NYC Trip Part 2- Cinderella on Broadway & Local Eateries

Hi all, 

This is part 2 of the my NYC weekend adventure. In this post I will cover all the local eateries that we've visited and of course the show. You may think where we ate for breakfast on both days because it's not listed below. Well, we had late breakfasts on both days at Starbucks.

Lunch Saturday: Blockhead's Mexican Diner

954 Second Avenue Bet. 50th & 51s.

After we finished unpacking, we went in search of food in the cold, blistery New York City weather. We walked around for about ten minutes until we decided to eat at Blockhead's Mexican Diner around the corner from Pod 51 Hotel. 

When we first walked in it was pretty quiet because it was around 3:00pm, between lunch and dinner service. It's more of a pub atmosphere than a traditional sit down restaurant. The space is pretty small and there's a mix of regular sit down tables/chairs, high table/chairs and bar seating. 

We were served a complimentary salsa and chips. The menu is pretty simple, you can check it out here. I ordered the Chicken wrap with Rice and Beans and it was so hearty and delicious. According to my friend, this place is famous for their Margaritas but considering the temperature we decided against it and stick with our water.

The only downside I have about this establishment is more on their service. Our waiter was also the bartender and he was continuously bar tending and we were left to our own. He didn't come once during the whole service and no other staff covered him to fill our waters or ask if we need anything.

Chicken Wrap with Rice & Beans

Final Thoughts: I might go back because the food is delicious, maybe try out their other location.

Saturday Evening: Cinderella on Broadway- The Broadway Theater 

222 W 45th St

So the highlight of the weekend is obviously the reason why we went to the city in the first place which is to watch Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella on Broadway. It was the last weekend that the Original Broadway Cast was performing with Laura Osnes as Cinderella, Santino Fontana as Prince Topher and Victoria Clark as Crazy Marie/Godmother.

We planned for this trip since June of 2013 so it was kind of surreal to finally be going to see it and to find out that it was the second to last performance was just incredible. We arrived in the Theater District around 7:00pm and the door wasn't open yet so we went to Starbucks to get some hot drinks. The door opened around 7:30pm and we were seated and given the playbill. The show started promptly at 8:00am and it was two hours full of magic and music.

For those of you who've watched the Julie Andrew's or Brandi's version of Cinderella, and loved it, you need to see this show. They've updated it to be more contemporary and added it several new songs that just completed the show. Laura and Santino were an incredible couple, they had so much chemistry. I've been a fan of Laura since her days on NBC's Grease You're the One that I want which she won and landed her the coveted role of Sandy in Grease revival on Broadway. She was the perfect Cinderella. Victoria Clark, oh where do I start. Her voice is like none other, when she started singing 'The Music in You", I don't think there was dry eyes in the house. The set design is absolutely flawless, the set changes just flows and the costumes were breath taking.

The whole performance from start to finish was just superb. I laughed, I cried, I was sad, I was elated- and when it was all over I felt so lucky to have been able to watch the show and spend the weekend with one of my closest friend. 

Final Thoughts: GO SEE IT!  Like their Facebook page here, because we bought the ticket with a special deal they had posted on their page. And check out their website here for the list of current casts, listen to the musics and watch clips of the show.

Outfit- Forever 21 Lace Dress, Betsy Johnson Necklace, NY & Co. Leggings and Stave Madden Boots

Broadway Theater Marquee

The Forrest Opening Set

The Castle Stair Case - End of Act I - Intermission

Saturday Dinner- Halal Guys

Original location- 53rd and 6th Ave.

My first time visiting the Halal guys was back in my first semester of college. It was the first week of school and all of the upperclassmen were raving about this food truck that apparently has a line that's an hour long. I didn't believe them so I went on a ride with several of my friends, packed into this car and drove from our campus in North Jersey in to the city. Well, they weren't lying. The line for this cart was a NYC block long, and we did wait for about an hour. Now fast forward many years later and my friend and I are back at one of our favorite college NYC eateries. What's great about the Halal Guys is that they make good food for a reasonable price. For $6 (the price haven't changed in many many years), you get a platter of rice, salad, pita bread and choice of chicken, lamb or both. It also comes with a white sauce and a super hot red sauce.  We haven't been to Halal Guys cart in years so we were surprised by the number of locations they have now and they also seem to have a better ordering system so that the customers can move more quickly. Halal Guys are now one of the NYC staple. There's many 'chicken and rice' carts all over the city, but you can't beat the original Halal Guys cart. For a list of their location and hours you can click here. 

Final Thoughts: If you are in the city at night and want a cheap place to eat that you can eat in the car or bring back to the hotel. Give this cart a try. Ask for extra white sauce!

The Original Location

Halal Guys

The Chicken & Lab Combo Platter

Sunday Lunch: Kunjip 

9 W. 32nd Street

What better way to hide from blistery NYC weather than a bowl of hot piping soup? For our final weekend meal in NYC. My friend took me to one of her favorite restaurant- Kunjip. It is a Korean Restaurant in the heart of Korea Town just a few blocks away from Penn Station. It's run very efficiently by the staff so, pick quickly, eat quickly and move on with the rest of your day. We were very lucky though the place wasn't packed so we were able to enjoy delicious Korean food. 

After we ordered our food, the waitstaff came with a plethora of 'Banchan' or side dishes in Korean.  There were bean sprouts, potatoes, sauteed spinach, seaweed, kimchi, steamed egg and other delectable classic Korean food (and rice). My friend ordered something spicy and I went with Duk Mandoo Guk which has sliced rice cakes and korean dumplings (Mandoo) in beef broth. It was utterly delicious. The menu has pictures in it which makes ordering very easy so you know what you are getting. You can check out their online picture menu here.

Final Thoughts: If I am in the neighborhood and am craving Korean food I will definitely go back to Kunjip. They have delicious food without the fuss, they are however, on the pricier end of local eateries that we visited.   

Some of the side dishes

Entree- Duk Mandoo Guk

Well, this completes my weekend adventure in NYC. After Kunjip we went to Penn Station and went our separate ways home. I took the trains back to Philadelphia with a full tummy and a great set of pictures and memories from our adventure.

Hope you enjoyed the 2 part series. I am looking forward to doing more travel related posts. As always if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

Until next time,

Jessica