There's nothing like Autumn in the Northeast (part 3).

(See part 1...)
(See part 2...)

Our second day in NYC was relaxing and lovely. Steven just had to have an authentic New York bagel for breakfast, so we went to one of those places that don't really have a name but just say "BAGELS" on the front. The line was out the door, so we figured it was a good choice. I must say, the hazelnut coffee was surprisingly good. This picture below just says "morning" to me. I love how in New York, you walk out the front door, and you're immediately in the middle of the bustling activity. There's something exciting stirring in the air!

We strolled around the Upper East Side admiring the gorgeous homes...

Here's another unique thing about New York City, besides their obsession with cupcakes: they are also obsessed with brunch. And you know, when in Rome, so we moved on to Tara Leigh's Next Brilliant Recommendation, Danal, which she also claimed was her favorite restaurant in the city. That's quite a claim, and Danal lived up to it completely!

From the outside Danal is almost unnoticeable. You descend a few steps from street level to walk inside, and you're instantly transported into a cozy restaurant in the French countryside. A smile crept upon my face as I quickly scanned the room. It was filled with intimate tables with charming lamps and flowers, ready for coffee-filled conversations between friends or dates. Our restaurant aficionado told us to ask to sit on the back patio, so that's what we did. Here it is, nestled in between tall buildings like a little oasis. Look at that Japanese Maple...it must have taken 50 years to grow that tall!

The menu was presented in a 5x7 picture frame standing upright on the table - cute! Mental note for future restaurant: menu in a frame, menu in a frame. The first thing I spotted on the menu was your own personal French press of coffee. Yes, PLEASE. We were giddy as we perused the menu and agreed that we couldn't think of a more perfect place to be at that moment, together, on a lovely patio in New York City. The French press arrived with a perfectly frothed mini pottery pitcher of milk. That's what I'm talking about. It was one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had...or three.

As you can see, it made me very happy :)

And then came the most delicious Eggs Benedict I've ever had in my life, with a side of cinnamon apples!!!!

Thoroughly stuffed, we then set off for Thompson Street to visit with my dad's 80-year-old Cousin Connie, affectionately known as "Cuz." I just love Cuz. She calls me "tuts" and "dahhling" and has lived in the same exact teeny tiny apartment in Greenwich Village her entire life, so you can only imagine the stories she has. She used to work at Warner Brothers and stays in good shape by climbing her 4 flights of stairs twice a day. She carries Italian bread in her purse to every restaurant, even Chinese. I never get tired of hearing her tales about all the mafia guys who owned businesses on her street and seeing celebrities like Robert Redford in the elevator.

After a sweet visit with Cuz, we headed back to the Upper East Side to eat some great New York pizza for dinner and passed Tara Leigh's "boyfriend," The Chrysler Building, shining in the early evening sun. Somewhere along the way, I bought some cute black flats at Macy's.

Continuing on...