My Valentines Day weekend was spent traveling out to New York City for a work trip. Nothing like packing a suitcase of bulky sweaters and a wool coat wearing flip flops. All in all my trip was 7 days, a mix of working and fun. The trip started with attending the New York Toy Fair and my first official night in the city was spent at a Women in Toys Event Dinner. The food was delicious, a full 4 course serving. Pair that with a great glass of wine, interesting people, and toys and you have yourself a fantastic nigh. Of course the table decorations were right up my alley.

Sometimes you just need to take yourself on a date night. After a long day of work, being on my feet all day, and the freezing temperatures outside just made me crave a bowl of warm hearty soup. After a nice dinner alone I took myself to go see the musical If/Then with Idina Menzel. Yes the woman who sang the Frozen song we all know so well. It was about a mile walk from my hotel to the theater and it was invigorating to say the least. I love how with age a night by myself no longer feels lonely like it did when I was younger, instead it now feels empowering.

After a morning rowing class and a run, I got bundled up and found a whole in the wall coffee shop cafe to settle in and work remotely for a while. The cafe was charming, cozy, and exactly the place you want to walk into after being out in the freezing cold. I ordered egg whites scrambled with a Mediterranean salad, toast, and a yogurt/cheese on the side. Since it was the early afternoon and it was my first meal of the day so I devoured it in entirety. Every bite was simply delicious.

In my meandering the city I stumbled on this gem of a coffee shop. It had a bookstore in the back with the most beautiful flower arrangements. Book stores and coffee shops are by far two of my favorite places to spend time in the world. Combining them just made it that much more perfect.

One thing I love about just walking the city is not knowing what you are going to find. This was a painting on the side of a building I came across that made me stop mid-step to take a picture. I loved the color, graphics, and ease of it.

One of the nice things about freezing cold weather when you are walking everywhere is it makes you hop into random places for a few minutes in order to warm up. This was just one of the many moments like this in my time in the city. I found this little neighborhood market and fell in love instantly. What I love about shopping markets in new cities is seeing all of the different and local items they carry.

After a hardcore spinning class I made my way to another little coffee shop for my morning breakfast. I brought some amazing yogurt I found at the market and nestled up with a new book. This to me is a perfect morning.

In the course of my week in the city I ate at least 3 or 4 cheese plates. I don’t recall even eating that many full on meals while on my trip. Instead it was a week of snacking, drinking, and walking. This was just one of the many I enjoyed. Something about being in negative temperatures just makes you crave bread. Luckily since I still maintained my daily workouts and with all my miles upon miles of walking I was able to indulge in the evening without any worry, which was a real treat for me.