there again.

You may be saying, "Why tell us three years later?" But, I figure it's like when someone asks, "Have you stayed at the Michelangelo?" And, I answer, "Yea, three years ago," they would still ask what it was like, so there it is. 

So, I'm 30

Now that I am 30, I can't say that I feel any smarter, more mature or cooler, but I can say that I have received some pretty great gifts, so that's a plus.

TK bought me a Nikon D5000 SLR camera so that I can take crisper pictures and be able to actually blow them up larger than 5" X 7". The camera came with a very large manual so I think I am going to have to suffer through that very shortly. I feel like most people don't read the manual for their cameras so they don't even use half of the features that are built in. I just think that is useless and a waste of money, so I will read it or, at least, skim it all.

My parents' gift to me is fabulous, and I can say that because it involves NYC. They reserved a room for TK and I at the Michelangelo in the city. It looks like a pretty luxurious hotel. They also reserved a table for us at Victor's and bought us tickets to see In the Heights. The food at Victor's is Cuban and Hispanic food is one of my favorites. I will try not to order rice and beans because there are so many delicious dishes to choose from, like Ropa Vieja for instance. Ropa Vieja translates to "old clothes" and it is seasoned, shredded meat that is just so moist and delicious that it almost melts in your mouth. I love it and I think everyone should try it at least once. Maybe I will have a Mojito to complement my meal as well. Big plans!

My aunts and uncles were also very generous with me this year. I got a gift card, some cash and a photo album. All of my gifts this year were very generous and I am very appreciative.

Two other things to mention about my birthday festivities are the two very delicious cakes that were purchased for me. One was for the celebration at work and it was a yellow cake with light chocolate frosting and peanut butter filling. It took a few glasses of milk to get down but it was good. My co-workers did well. The other was for my family get-together and it was a layer cake with chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, cheesecake and chocolate ganache. My mother bought it at Audrey's Bakery in Sayville and it was so good. I don't like anything shiny in my cake (i.e. custard, pudding, fruit, etc.) so I love mousse and peanut butter fillings. These two cakes were perfect...for me!

Another thing I just HAVE to mention is that I will be going on a cruise for my 2nd wedding anniversary with TK. We are leaving from NYC and heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, USVI; and Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos. We are so excited because we are really stretching out our summer and TK has never been on a cruise before. I'm also excited that I can eat 24 hours a day if I want. Not the best idea while traveling to Caribbean islands, but a great idea indeed.

Moral of the story = Turning 30 is pretty damn good!